Hello, everyone! Despite the unintended hiatus from posting here, I have been up to lots of new projects and plans here at Fairy Tree Studios. I have to admit, it’s hard to stay motivated to keep this blog updated without knowing who I’m reaching (Meta is even worse these days — the dreaded algorithm doesn’t like to share my content even to my followers without some monetary incentive). But I have noticed that, despite my lack of activity here, there have been a few new subscribers to the site, which is encouraging. So if you’re still here and reading, thank you!
Now, on to the good stuff. In the last few months, I’ve come up with a new series that I’ve been having a lot of fun creating and painting — themed book shelves. One of my other great loves (besides art) has always been books, and it seems a little odd, in retrospect, that it took me so long to incorporate them into my paintings. But I finally have, and I’m quite happy with the results:
I’ll admit, these were — initially, at least — inspired by classes in the Harry Potter series, though I’ve branched out a little from there since I started. I have at least two more in the drawing/painting stages (and I just realized, there are no art classes mentioned at all in Harry Potter!?) and a third that just needs to be scanned in. I’ll have these available as paintings, prints, and at least one other fun thing (to be revealed soon!) for my first market of the year in April. You can also find prints of these paintings (minus the Halloween shelf) in my Etsy shop now.
Speaking of markets, I have a few lined up for 2024 (plus more in the works). So far I am confirmed for:
- Boneyard Arts Market on April 13-14 at the Orpheum Theatre in Champaign, IL
- The Maker’s Market on June 9 at De Stihl in Bloomington, IL
- The Glorious Garden Festival on July 12-13 at the David Davis Mansion in Bloomington, IL
I’ve done all three of these markets before, and I’m excited to head back this year. I’ll add this list with more details and links on the Fairy Tree Studios home page (fairytreestudios.com) and update as I (hopefully!) add more markets to my schedule.
One more exciting piece of news to share; I now have a more permanent vendor space at The Vault Art Gallery in Tuscola, Illinois! Starting this month, you can find some of my original paintings and prints there, as well as many of my note card designs. The Vault is a really cool old bank-turned-gallery run by the artists who have their work displayed inside, and is only 30 minutes south of Champaign. They’re open daily from 10-5 and regularly host events on the weekends. I think they had 50+ artists on display last I’d heard, and the variety of work and mediums is pretty impressive!
I’m excited about the possibilities of being part of the Vault’s group of artists, and will share more info as I get myself established in the space.
So, that’s the big news for now; if you’re interested in getting more regular updates (and seeing more paintings as I finish them), you can find me on both Instagram and Facebook, @fairy.tree.studios — though I really do intend to be better at updating here too. Happy spring!
Fairy Tree Studios 