I am powerfully drawn to fanciful illustration. In fact, for years, I hung a calendar of classic children’s book illustrations in my office.   What spoke to me in those calendars? It was a combination of joy and possibility in the images, along with the warm memory of reading these famous stories to my children. That’s a potent cocktail.  

Like four-year-old Harold in the classic book, Harold and the Purple Crayon, I create a scene, then – emotionally and spiritually – I walk into it. It becomes real to me. (I just reread Harold again this morning. So wonderfully conceived!)  

In this Fairy Tale Forest, I played with an image made near twilight (the version with deep greens and blues), when colors become richer. The result? There’s a feeling of mystery here because of the depth of colors. What might be hiding behind the trees and foliage just out of sight?

And then I played with a softer version, featuring golden oranges and lighter greens. It has a totally different feel. It is a scene of unreal beauty that is uplifting and sweet. I can almost hear birds chirping in the woods. And I can almost see the bird who might be the soloist!