Carrasco Studio

Fairies, Continued

I promised my Web designer that I would collate and label my images for a new site he is setting up for me.  So groan.  I am weeding out, drifting through and discarding the slag.

Today I am in my Fairy File.  Here's the project I did for a client who wanted a fairy birthday mural in the deep woods.  She loves Victorian art and decor. I did some vignettes for ideas, and while I usually do a careful rendering before I start, this time I just Did It. 
I decided all the animals would bring presents, and be dressed up.  However, nature girl that I am, I had the animals wrap their presents in leaves and flowers instead of Hallmark, and wear costumes of the same. Some fairies and animals brought light. The deer, of course, were exquisite and brough their present to the fairy on an elegant travois.  The moles, being astimatic with severe sinus problems were mouth breathers and  pictured in too large hats of skunk cabbage (they couldn't smell them) .

As a rule, I am not fond of possums, but wanted to be democratic.  Note the rabbit with many piercings for his earrings, the garter snake with an avalanche lily hat, and the ladybugs traveling from vine to vine on a blackberry expressway.

The fox, transfixed by the event into his gentler nature,  is being observed by an elf.

This is a section of the mural, and the waterfall rushes down over the toy box opening into a blue "water" rug.  I wanted to put inserts of green lily pads rug into the "water" rug, but we didn't get around to it.  This was a project that seemed to ramble on and on...butterflies in the bathroom, constellations above the bed, morning glory borders, etc....the design shows it...a bit tacked on and discursive.

This mural was taken down and put up in five different houses.   The mural even went to Maine. My client liked to move around a lot.

©Jennifer M. Carrasco 9/17/09  All blog entries on this site, visual or intellectual, are the property of Jennifer M. Carrasco (unless stated otherwise) and cannot be reproduced or used without her written permission.

Spirits on the Beach

Another Sunday on the beach.  Olalla, place of quiet and sun glittering on the water.  Deep woods, maples and alders transformed to gold by the sun and the season.

Leopard spots on Maple leaves.

 

Magic Forest Finished! The Rising of the Moon, Fairies, Frogs, Et Al in My Studio

Done! Well, maybe, except for some touchups on the rabbits and the sharpening of the moth wings, etc.  

Here are some snapshots of the 8'x13' mural I have been working on for the past months.  Installation will be sometime in late September.  It has taken much more time than usual since I had to come around from my hip surgery.  I thought that would be easier, since I went back to work at full bore after all my other operations, but this took longer.  Can't be because I am older!  Anyhow, now I am up to speed and ready for the next project.

My client was given a home by her childhood friend. It is situated on one of Washington's most pristine rivers, and my client wanted this mural installed in the dining room as a remembrance of her friend.  She had cared for her friend in her last illness, and  they would sing "I'll be Looking at the Moon and I'll be Seeing You"when things became too sad. Ever since they were little girls in kindergarten, they had an imaginary Magic Forest they would play in,  and it was full of creatures and enchanted elves and fairies. The memory of this helped them both in her friend's final illness.

In my mural, the lead female fairy (Tatiana ?) is carrying a banner with the client's childhood nickname initials and a poem in Elvish, and she is leading a parade of fairies out through the dark groves of the enchanted wood to meet the guy fairy (Oberon?), so they can line up on the fallen log to watch and celebrate the rising of the moon.

 

 

The missing friend is represented by the triumphant Royal Bird, who returns from  Neverland with the banner of her initials and her message in Elvish.  Everything is very soft to give the feeling of long ago and far away......

.....and Puck exhorting the bullfrog to come out to croak at the moon...and the duckling peeking out from it's mother's breast....

 

I'll have professional photos taken at installation. Here are some photos to show how I got from there to here.

A drawing on tissue.....some changes and then a rendering.....

Then scaling up and blocking in.......

.....and finally, again......