(Inner Seasons, Spring. All images copyright Virginia Lee)
I have been sidetracked by trees. Yes, you read that right, trees. There was a moment in the movie Elizabethtown (which I loved) where Orlando Bloom is standing in front of the Survivor Tree in Oklahoma City and Kirsten Dunst’s voice is in the background saying something to the effect of “this is my favorite tree…and I love trees.” There is something in the inflection of her voice that resonates so strongly with me. I love trees as well. I get that.
My intention was to make today’s Friday Favorites post about Endicott Studios. Stealing an idea from the Winter 2006 issue of Faerie Magazine, I was going to include pictures of artists’ work who are part of The Endicott Circle with the text. To that end I chose Virginia Lee as the first artist to look at. And I became lost in the woods, enchanted, and thus today is all about this wonderful artist. (Endicott will be next week, early, I promise).
(Nature’s Cycle)
As her biography page on the Endicott site says, “Virginia Lee is an artist specializing in magical, surrealistic work that uses imagery from folklore and myth to explore themes of transformation”.
(Musical Land)
Virginia Lee definitely has an artist’s pedigree. Her father is the well-known artist Alan Lee. Her mother, Marja Lee Kruyt, is an artist and musician. As a young girl she posed for both her father’s work and the work of famed fairy artist Brian Froud. As a teenager she did sculpting work in the studio of Wendy Froud.
It is safe to say that Virginia Lee grew up in a world drenched in the trappings of fairies and fairy tales.
(Tree Nymph)
I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.
~Henry David Thoreau
I spent a significant part of my growing up in a place surrounded by farms and belts of trees. A good deal of my alone time was spent wandering amongst the ‘woods’ surrounding our housing area. My love of trees is not merely aesthetic, it is deeply and richly nostalgic. When I look at Virginia Lee’s paintings and drawings I am reminded of those long rambles in the woods, days spent in my own internal dialogue, dreaming and planning and scheming.
(The Capture)
Virginia Lee’s pastels and oils and pencil drawings are, to use a word I overuse frequently, magical. There is a lightness of stroke, be it pencil, pastel, or brush, that gives her work a very lush, tactile quality. And there is no denying that her pieces on nature render the spirit and life in the world around us in a unique, sensitive way.
(Tree People)
And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.
~William Shakespeare
(Tides of Emotion)
A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God’s first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.
~John Muir
Environmental issues are, unfortunately, so wrapped up in a person’s political slant that any more talk of the love of nature, of the sadness when one see’s trees disappear, etc. often feels dirty with the taint of political rhetoric. Virginia Lee’s artwork powerfully reminds me just how much a part of creation we are and just how much that creation should matter to us. The woods are more than a metaphor in the folklore and fairy tales that we are all reading, they are real places that can allow us to get away from the noise and distractions of the modern world so that we can have time to walk and talk and discover who we really are and who we should be becoming. Virginia Lee’s beautiful pictures of meadows and trees evoke a love of creation in such a way that I am really drawn to her work.
Besides images of trees and woods, Virgina Lee treats a number of other subjects with her work.
(Tori Amos)
For example, she contributed the above image of Tori Amos for the RAINN 2008 calendar. Each year artists contribute work for a calendar sold to raise funds for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Examples of the art for the 2007 calendar can be seen here. They are wonderful calendars and well worth the price.
(Scorpio)
Virginia Lee also has a real sense of fun in her work, as can be seen in Scorpio (had to include that as I am one) above and the following animal images.
(Going Out)
I just love the birds pearls and little purse. Such an interesting take on birds preening themselves.
(Time out)
I look at Time Out and think about Santa’s reindeer after a long night delivering gifts.
Virginia Lee is truly a marvel. She can draw wonderful pictures, create beautiful portraits and scenes with pastels and oils, and…..she can sculpt!
(Theodon bust)
She worked on the set of the Lord of the Rings films doing sculpting work. More of her LOTR pieces can be seen on her website in, oddly enough, the Lord of the Rings section!
(Big is Beautiful)
This one is so fun, it just cracks me up. It reminds me of someone (me, if I don’t start looking after my health! 🙂 ) and puts a big smile on my face.
(Waiting for Redemption)
I love the title for the above sculpture as much as I love the work itself. I had to include that one simply because it fits so perfectly in the theme of our reading challenge.
Virginia Lee’s work is inspiring, even more so considering it is spring and her work has such mythical, fantastical underpinnings. Her drawings, paintings and sculptures speak to the themes of life, rebirth, and transformation, but for me they also connect me to feelings about my past, about the subtle and dramatic things that have influenced my life. Not the least of which is the way I feel about nature, and particularly trees, and how much books, films, art and music that touches on this subject causes me to take a step back, to wonder and to dream, and to remember a young man walking amongst the woods, wondering what his life would be. I have saved my favorite work of Virgina Lee for last. But before we get there I want to encourage you most strongly to go and visit her website. After clicking on the moon you will be taken to a magical forest, one in which clicking on the various subject headings will reveal creatures hiding amongst the woods. Clicking on those creatures will reveal wonderful works of art. I have to give her web designer mad props, the site design is stellar. There are many more wonderful works than I was able to get into this post, so go over there and check them out. In addition, Virginia Lee has prints of some of her works available for purchase.
And now, my favorite sculpture. I think it speaks for itself:
(Tree Girl)
_________________________
After viewing the enchanting work of Virginia Lee, I am sure you have forgiven me for breaking my promise to post about Endicott Studio. However, I am keeping one promise, and that is to have the first giveaway for the Once Upon a Time Challenge!
If you go here, you’ll see these t-shirts decorated with one of my favorite Terri Windling creations:
Anyone who comments on the art in today’s post, by Monday, April 16th, at High Noon (Central Standard Time) will be entered into a random drawing for a t-shirt of the color and size of their choice. So take some time to enjoy the artwork and let us know about it.
Have a wonderful, fantasy-filled weekend everyone!
Those are very strange drawings…
(I love trees too. Especially dead ones. What does that say about me?! Nah, don’t answer that.)
I like dead ones too, Anne, so at the very least we both share the same malady!
See, this is the sort of art I can appreciate. I had this big conversation with one of the art professors at the university in my town the other day about how I don’t know how splotches and stripes constitute art. I prefer stuff like this. 🙂
I also like the shirts.
On another matter, how are you making out with Un Lun Dun? I see it is in your currently reading list. Do you like it?
“Going Out” makes me feel weirdly happy for some reason. 🙂 Oh, whimsy, how I love you!
What a wonderful artist. I was familiar with some of her paintings, but not with her sculptures, but they’re every bit as wonderful.
“Waiting for Redemption” really is a perfect title.
On a side note, you’ve inspired me to watch Elizabethtown again this evening.
Cool, Nymeth! My brother-in-law loaned it to us a few weeks back and Mary and I really, really enjoyed it. The soundtrack is amazing, which isn’t suprising for a Cameron Crowe film, but the movie is such a sweet, meandering story about love and family ties. There are so many scenes in it that I really enjoy.
Nice to meet a fellow tree lover. Once, in front of a group of women, I was presenting a lesson and mentioned that I loved trees. There was feeling in my voice. Several snickered and there were some weird looks. I was surprised – I thought everybody loved trees and lawn, flowers, hammocks, rainbows, etc.
I hadn’t heard of the Survivor Tree before. It is wonderful, and symbolic.
What an awesome artist! I’ve never heard of her before, but her stuff’s incredible. I love the Tori piece. So much emotion in her artwork. And I agree with you, that sculpture is beautiful.
Fear not, you’re not alone..I too overuse the word “magical” :p
This is beautiful. I particularly like the tree ones too although that Tori Amos pic is quite powerful. Thanks for sharing these.
Oh, those are wonderful.
I particularly love the tree people, because I have a sketched-out short story about a dryad. She doesn’t look quite like these – these are better!
I like that T-shirt, too… 🙂
And that last anonymous comment was me. Sorry.
I love the artwork and the poem by Terri Windling is perfect. I’m glad you postponed your prior commitment to post about Virginia Lee.
Count me as a tree lover as well. I love the Tree Girl sculpture most of all the above but I really enjoy it all. Thanks for sharing Carl!
Awesome artwork! It’s hard to choose a favorite, but the sculpture of Tree Girl is absolutely beautiful.
What a wonderful choice. I think I say that every friday. Nature’s Cycle simply took my breath away. Alan Lee’s daughter – what a creative family. I also love dead trees or trees in winter because then you see the beauty of the branches. Her web site is terrific.
And every friday it’s true!
Trees are very special to me too, Carl (especially love the Tree Girl sculpture, btw….breathtaking…I want one! *grin*). When I’m feeling glum or confused or uncertain or lonely, I head out somewhere where there are trees….surround myself with their beauty and life and wisdom. Sometimes there will be a leaf…. often on the ground, but sometimes still clinging to a branch, that calls to me. I bring that leaf home with me as a symbol of all that is right with the universe, and it helps to straighten out my brain and quit focusing on myself and begin to see the big picture again. Everywhere I go I take photos of trees. Actually, you’ve inspired me. I’m going to put up a favourite tree photo for my blog today. Thanks for making me think about trees!! 🙂
Cool, CdnReader, I’ll pop over there to take a look.
Oh, yes, I love that moment in Elizabethtown. I’ve never seen the Survivor Tree because I seldom go home, but I think it’s the perfect symbol of life (the same reason green is one of my favorite colors).
Love the t-shirt! 🙂
Thanks for introducing me to Virginia Lee. I really like some of her stuff. I’m going to definitely check out her website.
I love trees too, although I don’t get to wander through them much any more. Must start leaving the city at weekends.
Love that bird. And the frog prince is great too.
Waiting for Redemption . . . I love the thought of that frog awaiting his princess!
I like the figurines. They remind me of a store in the mall that my kids always have to stop and look. I’ve always like the fanciful stuff like that; fairies, mermaids– you know– were always my favorites as a kid.
Beautful work. Her drawings of trees are what I invision Charles de Lint’s worlds to be like.
Have you ever seen Vadimir Kush’s work? I found him in Maui and am now saving to buy one of his pieces.
http://www.artifactsgallery.com/art.asp?!=A&ID=762
What I appreciate from the above drawing is the fine line between detail and mystery. Oft time, pictures destroy the image in your mind that you had of a character or place. However, when, like the drawings above, some sence of ability to project your perception of it remains then it is most definitly a complement.
Wow. I absolutely love the Spring one. Like the earth is sleeping, but will soon awaken and spread the beauty of the flower all across the land. Very cool. Thanks for introducing me to this artwork, I’ll definitely go have a look at the rest!
I had no idea that Alan Lee had a daughter and that her work was so beautiful. Thanks for this, Carl!
Gorgeous Artwork. I love trees too!
I’m in the same boat as Fence. Since I moved to the city a year ago, I feel like I haven’t seen anything green that wasn’t in a bag of gummi bears.
I’m a huge fan of the top three pieces, especially the first, which appeals to my fetish for pictures of sleeping people clutching things.
I have very little experience with this sort of artwork, but this, the Terri Windling feature, and the fact that I’m in the middle of Onion Girl (which is about a Faerie artist) all make me want to know more.
Oops, that last Anonymous was me… sorry.
Scott, Widdershins is a sequel to Onion Girl in that it is a book de Lint wrote for the fans who wanted to know more about what happened to the characters in that book, especially Geordie and Jilly. You should try it next, I think you’ll really like it.
Hadn’t heard of Kush, Carrie, but that is some great stuff!
Very unusual and quite interesting! I love the bird preening in the mirror 🙂 Thanks for sharing those images.
Ah Carl…..I guess I’m lucky I got off my death bed long enough to glance at me email!!
I am truly amazed at the passion you have for art as well as literature. And lord knows, it’s all gorgeous!! I’m learning tons from this one challenge! Thanks for having me along!
thank you for sharing these with us! I really want to sit and look at “Tides of Emotion” for about 3 hours, but I loved all of them. The tree folk are all somehow very comforting. And you are right, her anthropomorphic animals are all very fun!
Wow–you had me with that first artwork. That one reminds me of the view along a stretch of Hwy. 12 on my drives home from college (20-mumble years ago). This was long before I was interested in the feminine nature of diety, but I was very much drawn to the reclining woman and her “natural place” there.
Off to go bookmark that site; I want direct access to all that beauty.
BTW–I’m almost done with the Coyote book for the challenge–watch for a review sometime this week.
Love the t-shirts and the art. Have 3 of Windling’s prints, and they are gorgeous!
I’m thinking I’m a bit late – just got home from Wales 🙁
Great Friday Favourite though Carl, loved the first three pic especially. Beautiful.
I might be late, too, but I’ll try. I have seen this artwork on deLint’s books, haven’t I?
I don’t think so, BL, most of his book covers are done by John Jude Palencar. And now that I look back I think you commented on this post Friday, so you’re good.
No, Quix, you got in 20 minutes before the deadline. Nicely done!!!
Hooray!
Just wanted to say, that having read the post again, and gone through all of Virginia Lee’s website, her work really is beautiful.
I think Tree Girl is my favourite sculpture too – beautiful and haunting.
I was too slow for the drawing but thanks for telling us about Virginia Lee’s work, it’s very beautiful. I love trees too.