How could I resist the lure of the etsy treasury?
This is the first (of no doubt many) that I have compiled:

Woodland Wanderings

The Melody of Your Demise by Linda Bergkvist

The wind doth blow today, my love,
And a few small drops of rain;
I never had but one true-love,
In cold grave she was lain.

‘I’ll do as much for my true-love
As any young man may;
I’ll sit and mourn all at her grave
For a twelvemonth and a day.’

The twelvemonth and a day being up,
The dead began to speak:
‘Oh who sits weeping on my grave,
And will not let me sleep?’

‘Tis I, my love, sits on your grave,
And will not let you sleep;
For I crave one kiss of your clay-cold lips,
And that is all I seek.’

‘You crave one kiss of my clay-cold lips;
But my breath smells earthy strong;
If you have one kiss of my clay-cold lips,
Your time will not be long.

Tis down in yonder garden green,
Love, where we used to walk,
The finest flower that ere was seen
Is withered to a stalk.

‘The stalk is withered dry, my love,
So will our hearts decay;
So make yourself content, my love,
Till God calls you away.’

I’m absolutely astounded by this amazingly magical portrait by the lovely Octavia Cheetham. We collaborated on some photos a couple of years ago and this is the second painting completed by Octavia based on that shoot. Thank you Tave!
I urge you to visit Lunarian Art for more of Octavia’s beautiful art…

We travelled to Carlisle this past weekend for a mini faery art moot with the lovely Julia Jeffrey to see The Truth About Faeries exhibition at Tullie House. And what a treat it was – far more extensive that I’d imagined, with a plethora of artists represented. I was especially excited to see Brian and Wendy Froud originals for the first time (including paintings from Seeing Faeries, which I believe is a forthcoming book!). I had a look through the comments book while I was there and was heartened to see so many people proclaiming their love and belief in faeries (except for one person who wrote “I can’t stand fairies, pixies etc. but some nice art”… well they probably don’t like you either!).
This is the same exhibition that was in Southampton last year, and is on in Carlisle until September 12th. Judging by the exhibition catalogue there were even more pieces in the original show, but the quality and quantity in Carlisle is certainly worth the trek. Just don’t bother venturing into the city centre! (Unless you happen to know where the decent coffee houses and restaurants happen to be hiding?!)

“From the Golden Age of illustration from the 1860s to 1920s up to the present day, this exhibition explores the prevailing interest amongst story tellers, artists, film makers and illustrators in the world of fairies.

The Truth about Faeries introduces mischievous and bad fairies such as brownies, goblins and trolls; good and beautiful fairies with gossamer wings; even fake fairies. It features the Victorian and Edwardian book illustrations of Richard Doyle, Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac as well as by Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Coley Burne-Jones. Fairies manifest themselves in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest; in classic fairy tales Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty; in Cecily Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies; as well as on page and screen in The Lord of the Rings. They appear in print, paint… and even in the round.

The story is brought up to date with work by contemporary artists Brian and Wendy Froud, Alan Lee, Patrick Woodroffe, Paul Gregory, Sean Jefferson and Charles Summers.”

Ink Black Lake by Nell Mckellar

I just adore the Beardsley-ish feel of it…
Do please visit the artist’s site for many more lovely things!