Original oil paintings and selected prints by Volaraes.
Sophia Morrison
Oil on canvas, 16 × 20 inches, 2026
Sophia Morrison (1859–1917) spent her life making sure Manx culture survived long enough for the rest of us to inherit it. At a time when the Manx language was in genuine danger of extinction and the island’s oral traditions were being lost to modernity, Morrison worked hard to gather, record, and publish what might otherwise have vanished entirely. Her Manx Fairy Tales (1911) remains a foundational text of Manx literary heritage; her role in establishing the Manx Language Society and her decades of correspondence with British and Irish scholars placed the Isle of Man firmly within the broader conversation of Celtic cultural revival. She deserves to be as recognised as her contemporaries in Ireland and Wales. This portrait is an argument that she should be.
This painting is the first in an ongoing series of oil portraits commemorating significant women in Manx cultural history — figures whose contributions have shaped this island’s identity.
Original painting available.
Enquiries:
olivia@volaraes.co.uk
Mona Douglas
WORK CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS
Oil on canvas, 16 × 20 inches, 2026
Mona Douglas (1898–1987) was one of the most influential figures in the preservation of Manx cultural identity — folklorist, writer, poet, and collector of traditional Manx song, dance, and custom. She was deeply influenced by Sophia Morrison and became part of the continuation of the Manx cultural revival Morrison helped shape.
This painting is the second work in an ongoing portrait series documenting significant figures in Manx cultural history.
Enquiries:
olivia@volaraes.co.uk