If you live anywhere near Glastonbury then the wonderfully talented artist Ed Org will be at the Faerie Fair at Glastonbury on 10-11th March. Celebrated and practically legendary faery artist Brian Froud and his equally talented model-making wife Wendy Froud will also be attending as well as all the other usual artistic suspects.   If you love fantasy art then this is the place to be.  If you are not familiar with artist Ed Org’s amazing work then look here.  If you are really unsure about any of it then you can also find artist Brian Froud’s art here and Wendy Froud art here.

Elfmaid by Ed Org

That incredible legend in his own lifetime artist Ed Org will be exhibiting over thirty drawings, sketches and paintings including some new work by  Ed Org not seen before.  The Ed Org exhibition  will be held at Obsidian Art, The Buck Goat Centre, Layby Farm, Old Risborough Road, Stoke Mandeville,  Buckinghamshire HP22 5XJ from 10th February to 11th March.

If you haven’t yet seen any of Ed Org’s incredible original art then here is your chance!  The Ed Org exhibition also features some guest artists that Ed Org has invited to exhibit there too - Hannah Willow, Kelly Martinez, Mark Duffin, Philthetree, Sue Rawley and Tamsin Abbottt.  These artists do a range of work from jewellery to stained glass so there should be a great variety of interesting art there.

If you need any further information or directions you can phone them on  01296 612150.  If you’ve read this far and are not sure who Ed Org is (shame on you!) then click on the lovely lady to the right here and you’ll    see a lot more pictures by Ed Org.

You can buy Ed Org’s prints at the exhibition or by mail-order here.

Tapestry by Brian Froud

Brian Froud was supposed to be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the society of illustrators but somehow this rumour never actually materialised and everyone seems at a loss as to why it was floated and then didn’t happen.  It is hard to believe that anyone could conceive of the possibility that Brian Froud is not worthy of such an award.  If anything, it is long overdue since he had already produced a lifetime’s brilliant work years ago!  Brian Froud must now be well into a third or fourth lifetime of work in comparison to many newcomers. Perhaps a triple lifetime achievement award would be more appropriate.  After all, Brian Froud is not an artist who climbed on the bandwagon of faery art, he was one of the very few pushing it uphill at the beginning!  Brian Froud’s work dates way back into the early days of fantasy art - far further back than Brian Froud himself probably wishes to remember!  Along with his colleague Alan Lee, Brian Froud set the standard for technical excellence as well as realism, imagination and vision in bringing fantasy ideas to life.

Whether Brian Froud actually IS an illustrator is of course another issue and maybe that was the problem.  Perhaps they recognised that Brian Froud is more a painter than an illustrator.  For the most part Brian Froud has not illustrated books other than his own and certainly in recent years the number of Brian Froud books has grown considerably.  But if film design work is illustrative then Brian Froud’s work on ‘The Dark Crystal’ alone is worth a lifetime achievement award.

Brian Froud has always trod his own path and openly acknowledges his admiration of Arthur Rackham whose work inspired his early efforts.  The world of faerie is probably more due a lifetime achievement award in his opinion since Brian Froud’s work has always been by the inspiration of the faerie folk, however you conceive that to be.  Brian Froud himself doesn’t actually profess to know faerie because he is happy enough to bathe in its mystery … or at least that is how it always seemed to me.

For someone so influenced by faerie that they sometimes pop up even when he is signing his name Brian Froud  actually isn’t away with the faeries.  If you read a Brian Froud book you’ll find it refreshingly down-to-earth in many ways.  Although the Pagans, New Age people and others love Brian Froud’s work he is somehow somewhere else and does not seem really close to any of these groups or genres.  There is certainly magic in Brian Froud’s artwork though and maybe it is that kind of magic that the world is lacking right now.  Let’s hope he continues to bring the realm of faerie out into his paintings for many years to come as he starts on producing the work of a fifth lifetime!

If you are not that familiar with Brian Froud and want to see more, just click on Brian Froud’s Tapestry or here and away you’ll be whisked away … as if by magic!

Ed Org will be at the following shows: