Brian Froud and Alan Lee's Faeries presents a more realistic look at the denizens of Faerie. The pair give an in-depth look at some legends of faeries from all over Europe, and add their own artwork for punctuation. To us, this is the quintessential book for faery lovers; it has always evoked the atmosphere of Faerie, both in words and in illustration. For example, Froud depicts fey in collages of natural settings -- toadstools, briers, dead or dying leaves. It is perhaps because of seeing these images when we were younger that autumn tends to give us the feeling that Faerie is a mere heartbeat away, lurking under some dark brush or brier patch. Froud's colour scheme in browns, blacks, and blues, with few vivid colours, lends an earthy, organic feel rather than the airy frill so many contemporary artists have. One of his collages is pictured left.
Lee, too, draws with a realism not often found when dealing with faeries. His line sketches call the viewer back to an earlier time, when people believed in faeries and feared as well as loved them. His drawing of the spirit of the birch is pictured below.
Here one will find denizens both beautiful and strange, ugly and alluring. There are water faeries, brownies, goblins; there are adult faeries and child faeries; pixies and faery rings. Froud and Lee expertly depict the dual nature of Faerie as it is in the legends: danger and fascination both in one terrible package.
We often look to this book for inspiration, both with our artwork and our writing.
