Wednesday 29 April 2009

Enchanted: The Faerie & Fantasy Art of Linda Ravenscroft


These beautiful fairy images are from a new book called Enchanted: The Faerie and Fantasy Art of Linda Ravenscroft.

I've long been a fan of Linda Ravenscroft's pictures of fairy creatures - sometimes mischievous, sometimes poignant, but always beautiful. So, when I found out a new book of her artwork had just come out, I wanted a copy.

Enchanted is a gorgeous gilt-edged hardback book full of fairy art that I could gaze at for hours.

The picture at the top of this page is called Sanctuary. The text that accompanies it in the book, appropriate for May Day, says:

"A place of safety and protection, within the care of the Green Man, a sanctuary for all nature's creatures"

The picture to the left is called Morning Rose. This fairy watches the sunrise above a rose garden, dewdrops glistening on the petals. It makes me wonder what she is thinking as this new day dawns.

A lot of the Linda Ravenscroft's pictures set me thinking, wondering what they are really about, and that is one of the reasons I like them so much. Some deliberately seem to be asking a question, by the words that go with them or by the expressions of the creatures they portray. Others pictures have secrets in them only the most observant will spot - little faces tucked behind leaves or symbols hidden within intertwined foliage, folds of fabric or richly patterned backgrounds

Linda Ravenscroft, who lives in Cheshire, England, gets her inspiration from nature and also from emotions and her imagination. She says: "My home is situated close to a very small wood, which is a constant source of inspiration to me."

When asked why she paints fairies, she says: "They chose me! I have always painted fantasy images, which were born of my emotions. When I was a child I would paint myself as a beautiful princess who could fly and and magically remove all the bullies and dragons from my life. Now that I am an adult I still paint from my heart.

"I truly believe that we all have a little bit of faerie light within our hearts, helping us to make the right decisions within our everyday lives."

Enchanted by Linda Ravenscroft is published by AAPPL at £14.99 hardback. Her previous work includes The Mystic Faerie Tarot published by Llewellyn.

For more information, visit http://www.lindaravenscroft.com/store/

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love Linda's art, absalutely gorgeous and certainly takes you away into the world of the unknown!