Faeries and Fairy images - new work

A lot of the new work I'm generating centers around portraits of faeries (or fairies, if you prefer), fae folk and the faerie realm.

I never realized how it would influence my work, but I've always enjoyed fantasy and faeries and magic. Growing up I loved to pretend in the woods (by "the field" in our old neighborhood - where all the kids would always meet and play).  Fantasy movies in the 80's also sparked my imagination as a child and I was constantly on the lookout for any sort of movie or book with a fanciful theme.

I used to review books for a small fantasy/sci-fi/horror publication.  Once I reviewed a retelling of Thomas The Rhymer, a minstrel who was spirited off to the faerie realm by the beautiful and somewhat terrifying Queen of Faeries.  I've often thought of that book, and after I created this image I knew this was my vision of Mab herself.  (If you're in Arizona, you can see this work entitled "Form of Spirit" this month at the Firehouse Gallery's "Geek Love" exhibition.)

I'm sure some part of it's because I have two imaginative, unicorn/dragon/fairy-crazed children that it's come back into my consciousness.  We definitely connect over all things fantasy.

I wish I was a book cover

In November, my world was turned upside down when my family made the arguably crazy move to Arizona.  I've hardly been able to catch my breath, let alone work on anything creative since we started packing.  But, I've taken a few photos here and there as we explore the area, and I know that I'm subconsciously influenced by the desert.  The colors here are amazing.  Soft, ethereal and airy but vibrant at the same time.

I started dabbling with edits and layers in Photoshop and suddenly found myself creating images that were unlike any art I've ever created.  I felt skeptical of myself, but kept going, and feel like I'm finally starting to hit my stride and really enjoy what I'm making.

When I began looking at them in a series, I was reminded of book cover art.  I for one have always appreciated a beautiful and inspiring image to go with the text and usually end up choosing a book with a great cover (same with wine labels!) over something boring.  Plus, I like fantasy and strong female characters, and there's definitely that element in these new images.

I've taken some time in the last couple weeks to sift through old images I've always wanted to work on and am experimenting.  Not all are my favorites, but some I love.  Like this one.

I for one would LOVE for my art to be on a book cover some day.  But if not, I'll keep working on this collection, and keep you posted as it evolves...