Our bags are packed for the Pacific Northwest

The summer seems to be rushing by. I think it feels like that because we haven’t really had any summer yet. I know, I know, some of you have been having REALLY hot weather, but we’re pretty cold here on Dartmoor. I think the faeries are still wearing their winter cloths (I know I am!).

Brian and I have been busy working on the newest book we’re doing – I’ll tell you more about that later in the Autumn, and getting ready for our trip to Portland.  We’re doing SO much this time  - all of it exciting and fun!

We’re flying in to Portland next week through the 7^th of September.  We'll be attending the grand opening of The Fernie Brae Gallery on Friday the 28^th from 6-9pm. We’re SO excited about seeing this beautiful, new gallery, devoted to Faeries and magic come to life! It’s going to be an extremely special beginning for a most magical and special gallery! We can’t imagine a more perfect venue for our art and that of all of the faery and magical artists who will be participating in the exhibition. We’ll be holding a book signing there as well on that Saturday the 29th from 2-4pm. 

We’ll also be signing books at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside on Wednesday the 26^th at 7:30pm.

As part of the Portland Film Festival, I'll be attending and speaking at a screening of Dark Crystal on Wednesday, September 2nd at 5:30pm at the Mission Theater.  

The weekend after that (we DO get some time off to enjoy being with the family!) we’re all off to the new venue of FaerieWorlds for Friday the 4^th, where we’ll be around to see everyone and sign books (we will not be selling books). We can’t wait to be back at the festival again. It’s been far too long since we’ve had the chance to visit!

On Saturday the 5^th through Monday, Brian, Toby and I will be teaching a workshop at The Fernie Brae, combining all of our various skills and work methods. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s sold out but I’m sure we’ll be doing it again sometime during the coming year so if you’re interested, keep an eye out for announcements.

So – it’s once again a busy summer for us. We hope to see lots of you at some or all of the events!

Bluebells to Roses, Books to Toys, Festivals to Openings! Summer is here!

Summer has finally come to Dartmoor! It’s been a very cold spring and I think even the faeries have taken their time coming out of hibernation! But-  it’s beautiful now and getting warmer every day. We did have the most stunning bluebells out this spring. The last remaining few are holding on but the lanes, fields and woods have given over to roses, honeysuckle and elderflowers.

Brian and I will be appearing at the 3 Wishes Faery Fest at Mount Edgecumbe Country Park in Cornwall with our friend and fellow faery artist Renae Taylor this coming Saturday. It’s on for the whole weekend but unfortunately we’ll only be able to be there on Saturday  - so if you want to see all three of us, buy books and prints, have them signed or just come and say hi  - come on Saturday! And – let’s all ask the faeries to help with beautiful weather for the whole event!

It’s been a month of getting together with friends visiting Chagford. We spent a lovely afternoon with our friend Virginie Ropars – the most amazing polymer clay sculptor!!! and her lovely mother Michelle. We’ve known each other for years and it’s always great to meet up and find out what we’ve both been up to since we last saw each other. If you don’t know Virginie’s work, DO go to her website and check it out – it’s the best.

We’ve been busy working on a new “Cottington” pressed faery book that will be coming out next year. It’s a bit of a departure for me but I’m enjoying writing for the rather mad Cottingtons! We’re bringing it up to date and it should be fun.

We’re (Toby and I) also going to be teaching a workshop in Portland at the Fernie Brae Gallery at the end of August. It’s slightly different because Brian will be teaching as well, but it will be a great chance for people to not only create a sculpt but also learn some of Brian’s techniques and apply those as well to creating a character from conception to finish. We’re all looking forward to it. It will be the first time all three of us have taught together. We aren’t often all in the same place at once so it’s going to be quite special. This is part of the Fernie Brae opening exhibition and sale so come and see us there.

I’m also going to be sharing a workshop space in Chagford with three other artists beginning in July. Virginia Lee, Danielle Earp, Angharad Barlow and I will be sharing a space (above Spar) making strange and interesting things that we don’t always give ourselves the chance to make in our studios at home. Toys, automata, marionettes, and what ever else takes our fancy. It will be open to the public sometimes so if you would like to come in and say hello, you just might catch us on a day when we’re working there! And faeries  -there WILL be faeries! We haven’t thought of a name yet so it’s just ‘the studio’ for now.

Just reading this back makes me tired! We’re busy  - but happy. It’s always exciting to begin work on new projects and see others come to fruition.

I’m still making small trolls for my etsy site and I’ll be putting a few more up for sale around the 21^st (that’s Sunday) so check and see what’s available.

That’s it for now I think. No profound thoughts for summer yet  - just enjoying the sunshine and new beginnings.

Here are a few photos of some of the things I’ve just mentioned.

Have a wonderful solstice and hopefully we’ll be seeing some of you this coming Saturday at 3 Wishes Faery Fest!

Second Month Brings Creativity and Hope

What a strange January it’s been. We always hope that the New Year will bring new beginnings, hope, creative energy and a renewed sense of purpose. Well  - this hasn't been the case for us and from what I've learned from friends and

people I've been having conversations with, it hasn't been the case for many of them either. Strange full moon? Weird planet alignments? Hibernating faeries? I don’t know. But I’m hoping that now we have moved in to February, things will begin to improve a bit.

There are so many exciting things on the horizon this year, I hardly know where to begin. There are lots of projects in the pipeline (or standing in front of the pipeline, waiting to go in) and wonderful opportunities for creative collaborations. As I write this, I realize that there aren't many things solid enough to talk about yet – so you’ll just have to wait (as we are doing). But  - if you have any spare fingers you could keep them crossed for us!

I CAN tell you that we will be guests again at the AvalonFaery Fayre and Ball in Glastonbury on March 14^th (and part of the 15^th). And we will also be guests at ELFIA – the fantastic fantasy event in the Netherlands on April 25/26. I’ll give you more details as we get closer to the date.

I’m also hoping to co-teach a workshop with Toby, in Portland at a fantastic new gallery space, over the Easter weekend – that’s April 3-5. But  - we’re only now working out the details. I'll post on our Realm of Froud Facebook page when we have all the details worked out. 

As I promised in December, I’ve made a few more small faery companions for Etsy. We’ll put them up on the site tomorrow but I wanted to tell everyone first and give you a chance to see them here.

Well  - back to work  - and here’s hoping that the second month of the New Year and Imbolc bring us all bright, new beginnings and a creative spark! 

But Remember to Stop, Look & Listen

We’ve had a summer full of celebrations and some sadness, inspiration and bouts of exhaustion but it HAS felt like summer - and still does. The garden is beautiful again, and work, when we get the chance to do it, is going well. We’re gearing up for an autumn of book signings, lectures, workshops, a Labyrinth Ball, film showings and an exhibition of work from “Faeries’ Tales” at AFA gallery. Lots to do. I may even have missed a few things! We’re going to be busy. So - it’s good to just be at home for a while, entertaining friends, spending sunny evenings in the garden and letting the world carry on without us. 

When we get busy and crazy we tend to forget to just stop and look or listen - just experience the world around us. When we actually do that, it is easy to feel the nearness of the Faerie Realm, nature spirits and natural energy shifting and flowing as we stand or sit still and become aware of it. We paint it, sculpt it and write about it but sometimes we just forget to observe it. That’s the most important thing of all. So we both are trying to spend time each day just being here, in the present. It helps to remind us of why we do what we do. Magic is illusive and delicate and to capture it at all, it’s a good idea to remember to take time and be aware. There - that’s my musing for the day. I’m going to try to take my own advice.

We recently (two weekends ago actually) had a wonderful time in Brittany in the magical forest of Broceliande, attending a book and art festival at the Arthurian Center there. Wonderful people, renewed friendships and lots of new friends made as well. We gave a talk (quite something to have it all translated in to French!) and a puppet making and movement workshop with our friend and master puppet performer William Todd Jones (or Todd, as he is called). Fantastic to see twenty aspiring puppeteers with their arms in the air, a simple puppet on their hand, singing “Frere Jacques” as a round! We loved it! There is a beautiful exhibition of Brian and my art in the Arthurian Centre at the moment (it’s on until the end of the month) and Toby’s film made its French debut there as well. We loved everything about the festival and felt a true connection between where we live on Dartmoor and this ancient, magical place in Brittany. We will certainly go there again because we just didn’t have enough time to see and experience everything we wished to. Looking forward to it!

We are attending Karen Kay’s Labyrinth Ball in Glastonbury on August 29th. It will be great fun and we look forward to seeing lots of friends there. Do come if you can!

Toby’s film, Lessons Learned, will be screening in three film festivals at the end of the month and then he will be joining us in Chagford for the Chagford Film Festival at the end of September – you can see “Lessons Learned “ there. All three of us will be there for a lecture, book signing and perhaps a puppet workshop (with puppet movement master and puppeteer Todd) too. Again - come if you can - it’s going to be pretty exciting!

We will be signing “Faeries Tales” at Forbidden Planet on Saturday September 6th from 1 to 2 pm. Come along and support us if you can! You’ll also have the chance to get books signed at Gnash Comics in Ashburton on Saturday September 20th. We do count on your support so come and help us make this book the success we would love it to be. It will make the faeries happy too - and you know how important it is to make the faeries happy! 

In October we’ll be in New York for Comic Con, the AFA gallery for an exhibition (running 9/18 to 10/10 ) for the closing reception event and book signing on October 10th, a talk and signing at the Society of Illustrators on October 14th, hopefully a talk and signing at the University of Connecticut and a weekend of events at the BAM Puppetry on Film Festival at the end of the month. We also have a new app coming out in the middle of September - Faces of Faerie - it looks fantastic and is really fun and quirky. LOTS going on! Come and join us when ever and where ever you can.

Check our facebook page and website for specifics (dates, times, etc.) for all of the up-coming events.

Well, I think that’s it for the moment. After having said that the summer has been lovely, we’re having the remnants of a tropical storm sweeping through today - lots of wind and rain. Good weather to work in so I’m headed back to the studio.

And remember to stop once in a while and connect with the faery energy around you -that’s what we’ll be trying to do!

Grumpy to Glamour

Hello from Portland, Oregon! We’re here visiting Toby, Sarah and Sebastian. 

We’ve had a fantastic time in the states so far, catching up with business and friends in New York (including finding the perfect café for Brian) and then spending one of the most interesting, challenging and inspiring weeks we've ever had as guest instructors at IMC - the Illustration Master Class that takes place every summer in Amherst, Mass. 

We came there feeling very shy and apprehensive about what we could contribute to the mix of fantastic professionals who teach and share their expertise with the students (who are a mix of professional and non-professional artists) but left feeling like we had been able to add something unexpected and exciting to the whole thing. Anyway - we LOVED it! Thank you Rebecca Guay and all of the other instructors and students who made it such an amazing experience!

Tomorrow afternoon we will be attending the premier of Toby’s film “Lessons Learned” at the Hollywood theater in Portland. We can’t wait to see it on a big screen! There is such a buzz surrounding the film and the only thing that could remotely disappoint anyone is that it’s only fifteen minutes long. But then, it’s always good to leave people wanting more! Seeing the puppets in person (all in Toby and Sarah’s house) is wonderful. The craftsmanship and effort involved in making them shines out. They are indeed beautiful and fascinating creations. 

Since it seems that we can never just sit still and relax (what’s that?) we are also working on a trailer for Youtube for the up coming book “Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Tales” while we’re here. We are taking advantage of Toby’s many skills to put together something fun that will of course have a puppet in it! 

The new app “Faces of Faerie” is also almost finished and we are excited to be seeing the newest version of it when we return to New York next week. 

All in all it is a very busy and exciting time for us. At the end of next week when we return home, we’ll start to concentrate on the festival in France and the book launch in New York and the gallery exhibition that will open at AFA gallery in the middle of September, but before doing that I can’t imagine anything better than to sit in the garden surrounded by faeries and drinking a nice cup of tea!

Back in Time to Catch CatBell

Well - this has been a VERY long break! Sorry about that. I’ve been in Michigan, land of eternal snow (this spring at least) and then trying to catch up with everything I missed while I was away. I’ve continued the stories of B. and Cat Bell in both Faery and Fae magazines and I’ve very much enjoyed discovering what those two are getting up to! 

Brian and I have been following the progress of Toby’s film “Lessons Learned” and were just delighted to be sent a final cut of it a few days ago. Speaking as artists (and extremely proud parents as well) and viewers - it’s fantastic! It leaves you wishing it was a whole lot longer! We’ve seen it quite a few times now and as Brian said to Toby yesterday -there’s more to see every time you view it. It’s multilayered and wonderfully complex. We can’t wait to see it on a big screen! Brian said that seeing his design for the spider woman (Fate) brought to life was one of the most satisfying interpretations of his work he’s seen on film so far. It is absolutely wonderful to see Froudian puppets on film again!

We’re working on a new app that will come out just after our new book “Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Tales” comes out this autumn. It’s REALLY fun and quite strange (in a good way!). People have had such a positive and strong reaction to the faery portraits Brian painted for the book that we decided to incorporate them into an app. Everyone who has tried it can’t stop playing with it! We’ll tell you more as we get further along in the process.

We’ll be teaching in just a few weeks now as part of IMC – Illustration Master Class in Amherst. We’re really looking forward to being a part of this wonderful week long gathering of students and an amazing group of instructors! It’s very exciting.

I followed CatBell outside today and photographed her exploring the spring flowers in the lane and meadow near our house. She looks very happy to be out in the fresh air. I’ll have to see if B. would like to come out some time soon as well!

Spring Avalon Faery Fayre

Brian and I want to say a big “thank you” to Karen Kay and all of the people in Glastonbury who made last weekend so successful and truly enjoyable. We had a wonderful time! It was good to catch up with old friends, meet new people and help spread faery energy in the town. The weather was glorious (the only drawback being that we were inside for both days!) but we could feel the sun shining and could certainly feel everyone’s spirits lifting. The Steam Punk Faery Ball was great! The costumes were so inventive and imaginative that it felt far more as though people were putting on their “real” cloths after having to wear human disguises all week. Perhaps some of the beings attending both the ball and the fayre were less human than we knew. I always think that these events are perfect places for faeries to mingle without being noticed!

B and Cat Bell loved coming along and they enjoyed the attention from those of you who had read about them in Fae magazine. They made friends with Armorel’s “Faybles”, inhabiting the table next to us. I hope they haven’t given Cat Bell too many wild ideas (she’s very easily influenced!).

We apologize for running out of books so quickly  - especially ‘Trolls’. I should have ordered more. Oh well  - next time! Thank you all for the wonderful response to our preview of the new book, ‘Faeries’ Tales’. We’re very excited about it and it was wonderful to see that you were as well.

It’s back to work now. The sun is still shinning and we’re once again inside, working  - but  - at least we know it’s there!

I was so busy during the fayre that I didn’t have time to take many pictures. I’m sure you’ll be able to find many more on other facebook pages. Here are just a few from us.

Crazy on Page 143

Brian and I are feeling bear-ish. We’d like to hibernate for a month or so – maybe until it stops raining. Well, that might be more than a month if the past three months are anything to go by.  But  - we’re not bears and we can’t just sleep away the grey days. Buster and Elfie would get up to too much mischief if we did.

I think the faeries are doing a bit of their own hibernating. Nothing seems “active” at the moment.  There are flowers coming up (tentatively) and the birds are beginning to sing their spring songs, but it still feels everything is waiting to make that leap into the new. There isn’t any activity in our house (I’m still talking about faeries here) but perhaps that’s because they spent a very busy few months helping and hindering us while we finished the book. I truly believe that they don’t always know if they ARE helping or hindering. They just do what seems appropriate to them and it may not be at all appropriate to us. Here’s a good example of what I mean.

I decided (for some foolish reason) that I would write an afterword for the Faeries’ Tales book  - the last double page spread, explaining where some of the original stories and songs I used came from. Sounds like a good idea  - very grown up and book-ish. I duly did this and congratulated myself on the fact that I could do it (with help from Terri Windling and my editors!). I gave the pages to Brian (remember – this is the last two page spread in the book) and asked him to choose a few drawings to liven it up for any intrepid reader who ventured all the way to the very end pages. He did so and we sent it off to the editor for corrections.  I hadn’t paid much attention to the drawings he used, only noting that the very last one looked more than slightly mad. The page spread was returned with a few things to correct and at this point Brian said “I just knew this page spread would be trouble”.

We corrected and sent it back. The memory stick we sent got lost in the post. We sent it again and when it arrived it was found that we had sent the wrong version of the pages. We sent it via internet (after all it was only two pages!) and again more corrections came back  -things that no one had spotted before. We corrected and sent it back. It came back again with yet more and different corrections. This was bad enough, but every time we tried to correct the text, it took a different form on the pages. Sometimes it left out sections, sometimes it changes the format, sometimes it just refused to do anything.

As we were looking at it on the computer for what seemed like the hundredth time I said “I feel just like that little drawing you put in the corner” and Brian confessed that he had put it in as a joke because he just knew this page spread was going to be trouble and would drive us crazy. Well  - it did. The faery in the drawing was just doing its job. It had been drawn to be crazy and it was indeed crazy and very happily going about its business spreading that craziness around as much as it could. It was far too late to take it out and replace it with another drawing so we had to make due with a stern talk, trying to explain to it that it had now done its job and could stop!

We sent the pages off again and so far we haven’t had them back for any more corrections. I think our editor was being driven as crazy as we were. We’ll get color corrections for the whole book back soon. Luckily, that page spread is in black and white  - so, what could go wrong? Hah!

And what have we learned from this? Maybe that what one brings into this world, matters. Brian may still draw crazy faeries, but he’s going to be much more careful about where they go from now on (he says that now but he probably won’t do it)!

One last word. Most of the faeries involved in helping with the book did just that. They helped, inspired and facilitated. We thank them. Actually, we thank them all, helpful or otherwise. After all, they’re only doing their job. It’s up to us to be sensible about it!

A New Year?

A new year - I feel like I should write about it, but - I’m sort of still waiting for it to feel like a new year. Does that make sense? On some past New Years Days, I would wake up and feel that things had changed, moved - I’d feel energized and ready to start again, but this year feels, I don’t know, up in the air, perhaps. Maybe it’s because I’m still catching up with things left over from last year and things not quite resolved yet. They will all be resolved, but I feel like I’m still trailing stray tinsel and shaking pine needles out of my hair. The faeries are grumpy (or maybe washed away) or maybe I just haven’t been out to look for them lately. At least I can go out even if it is raining. I feel so (sorry, worried, anxious) for everyone in the U.S. and Canada experiencing the ice age, and people here who have been flooded out of their homes. Rain and mud I can deal with. Having just read this, I think the solution is to go out and have a little look around and see what the new year has brought so far (I know I’m a week late but hey, it’s closer to new year than not).

Well - it appears that Spring IS coming. I took a very fast walk out into the garden (in the rain) and found the first flowers of the year pushing their way through the leaf cover. No snow to hide them so far. 

I think the faeries are all gathered around the new little flowers, urging them on and making sure they enter the world safely.

This is enough of a New Year sign for me. I think I might be ready to move forward now - after all - if the flowers can do it, so can I.

Catching Up

Hello to everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the U.S!

Brian and I have just returned from almost a month in the states, doing all sorts of exciting things.

We started our trip with a stop in New York to deliver our new (and almost completed) book to our publisher, Abrams Books. We are always SO nervous before we have to show anything to anyone, let alone the people who most need to approve it  - but the response was wonderful! We’ll have the new book –Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Tales – out next Autumn, hopefully in conjunction with New York ComicCon and an exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpted figures at AFA gallery. This should all be happening around the beginning to middle of October. It’s very exciting to know that we’ll have another “big” book out there next year! It really IS a big book  - the same size as “TROLLS” with all new artwork  -portraits of faeries and their versions of faerytales we think we know well. As always, the faeries’ points of view are very different in most cases! We’ll keep you posted on related news and events.

Here are some images of our process:

After New York we flew on to Convolution – Gates of Horn and Ivory  -a myth and fantasy convention just outside of San Francisco, where we were guests of honour with Wendy and Richard Pini (of Elf Quest). We met up with the family there – Sarah, Toby, Sebastian and Sarah’s mom Sherri, and combined forces to teach two workshops  -a greenman mask making workshop, taught by Toby and assisted by us and a Troll Talisman workshop, taught by us and assisted by Toby. Sarah, Sherri and Sebastian were there to make sure everything ran smoothly. Sarah and Sherri did an amazing job collecting natural materials for us to use in the Troll Talisman workshop as well as the best collection of leaves we've ever had for a mask making workshop. We really enjoyed both workshops and so did the people participating in them. The masks were beautiful and the Troll Talismans were all quite profound. We’ll certainly be teaching that one again sometime soon. I’m hoping to figure out a spring schedule for a few weekends of teaching at our home (or somewhere in Chagford). I’ll let you know when I’ve got something sorted.

Anyway  - we loved being at Convolution and want to sincerely thank everyone who was involved in making it such an enjoyable, easy and interesting experience for us –especially Kimmi Allbee the convention chairwoman. Thank you Kimmi!!!

We returned to New York after a week of recovering (we both had colds) and sleeping at my mother’s house in Northern Michigan. It’s always so good to be there and just be able to relax and not have to do much. It is so important for us to get to see friends and family in Michigan. We don’t get there nearly as often as we would like to but it’s so special when we DO all meet up. I’m sure my mother was ready to have her house to herself again by the time we left though!

Back in New York we had lunch with Heidi Leigh our AFA gallery owner, where we talked about and planned some coming events for the next few years. We’ll (as I said earlier) be having an exhibition related to Faeries Tales at AFA Soho next October and then we’ll be back at BelCastel in France to teach workshops again in the summer of 2016. Two weeks this time, but the same courses we taught there before. So  - that gives you lots of time to think about joining us if you’d like to spend a week in France! I’ll also have some new pieces in the gallery before Christmas, so check out the AFA website for photos.

The other upcoming events that we’ll be a part of this coming year are  - the Faery Art Show at Krab Jab Studio in Seattle in February, Karen Kay’s Faery Fayre in Glastonbury on March 8^th&9^th.  And of course the Illustration MasterClass inAmherst this coming June. We’re looking forward to all of them and hope to see some of you either in Glastonbury or in Amherst.

If you have been following Toby’s facebook page (and others as well) you’ll know that he’s finished shooting for his film “Lessons Learned” and now has to turn it into the film we are all waiting to see! It looked totally amazing from what we could see when we face timed with everyone on set and from the photos we've seen. It’s going to be something very special indeed! And I love Digby!

We are updating our website with lots of new information and links to things of interest. It’s been ages since both Sarah and I have been concentrating on the Facebook page  - but, please have a look at the website soon. We’re doing our best to update it! 

Have I caught up with everything? I hope so. I’m getting excited about planning for Christmas this year. Toby, Sarah and Sebastian will be joining us and I’m going to ask the faeries to help us make it extra magical for Sebastian’s first Christmas! 

I left my camera at my mother’s house and until she sends it back, I don’t have any of the photos I took on our trip. Hmmmm. I’ll see if I can conjure something up from my iPad.

I realize that this has been an “information” blog and not a blog about faery experiences. But  - that doesn't mean that they weren't present on our trip and helping us when they could. They were and they did. I know I’ve said this many times before, but if you want to communicate with them  - if you want their help with things happening or about to happen in your life  - just ask. We find that when we remember to ask them for help, they really do come through (although in unexpected ways at times) but if we don’t ask, sometimes they’ll take it upon themselves to “help” anyway, which can be interesting to say the least! I think they are happy to have us home again and we are equally happy to be here! 

Upcoming events!

We’ve got some news to share with you all! 

Brian and I are going to be guest artists and instructors at IMC – Illustration Masterclass - in Amherst, Ma. on Amherst College Campus, this June (2014), for the week of 9th through the 15th.

We are so excited to be joining the rest of the fantastic faculty, including Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Donato Giancola, Greg Manchess, Rebecca Guay, Dan DosSantos, Scott Fischer, Ian McCaig, Irene Gallo, James Gurney, Mike Mignola and Lauren Panepinto, for what we know will be an amazing workshop week! 

If you are interested in joining us for the week, please look at the website. It will tell you everything you need to know – including the fact that enrollment is already open and is first come, first serve. http://www.illustrationmasterclass.com/

This is going to be pretty special!

We are also getting ready for Con-volution, which will be held over the weekend of November 1-3. 
We are looking forward to teaching the Troll Talisman workshop and Toby will be teaching a mask making workshop as well. Hopefully the workshops will be scheduled so we can participate as the “Froud Family” – which means you’ll get the benefit of Toby, Brian, Sarah, Sherri and me -and of course Sebastian! 

We will also have art for sale and will be participating in all sorts of activities.

Hope to see you there!

Pokes of Inspiration

Brian and I are back at work. At the moment it’s beginning to feel like a weird dream. Every time we think we’re getting closer to finishing the book, we discover another thing that needs doing. I don’t know if the faeries think this is funny, but I’m beginning to feel that they are enjoying inspiring us to discover new things to add to the book. I can just hear them saying “what about this? Surely you won’t forget about this faery or this object!”. I wish they would stop now. It’s hard enough without them poking at us! Ahhh - but then again - we DO appreciate their help (just in case they’re listening).  I took a photo of Brian photographing a group of faeries in the Nifty Shed. They insisted on playing tricks. No matter what Brian did, the one on the left (red nose, wild hair) would NOT let his face be in focus. Different angles, different everything - it didn’t matter - twenty photos later, he still wouldn’t “love” the camera. Sometimes they just don’t. Brian tricked him in the end but it took forever!

Our friend, David Todd-Jones has been clearing granite along the wall for us. I caught Brian and David here with Brian looking distinctly worried. I’m not sure what he’s worried about but it WAS just after the uncooperative faery photography. 

The garden is quite autumnal now. Roses are being replaced by Physallis (or Jack o lanterns) that are so magical. There are a few late roses left and we appreciate them even more because they are trying so hard to bloom one final glorious time before winter. 

The dining table was covered in faeries yesterday all waiting to have their photos taken or just lying around recovering from the experience. The sleeping faery is the only one left on the table now but I hate to disturb her - she looks so comfortable there.

Speaking of looking comfortable - here’s Buster looking a bit too comfortable on this chair. I think if he could see this photo, he might decide to go on a diet. 

That’s it for this week from the land of faery foolishness. We’re going into the village tonight for a screening of the silent film “Nosferatu” with Elizabeth Jane Baldry (Harpist, composer, film maker and faery godmother) playing harp accompaniment. It’s part of the Chagford Film Festival on all this week. As part of the festival, the Jen and Kira costumes from Dark Crystal ware on display as well as lots of other film memorabilia and props. If you are near by, come and have a look and see what else is going on this week for the festival. There is SO much to see! 

Pixie Led

Brian and I took a well-deserved break this past weekend and visited friends in Somerset. We spent the weekend talking endlessly, laughing almost constantly and eating and drinking our way through two days of rest and companionship. 

Our friends live in Castel Cary, very near the famous town of Glastonbury, which is overlooked by the stunning Glastonbury Tor with the ruined church tower on the top (I always mean to take a photo of it, but never seem to be in the right place at the right time to snap one). We often stop there on our way to Castel Cary but this time we had a special reason for being there. Our friend, the wonderful faery and fantasy painter Linda Ravenscroft has (as I’m sure many of you already know) opened a gallery/shop called ”The Mystic Garden” on Glastonbury high street. It’s a truly beautiful shop, with SO many beautiful things to see and buy! Linda is always incredibly welcoming and it was great to see her looking so “at home” in Glastonbury. DO go and visit if you possibly can. You’ll love it! Or - visit her on her facebook page and website - lindaravenscroft.com.

Talk about being “pixie led” - on the next leg of our journey –which should have taken us a half hour max. – we ended up driving around for almost two hours in torrential rain trying to get first to Castle Cary and then to the small hamlet just outside of it where our friends live. IMPOSSIBLE! We’ve done this drive many, many times but could we find our way that day? No. We still haven’t figured out why we got so lost. What were those pixies up to? We have no idea.

The next day our hostess kindly offered to take us sightseeing and we decided to visit a National Trust property that we hadn't seen before, called Lytes Cary. It’s a medieval house with absolutely beautiful gardens surrounding it. I had to take a photo of Brian in the topiary. SO Alice in Wonderland! 

We came home Sunday evening, refreshed, restored and ready to get back to work. Sometimes a change IS as good as a rest (or is that a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse?), especially if it is shared with good friends.

An Interesting Relationship

Brian has started photographing faeries and objects for the new book. Our dining table looks like a cross between a strange junk shop and museum. We’re eating on our laps but the collection of things to photograph is becoming more impressive every day. Buster also has been enjoying the attentions of one of the new characters. We found them this way yesterday and decided that they were forming an interesting friendship. We’ll keep an eye on them and see what transpires!

I went for a short drive yesterday and as I was coming back down our lane, I found the way blocked by this small herd of ponies. I love seeing them this close up. They didn't seem to mind me being there at all - in fact I had to bang on the car door to get them to stop eating and move on a bit. The little foals are especially sweet - very new and spindly-legged! The white one with all over brown spots is a faery horse, I’m sure. I’m looking forward to coming across it every once in a while as it grows up. It was a truly magical to follow them down the lane (and then pass them at a wide spot in time to shut our gate before they could get in to the garden!). 

As summer begins to wind down, we are still having beautiful weather. Brian and I find that sitting out in the garden in the evening (with a glass of wine) is just the perfect end to the busy days we are having. Sometimes, just remembering to breathe is the most important thing to do!

ImagineFX Magazine's Top 100!

Brian just got some great news! He was voted third out of Imagine FX’s 100 most favorite fantasy artists of their 100 issues! It’s just fantastic and we both want to share this with you and thank you all so very much for your support in voting for him and to all of you who support us in so many ways. We truly appreciate it.

This means so much to Brian. He says that knowing that the work he contributes as an artist, is appreciated by so many people who love art AND fantasy, is the biggest boost you could have given him! It is the support of fans that makes him want to keep producing images  -that and the fact that it really IS a vocation and he couldn't do anything else! So  -thank you. You've made an artist very happy indeed!

And HUGE congratulations to FX magazine for producing 100 fabulous issues. We are sure that the next hundred will be just as exciting. 

Please have a look at the link below and read all about it in the 100^th anniversary issue and Top 100 Artists supplement.  http://beta.imaginefx.com/shop/magazine/october-2013