In fairytales, it is said that only children can see the fae. That magical folk reveal themselves only to those whose hearts remain open to innocence and wonder.
For me, fairies are more than characters in folklore, storybooks or childhood imagination. I see them as personifications of the devic kingdoms in nature, giving form to the subtle elemental energies that live within the natural world.
In my experience magic has always been deeply connected with the living world. It’s in the feeling of being immersed in nature, sensing the movement of life through the elements, and experiencing the subtle connections between things that cannot always be seen.
There is magic in the way the elemental energies dance and create in the forests, streams, mountains, wild areas and fields of flowers. When I slow down and tune into the subtle, all my senses alive, feeling and listening, the fae energy becomes palpable. They invite me into play, joy and delight, adventure, exploration and meaningful connection with the earth.
Maybe the old stories of the fae speak to something about our capacity to perceive. Not simply with our eyes, but through our senses, imagination and an openness to the magic of life.
My experiences with nature spirits and the elemental world also find their way into my paintings.
The fairy figures begin as an image, but as I work with colour, texture and expressive backgrounds, something else begins to emerge. The atmosphere of the painting takes shape, and the figure becomes part of a living world of movement, light and elemental energy.
I love this meeting place between imagination and matter, where something felt or sensed can find expression in form.
These paintings are an invitation back into the enchantment of the natural world, into the wild innocence, curiosity and wonder that allow us to experience the magic embedded in life.
