Celtic Tree Fairies Series...One To Go

Hello All,

I'm happy to report I'm almost finished with a series of pieces I call my Celtic Tree Fairies.  Yep, that's one of them you see on my header above!  There will be four in the series to start out, although you never know, I may add more in the future.  My idea was to create fairies for protection, prosperity, healing and love.  Since I had recently finished up the art for my upcoming deck "Voice of the Trees"  (Llewellyn, Sept. 2011)  I was still in that Celtic frame of mind.  The deck is all about the Celtic Ogham and tree lore.  Basically, the Ogham is an early medieval alphabet used as early as the 4th century.  Each symbol is associated with a different tree and has it's own divinatory meaning and mystical teaching.  The Ogham is sometimes referred to as the Celtic Tree Alphabet.

So, I had finished the art and the writing for the Ogham deck, and the idea for these fairies came to me.  I decided to use four Celtic trees and place the fairies each in a stance and attitude of the tree they represent.  I also included the Celtic Ogham symbol in each piece to further add to the tree connection and bring more magic into each piece.  They actually started off as black and white jewelry designs for Peter Stone.  I did about 30 new designs for them this year, every time I sent more, Peter kept replying with,  "Great! what's next?  Send more." How can a girl refuse?  I expect the new line including the four fairies be out soon, he's teased me a bit on Facebook, so I think the production is close to completion and they're waiting just around the corner.  They will be lovely pendants, and honestly, I can't wait to wear them.

I liked the jewelry designs so much, I wanted to see them in full color, and the idea of this new series of Celtic fairy art was born.  I added a small bit of each tree to my watercolor wash,  leaf, blossom, acorn, or flake of bark, to bring the tree energy magically through.  These were really fun to create, and have become very magical pieces.

I've been at the writing desk, i.e. laptop, a lot lately because I have some deadlines for articles that I'm contributing to Llewellyns 2012 periodicals, and I'm also working on re-writes for the Voice of the Trees manuscript, so the last fairy has patiently waited.  My fingers are itching to draw though, so I plan to work on her this weekend and see how much I can get done.  The final addition to the series will be the heather fairy, for love!  I know, I know, we don't think of heather as a tree, but it was a very important plant to the Celts, and they ranked such thing according to usefulness and importance, so in the Ogham, it's considered a tree. Below are the first three, I'll post some pictures of the work in progress of their fair sister as I have them, so keep checking back!

Shine On!

Mickie

The Apple Tree Fairy bring healing of the mind, body and spirit.  She sends magical healing energy through the power of her healing hands, the Ogham symbol of the apple tree glows forth from a leaf.

The Rowan Tree Fairy is a fierce warrior, she brings protection and shielding.  She'll lead you through the dark forest of life armed with a sword and wooden shield that bears the Ogham mark of the rowan.

The oak tree fairy is content and has blessings of plenty to bestow on those who need it. She cradles an acorn in her arm, caring for possibilities and holds a golden coin bearing the Celtic Ogham symbol for the oak tree.