Definitions are supplied to demystify symbolism (and the artwork in this studio).
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Witches...
Halloween (US holiday) is just around the corner so I thought it would be appropriate to add a little holiday symbolism to the section :)

Did you see the documentary that says the Salem witchcraft trials AND European witch hunts may have come about as a result of bad weather and rye turned into LSD as a result of such??? wow.
Posted: October 11, 2003.

Shortcut links to the (expert) quotes below:
Biedermann: Dictionary of Symbolism
Jung: Man and His Symbols
Singer: Divine Magic the world of the supernatural
Vollman: The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Dream Symbols

Dictionary of Symbolism, p. 386-387
Their portrayal in myth, legend, fairy tale, and as symbolic figures, has little to do with the horrifying reality of the persecution of "witches" in Central Europe or Salem. Countless non-Western peoples have believed in witches and in the demonic powers of certain women whom they have characterized as cannibals, sorceresses, murderesses, and destroyers of male potency (e.g., by means of the vagina dentata). Such witches and related figures are symbols of a negative aspect of woman, her dark side, as feared by the--neurotic--male. In his rage he attacks them, combats them, determined to destroy them by fire if they have not been consumed in the ordeal by water (in the case of medieval Europe). Jungian psychology sees the figure of the witch as an imaginary embodiment of "the dark side of the anima, the female aspect of the man, represented for example by the BLACK goddess Kali in Hindu myth or the witch Rangda in the Indonesian theater. Such malformations are believed to result from a disturbed relationship to the MOTHER when the boy is growing up. Among the characteristic symbols of the fearful world of witches are nocturnal (see NIGHT) birds (e.g. OWLS), into which witches can transform themselves; TOADS, SNAKES, black CATS; then, alternatively, the witches seductive beauty, or her repulsive ugliness; her NAKEDNESS, in rituals celebrated on solitary MOUNTAINS (e.g., the Brocken) with the DEVIL presiding, often in the form of a male GOAT. This image of the witch, familiar from European popular tradition, is only a particular instance of almost universal misogyny, however the manifestations of that fear may vary in detail. (In ancient Japan, for example, female demons transform themselves into FOXES; in the native culture of Siberia, into WOLVES.) The European persecution of "witches" bolstered this set of notions with pseudoscientific theory and translated it into murderous deeds. In recent years the figure of the witch has become a symbol of certain groups in the women's movement, a sign of protest against the social dominance of the patriarchy.
Posted: October 11, 2003.
Expanded: March 06, 2004.

Man and His Symbols, p. 187
The anima (the female element in a male psyche) is often personified as a witch or priestess--women who have links with "forces of darkness" and "the spirit world" (i.e. the unconscious).
Posted: October 29, 2003.

Divine Magic the world of the supernatural, p.96
...typically ambivalent attitude towards the wise woman model of a witch -- a solitary yet powerful outcast, regarded with both fear and fascination.
Posted: October 29, 2003.

The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Dream Symbols, p. 480
Hedge. A negative symbol for Mother, the overpowering, malevolent woman who is feared. Often points to a mother who does not care properly for her children (particularly in children's dreams). Less often, the image of a witch points to the wise woman (particularly in women's dreams) who exudes great magnetism. The witch is almost always a symbol of the power of the unconscious--Magic. In fairy tales as well as in dreams, the witch plays an important, archetypal role, because she separates the hero or dream-self from his (usually royal) origin, which can then only be recaptured after he passes a certain test.
Posted: January 17, 2004.

Want to know more? Go out and pick up a copy of the book(s) quoted and expand your mind :) These are MY teachers, the people who teach me about symbolism :) I hope the supplied definitions help you understand the art found on this site.