(Red Riding Hood, all images copyright Terri Windling)
“Fairy tales have much to say on the subjects of heroism and transformation; about how one finds the courage to fight and prevail against overwhelming odds. They are tales of children abandoned in the woods; of daughters handed poisoned apples; of sons forced to betray their siblings; of men and women struck down by wolves or imprisoned in windowless towers. Such tales were passed down through the generations by word of mouth, woman to woman, mother to childâ€using archetypes as a mirror held to daily life . . . particularly the lives of those without clear avenues of social power. Why do we continue to be enspelled by fairy tales, after all these centuries? Why do we continue to tell the same old tales, over and over again? Because we all have encountered wicked wolves, faced trial by fire, found fairy godmothers. We have all set off into unknown woods at one point in life or another.”
The results may not always reflect it, but I have been planning various aspects of the Once Upon a Time challenge for many months. One of the things I have done in preparation was to hold off on posting about artists whose work I thought would be more appreciated during this challenge. What I didn’t plan on was the way that Stardust would dominate my mind this week. How perfect is it that my desire all along was to present the work of Charles Vess as the inaugural Friday Favorite artist for this challenge period?
Week after week I leave little doubt as to my enthusiasm over the artists whose work I am presenting. This week, however, I am even more excited than usual. For today I bring you the work of one of the foremost fantasy illustrators working today: Kinuko Y. Craft.
Kinuko Y. Craft is not only an obvious fit for a month focusing on fantasy/fairy tale art, but her feature here coincides with the recent release of her first art book, pictured above. I will share more about this fantastic book at the end of the post. The image pictured is just a part of the cover for the book Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip (If you click on the above picture it will open up an example of the full cover image).
As we roar into March, the rumored Fantasy/Fairy Tale Challenge is mere weeks away from being unveiled. In the spirit of said challenge, my Friday Favorites will begin to swing towards art that falls into those categories. It is a broad challenge, and the art I will showcase for you will reflect both new and classic works that fall into the realm of the fantastic. I promise you a wide variety. Today I bring you the art of Raymond Swanland.
Viewing the above image, Mimic (one I believe I’ve posted before if it looks familiar), with its gorgeous butterflies, reminds me of spring. The oranges are the fires of autumn and yet I view the image and I think of the genesis of growth, and life, and creation…the foundations of spring. Please join me in inaugurating March with the work of Raymond Swanland.
Some say that the age of chivalry is past, that the spirit of romance is dead. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth.
~Charles Kingsley
Chivalry. The word conjures up images of knights castles, honor and winning the heart of a fair maiden. Today’s Friday Favorite will focus on the works of Edmund Blair Leighton and John William Waterhouse, two amazing pre-raphaelite painters whose work is among the best classical art in existence.
The first image, The Accolade, is easily my very favorite image of the pre-raphaelite period. For me it embodies the spirit of the romanticism that we associate with medieval times. My brother and his family have a print of this hanging in their living room and, as I always do when I am visiting them, I spent a great deal of time looking at and thinking about this wonderful image.
