The Gathering Grows

Last week, I wrote a piece entitled Sisters and made mention of the growing international sisterhood. The response from all over the world was overwhelming and seemed to strike a chord in the heart of each honorary Sassenach who read it. Every day, fans continue to gather on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pininterest and blogs, sharing their love for the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon, the television series being produced by Ron D. Moore, and of course, the talented cast and dedicated crew.

And I continue to meet new people – some with thousands of tweets under their belts and some with only a few. No matter the number, their love of Outlander is the same as mine and yours. But reflecting back on my show of appreciation for the work of a select few, I feel my exclusion – whether intentional or not – of a number of talented Sassenachs and Outmanders may have inadvertently demonstrated a false impression of my full appreciation.

So, here I am again with a new list of talented Outlander fans. Some you may have heard of and seen their work many times already, or perhaps you are new to the gathering and this is your first viewing. Either way, this is my tribute to say “Thank you” for sharing your talents with us all. And if you’re new to the family, I say “Welcome to the Sassenach Sisterhood and Clan Outmander!”

I’d like to make one other mention before introducing you to a few more folks. Since writing Sisters, Outlander Starz has added a number of well-deserved groups to the Outlander Communities Directory. I’d like to give a big e-hug and “Thank you!” to them for recognizing the devotion of the fans.

First up this time is the talented Ingrid from Costa Rica. If you don’t know her, get to know her. She’s a generous and lovely spirit on the twitter-waves. Ingrid has an eye and a knack for creating her own scenarios between our favorite characters. Included below are three of her most recent creations, but you should visit her twitter home page to see more of her fabulous scenes.

The first piece is one of my favorites. Ingrid creates an eerie path of death and destruction behind Captain Black Jack Randall. With a soul as black as pitch, it’s something he is well-known to leave in his wake .

Ingrid also likes to have fun with posters, creating fan-tasized versions with her own personal flair. Below are two verra popular examples. In the first poster, Captain Black Jack Randall and Jamie Fraser are together but on opposing sides. In the second, BJR is back – this time, taking liberties with our time-travelling Claire Randall.

Ingrid has also put together a whimsical  collection of Lego characters you should check out on her twitter page. I am only leaving them out of my posting for trademark purposes.

If you don’t know this next artist, you’ve had your head stuck under a standing stone, trying to find your way to the eighteenth century. You can stop trying because Audrey of Montréal, Québec – one of the most charming cities in the world – can whisk you back in time through her romantic and tastefully erotic drawings.

Audrey has been bringing intimate Outlander scenes to life since well before the Outlander Starz show was cast. Below are just two beautiful examples of her work. The first showcases Audrey’s personal vision of Jamie and Claire in each other’s arms – our favorite position for those two. It’s a moving depiction with Jamie’s scars in plain view and Claire’s two rings in plain sight. The words further transport the viewer back in time and into the book.

This second drawing is a portrait with a familiar face we all know and love: Caitriona Balfe with whiskey-amber eyes as Claire Randall. Here’s a description of the piece in Audrey’s own words:

“When I painted her portrait, I wanted all this (i.e. her strong will, determination, steadfastness, and intelligence) to transpire through her eyes. I wanted her ‘kick-ass’ nature to be clear to anyone when they looked at her, but also her love of life, her compassion for the sick and that quirky sense of humor of hers.”

You can read all of Lady Raven’s musings on Outlander and view more of her extraordinary artwork on her website: The Raven’s Nest

A new artist has appeared on the scene – at least, she’s new to me.  @LadyAriend shared with us yet another side of the elusive Black Jack Randall. In this digital composite, his coat is off and his hair is down. The look in his eyes is fixed and determined – perhaps setting his sights on his next unlucky mark? The artist leaves it up to us to guess the scene. Makes a wonderful “How would you caption this?” picture. I look forward to Lady Ariend’s future work.

Next up is Nadia. This talented kiwi artist has been rendering some very different pieces – creating unusual  and abstract portraitures. In the first work, notice the difference in hands holding each side of the picture – a photograph torn down the middle just as Claire’s life is ripped in half, forcing her heart to divide itself between two men.

This second piece is the artist having fun mixing canvases again. She perfectly frames the expressions on Claire and Jamie’s faces, capturing the entire story.

Beatriz comes to the ethereal internet from Spain – Madrid to be exact. She enjoys mixing images of our favorite cast members and puts them together in emotional and sentimental compositions. I’m only including two examples of her heart-stirring pictures here, so please go to her twitter page to see more of her moving artwork. Beatriz also maintains a popular Outlander blog. Be sure to visit her there as well: Forastera

This first piece she created is one of the first renderings of Jenny and Ian together. While we wait for Outlander Starz to release production stills of everyone’s favorite brother-in-law and dear sister, feast your eyes on this for a bit longer.

I went back in time a few months to find this next lovely poster. I’m sure you all remember the first ever ‘selfie’ we received of Claire & Jamie. No other words are needed.

Lastly but certainly not leastly, is Alex Oliver. She’s another artist who is well-known to many and makes her addition to this second list complete – until the next posting. I’m happy to make it a running series!

A complete catalog of Alex’s artwork  can be found on her Pininterest page: Outlander by Alex Oliver. I cannot recommend enough you visit her there as well as all the other Facebook, twitter and websites of the artists included in my Sisters posting and this latest Gathering:

In this final entry for my fellow Outlander fans, artists, Sassenachs and Outmanders’ enjoyment, I am including three examples of Alex’s artwork. This first piece is one of her simplest, but I selected it because it so perfectly captures Jamie & Claire during any one of their intimate moments where they find themselves alone – in a thistle field, on a slippery rock, in an empty barn. To me, this represents all their stolen kisses.

Warning: This next piece is not for the faint of heart, but then who among us is that? It’s time to turn up the heat and head straight into the bedroom. Share Alex’s vision of Claire and Jamie’s passion. Whew!

And how could I not include a picture representing THE scene you may be too embarrassed to admit the enjoyment of reading but will not be able to tear your eyes from the screen during the show. I’ll let Alex’s artwork speak for itself.

And now it’s time for my latest contribution, inspired by my friend Covadonga Vega‘s latest work with one of my favorite characters: Lord John Grey. In case you missed it earlier this week, here it is again:

Lord John Grey is Jamie Fraser’s best friend, which makes him my friend. He is an honorable man, soldier, and father with a dedicated heart even though his love can never be returned in the way he desires it. He is everything Black Jack Randall is not. I would love to have read a scene between those two men, with a mature John Grey facing off against Black Jack. Thinking on it though, I hope it wasn’t BJR who did you-know-what to poor LJG at Culloden.

While Lord John’s part in the Outlander Starz series has not yet been cast because we are still two seasons away from the juicy, adult version of LJG, I have always envisioned Tom Hiddleston in the role. Whether you agree or not, it’s my vision, so . . . <g> and bear it. Here is my tribute to the #sodomylicious man.