Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Tom Cross (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

As an artist, ones' work often falls prey to the whims of serendipity and happenstance. It is just such a "happy accident" that has brought the book Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons into being. Its seeds first started as a series of limited edition fine art prints depicting the lore and legend behind birthstones and their associated flowers and fairies for my fine art print publisher. The concept proved to be so popular that it lead to a similar series of art prints on the signs of the zodiac. In that my painting procedure involves the use of both traditional and digital techniques, the resulting digital-direct gicle prints were a magnificent display of the full breath of color saturation and detail that faithfully captured the full range of my artistic inspiration and visual intent. This combination of subject matter and visual vitality caught the attention of a talented force in the publishing industry who saw in my art what I had overlooked. Namely, a book. A book that would showcase the art and spirit of my work in a distinctively designed package with verse that would appeal to the love of enchantment in us all. It is just such a book that Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons has become.

This is a book for anyone and everyone that wants to feel the magic inherent in the world around us. It is for the young and the young at heart. Drawing much from the charming Flower Fairy books of Cicely Mary Barker that first came into the public eye in 1923 and whose popularity endures yet today, Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons is full with art that is rich in lightheartedness and laced with exquisite detail. The clever words and poetry of Constance Barkley Lewis have beautifully captured the inspiration and intent of my art as well. These are the fairies of our youth: innocent, fun-loving and as much a part of nature as sunflowers in full bloom on a hot summer's day.

Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons is meant to be a delight to the senses; a place to dally and to dream - a place to become enchanted as we all once were with a world that offered up endless fuel for a fertile young imagination. Where hidden in the glisten of a buttercup one could catch a glimpse of fairy spilling forth glittering gems and sparkling stars, or tucked tight in the softness of a budding rose a sleeping fairy dwelled. Simply put, this is a book meant to be gazed at and fallen into. The art and verse are intentionally crafted to charm and inspire.

This book is for those that long to linger over the possibilities. The "what if's" of flowers and fairies and all the legend and lore that is woven into our past. It's not all just make believe either, as much of the text draws from extensive research of folk beliefs and passed along tales that have attempted to explain some of the more magical mysteries of our natural world over the years and throughout many a varied culture. Steering clear of the darker forms of "faerie", this book intentionally offers up the sweeter side of fairies that need to have a place in everyone's childhood and should linger long into the memories of adulthood, parenthood and grandparent hood.

As to the forces behind the book, their pedigree merits mention. The book is being published by Andrews McMeel Universal, the largest independent newspaper syndicate in the world and an emerging leader in book and calendar publishing and gift and stationery merchandising. Every year, the company publishes the work of more than 125 syndicate creators and writers, more than 300 books, and a prestigious line of calendars and gift and stationery items, including works by Garry Trudeau, creator of the Pulitzer Prize-winning strip, Doonesbury, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Donald Barlett and James Steele, to Mary Engelbreit's whimsical and magical Mary Engelbreit: The Art and the Artist.

Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons was packaged, edited and designed by Lionheart Books, whose executive and creative staff consists of the award-winning members of the former Turner Books. This is the same teaming up of creative talent and publisher/distributor that spawned and marketed the wildly successful Dinotopia and Dinotopia:The World Beneath by James Gurney amongst many other memorable books.

Much of the subject matter I have become known for via Mill Pond Press and Applejack Limited Editions' prints teeters on the brink between fantasy and what I like to call environmental folklore. But my work is more than just the wow and wonder of wizards, elves, fairies and the like. Most of it is also steeped in the lore, the myth, and the legend behind certain wondrous aspects of our natural environment. I would hope that this rings through in the images contained in Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons, and would like to believe it is somewhat responsible for their popularity as well. This is a beautiful book full of enchantment and one that I am very flattered to have been a part of.

From the Inside Flap

Once upon a time, only those who truly believed in fairies could see them dancing across the lawn, balancing upon a twisted limb, or frolicking among the flowers. But now, everyone can discover fairy magic, thanks to the cleverly creative work of illustrator Tom Cross and the clever verse of Constance Barkley Lewis.

In Fairy Garden: Fairies of the Four Seasons, Cross leads a sensory tour of one of the most magical places on Earth, the wonderful world of lavish gardens and fragrant blooms. There, nestled among the tender petals, live the garden fairies, childlike in their innocence yet wise to the ways of nature's blossoming mysteries.

Fairy Garden includes more than 45 images, with fairies for every season. Cross employs his digital wizardry to create these unique and lifelike displays with the same skill he uses to design his limited-edition lithographs. The effects are astounding; the sense of light and color breathtaking.

Consider the boylike fairy with gossamer wings resting gently in the cupped petals of a soft peach rose, as pearls of dew glimmer in the morning rays of sun. Another tiny waif dusts the bloom of a brilliant yellow chrysanthemum hiding.

This kaleidoscopic book will charm both children and adults with its delightful images and endless imaginative stories sprouting from their blooms.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836267869
• ISBN-13: 978-0836267860
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,477,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've always believed in fairies, May 30, 2000

By	Ann Aha! Experience (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

The fairy world according to Tom Cross is one of exquisite beauty. With his vivid imagination and talent for creating richly detailed illustrations, Mr. Cross took me on an intriguing tour of a garden inhabited by a variety of tiny winged characters whose personalities and wardrobes harmonize with their floral counterparts. His fairies portray innocence, curiosity, contentment, wonder, joy and whimsy. The simple eloquence of the accompanying poetry by Constance Barkley Lewis strengthened my wish that such a world exists. I can no longer work in my garden without searching for evidence of fairies among my flowers. Whether it's a freshly scrubbed ladybug, the tiny silhouette of a fiddle player, or a sleeping infant wrapped in a bud, my garden will never be the same.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Fairy Artwork that enraptures the senses, November 10, 1998

By A Customer

This is a beautiful book of some of the most enjoable art dealing with the enchanted realm. I found his artwork originally on greeting cards and was exstatic to see it collected in a wonderful book for coffee table viewing. enjoyable everday!@

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of fairy fantasy thru CMB's eyes!, February 19, 1999

By	[e-mail] : Becca "synapticrn" (Lost in the bluegrass of KY) - See all my reviews

I find myself totally entraced by CMB's renditions of Mother Nature and HER kind. The detail of CMB's Secret Garden and what thrives within does leave me in awe. I just sit back, relax and appreciate....