Ciel Redding is a woman of many creative talents. As her son, I suppose I might be accused of a certain bias, but I feel no hesitation in sharing her work with you today, because I believe it stands on its own. She is a photographer, a poet and author, a philosopher, spiritual guide, and much more. I want to share with you a few of her projects, so you too can appreciate the beauty and honesty of her work.
Ciel the Author: THE HERETICS
This is a piece of fiction that has been in the works on-and-off for several years. A gothic historical fantasy set in the 1500s, which begins over the hills of Italy, along the beaches, over and under the moors of Ireland, into the heart of Rome. I’ll let her own words describe it:
It is 1500, and two unusual, one might even say rather bizarre young pilgrims have set out for Rome. They begin their journeys alone, moving through a world of supernatural mysteries manifesting, to challenge and threaten them, to tempt them to other paths. A peculiar dynamic is fired by their meeting, and no small hint of Destiny. There is real power, and much-needed protection when they join forces. Too bad they just really, really don’t like each other.
Ciel: “It is a dark story, but also filled with light, and the affirmation that in this world, there is no one more powerful than a self-realized human being.”
It is nice to say “my mom is working on a really cool novel” but it doesn’t mean much if it can’t be read. So here’s the good news: You can start reading it right now! She is developing it using Patreon as a platform, sharing it with her patrons chapter by chapter, accepting feedback and input.
Speaking personally, I haven’t read the story for many years, but it is filled with deeply vivid moments, scenes, and characters that, to this day, I still remember like a half-forgotten dream. I am very excited to be able to read it again. You can get started by signing up here:
It is a worthy project and a magical read. There are samples available to the public on the Patreon page. Please consider taking a look and supporting it!
Ciel the Photographer: The Roving Eye
Ciel calls herself a snapshot artist. She doesn’t set up long shots, carry lots of equipment, or work in a studio. She photographs the world in a moment. Her travels have given her opportunities to take photos around the world, from New Zealand, to Singapore, The UK, China, Australia, Italy, and some of the most beautiful spots in the US. On the ground or from the air, in every location she tries to see from different angles, and try to find the shots that others might not think to notice.
Below are a few examples of her shots from over the years.
Her photos have been on display at the New Moon Cafe in Olympia, Starbucks in Tumwater, Washington, and has won awards at Thurston County Fair. In Colorado Springs she has had pieces on display at Academy Art and Frame in, and as of 8/4/2020, has a full wall display set up at Thrive Salon, also in Colorado Springs.
If you want to see more of her work, you can check out her photo-stream on Flickr. If you are looking for art to purchase, or would like to speak with her about a show or gallery, you can contact her here: clredding@gmail.com
Ciel the Poet and Philosopher: Loosely Speaking
It used to be that the only place you could find Ciel’s poetry and prose were her blogs on a paywalled site called Blogit. About a year ago, she put her own wordpress site together and has been sharing poems, and philosophical explorations with a slowly growing international audience.
Ciel’s poetry has a particular style, a playfulness and precision with all aspects of presentation; voice, word choice, pace, syntax, format and all. Here is one of her poems from Loosely Speaking, her public blog. I recommend speaking it aloud:
People Are Planets…
…that do sometimes collide.
We explore those planets
when we go inside
another person’s thought and feeling,
discover what
the silver atmosphere’s concealing:
Different laws of nature may apply
to different creatures under different sky.
A world may be hostile
to our hearts, our breath…
May lead us far astray
into confusions and delusions,
even into death.
Yet some planets do
attract us by the soul,
and so connect us,
thus between us, we are whole:
Sashaying
through the cosmos twirling,
side by side,
sharing sun and stars above,
meeting together
cosmic storm and tide…
CL Redding, 2001
For the more fantasy minded folks I should also mention she has an extensive collection of poems inspired by J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Her writing style and poetic voice can capture the graceful sad beauty of the elves, the homely comforts of the hobbits, and the lonely voices of the Istari with equal poise. One poem in particular can be found on Loosely Speaking, but I want to guide you in that direction, because it always brings a tear to my eye. You won’t regret taking a moment to read it:
Lastly, I wanted to mention that Ciel is an editor and writing coach for hire. You can contact her at clredding@gmail.com to inquire about her services. She has helped me immensely with my own work, and my own growth as a writer.
