Faery Ball & Faery Fair

greenbeans

Did anyone else attend the Faery Ball & Fair in Penzance, UK this weekend? I had the most amazing time. I saw Brian, Wendy and Toby Froud just hanging out at the Ball, which was a lovely event, hundreds of Faery fans in mythical dress and music courtesy of Woodland.

The Faery Fair was also a great event, lots of stalls with tarot card readers, books, cards, crystals and art for sale. My other half bought me a Froud print of a hedge pixie for my birthday!

There were also lots of talks, I attended 2, by Brian and Wendy respectively. Wendy discussed working in films such as star wars and the dark crystal, and showed pictures of her dolls and puppets.

Brian talked at wondrous length about his art and his connection to Faery. Specifically the importance of the Singers, which has really helped my connect with these tricky cards. How they are a high part of the faery hierachy, but the connection between them and other fae is smooth and seemless....how they appear to him as 'pillars of light'....and how we, as people, try to interpret beings of energy by giving them human characteristics.....he knows it is hard for people to connect to the singers straight away, so created Good Faeries/Bad Faeries (on which the Oracle is based) with both human looking faeries and the Singers as a way of helping people connect to them.

Also he told us how he sees and communicates with Faeries, and the difference between this psychic experience and his artistic inspiration.

He showed the Qntal music video he created, and also slides for a film he had hoped to make, a modern day version of Tam Lin. Sadly Hollywood would only make it if it was cheesy, and he would rather not make it if it compromised his vision for the Faeries. He stated that he hopes to make an Oracle based on the feminine divine 'to remind women that they are goddesses'. Wow! He didn't mention any further plans for a Runes of Elfland Oracle, but I'm still hoping.

I feel so happy and inspired to have met him, and hopefully I will understand my Faeries better as well!
 

Jewel

greenbeans said:
Wow! He didn't mention any further plans for a Runes of Elfland Oracle, but I'm still hoping.
Greenbean I am soooo jealous!!!! It sounds like a wonderful time, thank you so very much for sharing. I also wish he would do a Runes of Elfland Oracle, shoot I would love to see him do an oracle with the Goblins *LOL*. Tell me more about the print your significant other got you? and Happy Birthday!
 

Alissa

What a wonderful opportunity, too bad I'm about half a world away (or feel like it anyhow!) I can only imagine how inspirational it would be to hear Brian talk on the Singers. I relate so much to just what you shared, very cool!

Glad you had a chance to enjoy your birthday with such a neat experience. :D I'm jealous in the best of ways (*is that the Green Woman at work?)
 

greenbeans

Jewel, a Goblins Oracle sounds good!Wendy was saying how she made a model of the goblin with yellow eyes from the book Goblins! and when it was in the house they had continual annoying problems, power cuts, floods etc...which stopped when he was moved. I would just have to buy a goblin oracle but it could be trouble...:)

This is the hedge pixie:http://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=hedge+pixie+froud&btnG=Search

He seems similar to Myk the Myomancer and Geeeooooo the Slow, only more pixieish...In Good Faeries, he is said to share 'the wisdom of nature and the ancient healing properties of plants'. If you look at him one moment he seems wickedly mischevious, in the next moment he seems kindly and reassuring.

Alissa, there are Faery events in the US (is that where you are?) and I bet Brian sometimes attends, so you may hear him speak one day! But I think his gentle wise spirit comes across in the cards very well, so you probably already know him in a way.
 

Jewel

greenbeans said:
I would just have to buy a goblin oracle but it could be trouble...:)

Alissa, there are Faery events in the US (is that where you are?) and I bet Brian sometimes attends, so you may hear him speak one day! But I think his gentle wise spirit comes across in the cards very well, so you probably already know him in a way.
Your Hedge Pixie is beautiful ... also reminds me a little of Mikle a Muckle, and maybe even of the faces included in the Oakmen. You are right though, when you look at it does sort of shift facial expressions, but very peaceful. What a cool B-day present!

About the goblins ~giggles~ I think we already have one in the garage. He likes to cut the power to the plugs in the bathroom (which have to be reset in the garage). He's been hanging around for a couple of months, and every now and then he lets us know he is there. You are probably right that it would be difficult to keep them stored in the house if they cause such havoc, but I would not be able to resist the deck if it came out. Maybe I would keep it at the office *LOL*.

What you said about Brian's nature being infused in the cards and that Alissa probably already knows him, that really rings a bell in a conversation in another thread we had where Alissa posed the question as to whether Brian was human or fey. She was sort of joking about that, but not really, and I honestly agree with her. He definetly is touched by faerie magic, no question about that!

Ohhhhhh Alissa, I think the jealousy you and I feel about Greenbeans outing is most definetly "a la Greenwoman" *LOL*
 

greenbeans

faery balls, artshows, fairs and whatnot!

this has probably been mentioned (been away from the forum for a while) but there are a couple of Froud-related events about.

There is an exhibition of fairy-themed art in Southampton, UK until September 13. This includes art by Brian and Wendy Froud, Alan Lee, Cicely Mary Barker, as well as the Cottingley Fairies. There will be a symposium to accompany this exhibition on 5 September, with several speakers discussing 200 years of fairy art and illustration.

The Avalon Faery Ball & Faery Art Fayre in Glastonbury UK on 3rd October has various artists and special guests including Brian Froud, Josephine Wall and Linda Ravenscroft.

Finally, there is a faerie ball and faerie art day being held in Dartmouth UK on the 28 & 29 November...the site says that Wendy will be bringing sculptures and Brian will be selling artworks and doing signings. Other artists at the event include Josephine Wall, Linda Ravenscroft and Emily Carding. There will also be 3 short faerie-themed films which had input from Brian & Wendy Froud and Alan Lee.

Anyone attending these (or any other) Froud events this year? I don't think I can afford to go, definitely not to all 3, but then the thought of a new Froud Oracle has me pretty giddy anyway!
 

DragonFae

I am soooooo jealous.....I would love love love this type of event....omgosh!!! Do you have any pictures up anywhere?
 

greenbeans

Well, I have only been once and that was years ago (that first post of mine was from 2006- whew!), and I doubt I can afford to attend this year really. If anyone is going to a faerie event this year I'd love to hear about it and get my fae-fix vicariously!

As for photos, you can see a few pictures of past events here and here . Some people really go to town on their costumes!

Did anyone from the USA get to meet the Frouds at the fantastic-looking Faerieworlds festival this year? I don't know if they will also be at Faeriecon later this year but its a possibility...

(gah, just look at the vid on the faerieworlds website..how I would LOVE to visit that festival someday..yea, dream on greenbeans...)
 

ellirhyn

REAAAHHHHHHHGGGH!! I was in the area (St. Ives) last weekend and knew nothing about this or I would have been there in a shot! :(
T'wasn't meant to be for me this time around, I suppose... I'm glad you had an excellent time, I have met the Frouds and have been nothing but impressed with them all. They are really fantastically nice people and pretty much everything Brian has ever said has rung very true with me as well, in connecting to Faerie. Still love his art best of all.
As for his being Fey, I would say he's in a human body, however, he seems to have a "wandering eye" which I am convinced sees the "Otherworld" which brings his inspiration. He is most definitely Gnome-like in a wonderful and warm way.
Greenbeans, thanks for the links!
I'm in the U.S. quite near the Faerieworlds, (Thats in OR and I'm in WA state) but I've never been able to attend due to other circumstances. Next year for sure. Unless I'm in the UK, in which case, I'll look into the other events. I'll be sure to post a report!
 

greenbeans

what a shame you missed it! but the Frouds seem to do at least a couple of events every year, hopefully some other time.

If anyone from the US was considering going to FaerieCon, you can get money off your tickets on the World of Froud website.