Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Spring Flower Fairies

Like so many of y'all, I simply cannot wait for Spring's arrival... In the meantime, I've decided to enjoy some of the many beautiful illustrations left to us by the extremely talented artist, Cicely Mary Barker.

She's the creator of the famous Flower Fairies, depicting adorable children with fairy wings, frolicking among the gardens and woods. Born in 1895, she was homeschooled due to a childhood illness. Barker spent most of her time alone, reading and drawing.

Her creations were strongly influenced by the works of Kate Greenaway, and J. M. Bairre's book, Peter Pan. The Victorian era's enthusiasm for fairy stories played a big role in her artwork as well.

She always used real-life models and was botanically accurate in all she did. Retaining a strong Christian faith all of her life, Barker passed away in 1973 at the age of 77.

Here are some examples of the fine art she left behind... From her Fairy Flower Alphabet collection, I've spelled out SPRING...






Ahhh... I always enjoy getting lost in her Magical World... I hope you found yourself carried away to an enchanting corner of your mind also...

God bless...

Until another time... Pearl

12 comments:

Rose of Sharon said...

Her work is amazing! Thank you for sharing about her. I wish I had talent like that. Too bad she didn't make a Rose of Sharon illustration! I hope you are doing well Pearl. How have you been feeling?

Love, Sharon

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Hi Pearl,
Those are so sweet and lovely art work.
So, what did Cocoa Puff get into...the Peep Bunny??
I'm off to HQ today to set up for the sale next weekend. I feel like I'm a week behind in everything. Just had to say HI and hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Deb

Unknown said...

OHHHHH I LOVE these too!!! They just make ya feel happy, dont they? Come on spring!!!!
Love ya,
Amy

Deb said...

Hi Pearl! How Are You!!! I was delighted that you'd stopped by! The new face on your blog is sooooo beautiful. One day I'm going to take the time to try to come up with something beautiful and lasting. I love the fairies, they remind me so much of in the garden and that's how I love to decorate. Deb

Scooterblu's Whimsy~Rhonda said...

Hi Pearl, I love these illustrations, but didn't know the history behind them! Thanks for sharing! The "S" has always been a favorite of mine!

I enjoyed your post on Dr. Seuss also! Ashley never really got into his books, but David loves them! He still reads them! LOL! A couple of years ago, Kohl's supported some children's cause, and had different stuffed animals made of characters in the Seuss books. They sold for $5, and were a great size...really good deal! The sells were donated to the cause! We got a few for David's Easter basket and they are still up in his closet! :)

Hope are getting along well! We had snow flurries and weather in the teens Monday and Tuesday, but are expecting temps in the 70's-80's this weekend! WooHoo!

Take care of yourself! ~big hugs sent your way! Rhonda :)

Scooterblu's Whimsy~Rhonda said...

Oh, and I LOVE your new banner! How Beautiful! :)

luvmy4sons said...

A precursor to that lady that puts babies in flowers! Good stuff!

Tiffany said...

Oh, Thank you so much for this. Her work is lovely and my little girl is so into Tinker Bell right now. I will have to look into more of her work to share with and show to her.Your artists posts are always my favs. ~Blessings!

The W.O.W. factor! said...

Oh Pearl! Thank you for sharing these! Wow...
They are awesome! I'd love to have the whole alphabet of hers!
and I so love Fairies!
Hugs~
♥ Barb

Queenie's Vintage Finds said...

This fairy art is precious...such a talented artist....blessed by the hand of God, no doubt. Thanks for sharing her and her work. I had never seen or heard of her before now. I really enjoyed learning about her and seeing the art! Yes, we are all ready for Spring...perfect that you spelled it in the alphabet art!
Big Hug,
Queenie~

Robin said...

oh such beauty! Thank you for sharing! I like the "Ragged Robin"!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog....your sweet comments made my day!
Robin

Michelle said...

Oh I love Cicely Mary Barker! I have one of her books because I adore her fairies so much! This is a great spring post. :)