A painting that took five years to complete

Why this one took so damn long to finish: I didn't like the way I positioned the fairy folk.  The poses seemed too stationary.  The original drawing was done back in August of 2002 and I did a quick color rough of the idea.  It was supposed to correspond with a project I was working on in collaboration with writer Andrew Jacob, but this picture of the "Little People" just didn't go into the direction the stories and style of writing Andrew had in mind.  While organizing my portfolio, cataloging what pieces I want to use and what I want to store, I unearthed this watercolor rough sketch and those little faces wouldn't let me go this time.  It's one of those things that needed a refresh.  No longer under the pressure of my previous collaborator, I was finally able to make this piece completely my own.  It went through many layers, and then, quite by accident, I dropped a bit of water on it, making the colors run into each other, giving the painting a whole new life.  Now the fairy characters seem more real and passionate.  They aren't the "cute" fairies you'd encounter in the wilderness, no, these guys are peeking out at you and talking about you behind your back.  The "bubbles" of mist are like a steady stream of frost or the snow-like blossoms of spring -- the scene could take place at any time of year, really -- and the scene could be taking place in your own backyard just as much as it could be in some far off forest. 

 

I let you decide what is going on in their minds.  They like being imagined about as much as they love to gossip.