Dr Martin Shaw will be bringing a brand new series of original drawings to Field System on Friday 1st May for our celebration of Beltane. In these works you will meet some of the myths, people and animals that have long kept pace with him as he has traversed Dartmoor. Created on his return to the moor after the publication tour for Liturgies of the Wild, each work reflects a renewed closeness to that landscape, it's myths and mysterious characters.

Martin explains, “Palsh is an old Devon expression for taking a long, dreamlike wander. A kind of visionary stroll. I travel a great deal to teach, and when I return I sink back into a kind of ongoing Palsh. Since a kid I've loved the inebriation of both Dartmoor folktale and landscape, and for over fifty years I've dwelt in both. These drawings gradually float up from this kind of awareness. I'm not entirely sure who these characters always are, but I welcome them in.”

Join us on Sunday, May 3rd at Field System for a free ‘Meet the Artist’ event. Following his talk at Ashburton Arts Centre, Martin will be available to discuss his work, sign books, and meet with our guests in an informal atmosphere. No booking required—just turn up.

Dr Martin Shaw is a writer, mythographer and Christian thinker, and the author of seventeen books. He is a visiting member of Cambridge University’s Faculty of Divinity and a fellow of the Temenos Academy. He founded the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University and directs the Westcountry School of Myth in the UK. For over thirty years, he has worked as a wilderness rites-of-passage guide.

This event is part of Dartmoor Tors Festival 2026

Walker. Dr Martin Shaw, 2026

Photograph of Dr Martin Shaw by Jasper Goodall