Wishing everyone a peaceful, magical and blessed Valentine’s Day!
illustrations
Blue Bird and Fairy painting Little Friends inspired by Victorian fairy art
I’ve always had a deep love for the whimsical children’s book fairy art of the Victorian era, and have a lovely collection of classic stories illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Kate Greenaway, Beatrix Potter and Walter Crane, to name a few.
Arthur Rackham remains my biggest inspiration for his inimitable style, his illustrations being rich in whimsy, detail, lyricism, with gothic darkness and fantastical elements blended in…
I recently discovered a gorgeous Australian illustrator of a slightly later time, Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, whose illustrations are just as delightful. A contemporary of similar Australian artist May Gibbs, Ida’s art is utterly charming, featuring the sweetest fairies and sprites all in beautifully imagined settings amidst trees, flowers and butterflies. I immediately fell in love with her way of depicting little folk in relationship with nature elements, often showing fairies with frogs, birds and rabbits.
Her work inspired me to paint a little whimsical picture of a Bird and a Fairy, similar to one of hers, sitting together in cosy friendship on a branch of cherry blossoms.
We get BlueBirds occasionally at our birdbath, and they are so bright and magical to see, so I thought it would be fitting for such a bird to have an equally enchanting friend to cuddle up to.
It started off with a pencil and pink pen outline on my favourite Stonehenge paper, keeping note of the movement and flow that I wanted with the blossoms and branches.
Then, lightly colouring it with layers of watercolours and coloured pencil: this stage in itself could have been the finished painting, but I wanted a bolder more detailed artwork.
The finished painting has been further layered with colored pencil, gouache and watercolours. I kept the color palette fairly simple with corals, blues, pinks and greens. It measures 4 x 6 inches, and is available as a lovely art print, perfect for a children’s room, in my online shop here.
Thanks for visiting, take care and stay well!
Edgar Allen Poe Raven and Little Chickadee Art !
I love trawling through second hand and charity shops, and recently found this tattered old vintage music book dated 1901.
The book was falling apart, but I have a weakness for old books of any kind, so took it home to see if I could salvage something and use it for art.
I felt that the pages, laden with music notes, would make a perfect backdrop for a little bird painting.
I decided to experiment using a stencil, so as to create a similar artwork many times. Because one of my favourite birds here in midwest America is the chickadee, this is the bird I chose.
They are such cheeky, busy little creatures, but also have the most adorable lilting song and gorgeous markings with the little black cap and beady, bright eyes.
I’m doing many versions, including a stylized one, and a more natural one – depending on the layout and type of music notes.
I’m putting them into these just-as-cute frames, and they are for sale in my online shop: LizaPaizis.com
They have been very popular in the galleries, so much so that I’ve explored doing another type of bird: The Raven, and what better backdrop than Edgar Allen Poe’s dark narrative poem of the same name?
Using a base outline giglee print of my raven sketch over an excerpt of the poem, I paint an original artwork of Raven, Moon and Flowers. Again, each one is different, and comes in a budget frame, available in my Shop.
This, and the Chick-a-Dee art, would make wonderful gifts for bird lovers, or an Edgar Allen Poe aficionado!
Know what makes You laugh…
Know what makes you laugh and keep those things close to you.
Know who likes to share laughter and keep them close
to your heart.
~ Kuthumi ~
Wishing Everyone a truly blessed and happy New Year !
~ revisited from 2016 ~
For the Love of Trees : Drawings Paintings and Jewelry inspired by these noble Nature elements
This is my latest Tree artwork “Tree of Love”
It is available as a beautiful print here.
It is also available as a gorgeous tattoo design here.
~ I have a thing for trees, as do so many people. I’ve depicted Trees in many forms and media; they are such integral elements of the environment, and resonate so strongly with humans. They are truly one of the great nature archetypes and possess much symbolism and sacred energy. You can see my Tree Range of art & jewelry here.
~ this lovely image depicts two lovers, growing from separate roots, into one beautiful canopy filled with life.
The print, as well as the original watercolour painting, are available for sale.
This is my business logo, but was originally created as a T-Shirt design, which you can buy here.
*
This powerful image of a woman in a tree has resonated with many women who have bought my art. She represents the feminine divine energy in nature, linking earth and sky. It is available as a beautiful print here.
I also have made a lovely little whimsical drypoint etching of a Dryad (or tree spirit)
And, of course, there are my Tree of Life jewellery pieces, which have been cast into lead free pewter from my original wax carving – all for sale here.
-
- Tree Choker Necklace
-
- Tree Keychain
-
- Tree Brooch
-
- Tree Pendant
My love affair with trees continues. I am blessed to have lived in nature reserves surrounded by trees, both here in the Upper Mississippi valley, and also in the stunning Blue Mountains, Australia.
They will continue to inspire me, and keep me company as I journey onward in my creative endeavours!
“Foggy Trees” Pikes Peak, McGregor, Iowa, by my husband – round the corner from our little home..
Thanks for stopping by!
My Garden Fairy ~ the inspiration of nature, creativity and art
One of my biggest joys is spending time in my beloved garden. I talk to the flowers, trees, birds, bees and other animals that visit, but there is another little spirit that resides here that is harder to see…
This whimsical fairy was created with watercolours and dried pressed flowers that I picked from my garden: petunia, lilly, rose and pansy petals amongst others. I also included mulberry ink from our beautiful old mulberry tree’s bountiful supply.
You can see the remarkable detail of the petals’ veins in the prints.
She sits amongst the mushrooms and flowers, keeping watch on all the elements that grow in this magical realm.
She is part of an exhibit at The Left Bank Shop & Gallery in my hometown of McGregor, Iowa. The exhibit, “Local Inspiration” features work of selected gallery artists interpreting local themes. She is for sale there, or you can buy a gorgeous archival reproduction print here on my website Liza Paizis.com/Fairies
Thank you for visiting, and have a magical day !
Mother and Child Art a Mother and Daughter Mermaid painting
I have been wanting to paint a mother and daughter painting for years, but it took my beautiful friend Angela Yender’s gorgeous story of a mermaid mother and daughter to finally awaken the inspiration.
Her story depicts so beautifully the eternal bond between mother and child, and here I have expressed that love as these two embrace one another, tails entwined, in a watery realm that is evocatively dreamlike.
It is a watercolour painting, my favourite medium which always manages to convey a sense of the ethereal. Of course, it has my love for the Art Nouveau style flowing through the details; hair and water swirl around the pair in aquas, lilacs and soft pinks and browns .
It would make a very unique and original Mother’s day gift! ~ It is available for sale as a quality archival giclee print, from my online shop: LizaPaizis.com
Thank You for visiting ~ You can view more of my Mermaid art and jewelry here
Know what makes you laugh…
Know what makes you laugh and keep those things close to you.
Know who likes to share laughter and keep them close
to your heart.
~ Kuthumi ~
Wishing Everyone a truly blessed and happy New Year !
A Love of Drawing in Detail….
This is an older artwork that I recently found while tidying up my studio. It was done with a Rotring technical drawing pen and watercolour washes.
My first love was drawing in black and white – I love to do intricate detail as a form of meditation, and the Rotring pen provides a nice stable line with a dependable flow of pigment ink.
This lovely drawing depicts the greek myth of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a sea nymph. Poseidon had to persuade her to be his lover, and enlisted the help of Delphin the dolphin god to bring her to him. As a reward, Poseidon turned Delphin into the star constellation we see today as Delphinus.
It is available as a gorgeous archival print here.
Thanks for stopping by!
Autumn Poetry & Inspiration
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.
~ The Inspired Emily Dickenson ~
Autumn Angel & Fairy Art and Moth Art Deco necklace © LizaPaizis.com
Liza Paizis Original Art and Jewelry Blog 