Monday, June 30, 2008

Brian Froud's art


Brian Froud's art

If you have yet to experience Brian's intriguing and intense images of the Fae in many of their guises, I highly recommend that you take a gander at his website and get a book (or ten) of his works. 
 
I found his Faeries book (a collaboration between Brian and Alan Lee) in 1978 in the SFSU campus book shop and even tho' I was a starving student, I dropped my $20 right down and cuddled that book all the way home.  I've kept both eyes peeled for more works from his drawing table over the years and he continues to engage and sometimes astound me with the images he creates.  They seem to leap off the paper and dance around the room, sometimes without an invitation!
 
About 11 years ago he was doing a book signing at Keppler's in Palo Alto and I showed up with all of my Froud books, as did many other folk.  When it was my turn, I presented him with my first ed. Faeries book, decorated with yellow sticky notes all around the edges.  He said "I see you really use this book" as he signed it and when handed my Good Faeries/Bad Faeries book, he started to ask which side he should sign and I simply lowered my brows a bit …"Ah, I see" he says, and signs it on the Bad Faeries side! 
In 1999 he was on tour again in the States, this time with his wife, Wendy and they were appearing at the Capitola Bookshop in Santa Cruz.  

There was a prize offered for the best Faerie costume, so I dressed my daughter and myself up and went on down.  A tiny little gal (cute as a bug) got a first prize artist's proof from Brian, but then he took my daughter and me aside, gave us the same prize and posed for this picture, saying that this time there were two firsts! (please note: the 'Good Faery' in gold face was very tired and hungry when this picture was taken, she was fed and pampered immediately afterwards!)
 

Enjoy Brian Froud's magickal art! 
I certainly do!