Welcome dear readers to the second edition of Friday Friends for 2011. This post will give you a chance to escape, just for a few moments, from the harrowing events of the past week - the floods in Queensland and the Fires in Western Australia that have been televised so intensely. Maddabling sends her love and very best wishes to all those affected by these events, either directly or indirectly, one feels quite helpless at a time like this.
Now, it is with great pleasure that I introduce my first Dusty Diva for 2011 -
Lindsay from
FaerieMajikk 
I first "met" Linz through a DUST team Christmas in July Event where I was so lucky to win a beautiful Seductive Selkie - Open Edition ACEO Print.
I have purchased further works from Linz (I have a fascination with Selkies and Mermaids, the folklore and imagery)
and thought these four Open Edition ACEO Prints make quite a stunning display together !
I am excited by Linz's new body butter and perfume range, but you can read more about this further down the page :) Lovely readers, I invite you to leave behind for a few minutes, the real world and to enter into the fantasy world of FaerieMajikk and to learn more about what inspires Linz to create such fabulous art. Enjoy !
The Story of FaerieMajikk and the Art of Lindsay Cheesewright Like all young girls I grew up playing make-believe games in a mythical land of faeries, unicorns and mermaids. I think it was the normal thing for young girls to do. No one thought I was strange or peculiar - that's just what kids are like! As an adult however I don't think that I truly have grown up, sure I don't play those games any more but I do illustrate these beautiful and magical places and beings into my artworks.
Whether or not people still don't see me as strange or peculiar is a matter of opinion. Some I am sure think me as 'mad as a hatter' but that is ok, I don't mind at all. To me faeries and the world of faeries is not simply being immature and refusing to grow up - it's deeper than that. It's about still holding on to those ignorant dreams and fantasies we had as children - to look at life through the eyes of a child.
Looking at life as though anything is possible is really a good way to be and the way I want to live my life, to strive for those things that seem unattainable if not what hope is there? To go through life doing the same mundane things is certainly not living.
I am a Mother of 4 boys and I will let you all on a little secret ... mother of 4 soon to be Mother of 5 eeeek! Ok now with that out of the bag I will go on, I am also happily married and we will celebrate our 7th Anniversary this year. So as you can imagine being a full time mother whilst trying to pursue a career as an artist is very hectic and usually something gets pushed to the side - my art. I usually work on my art late of a night or before the kids wake up in the morning.
I was first introduced to the world of fantasy through my older brother who gave me a poster of a unicorn when I was young - it was from that moment on I loved Unicorns and although i still do, it wasn't until my late teens that I realised that even though I liked fantasy and unicorns, I really enjoyed figurative art - so that is where my love for faeries really came about. A way to create fantasy creatures while also figurative art.
I am inspired by so many things - mostly the way a child looks at life, but also nature as Mother Nature always gets things right - the closest I feel you can get to perfection. One of my most favorite paintings would have to be Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais 
but pretty much any Pre - Raphaelite paintings.
I work mostly in watercolours, simply because pans are so easy and quick to work with, also because I do like the look of transparent paints as it gives that magical and dreamy feel which really suits fantasy artworks.
I do like oils as well as I just can not get enough of the smell of oil paint. Oils are something that takes a little longer to set up and work with, I do hope to create more oil paintings in the future.
My currently favourite piece that I have created so far is Crimson Wings, 
it's the most recent that i created for the Enchanted Visions Project. A tutorial/walkthrough can be seen here: http://www.squidoo.com/fantasy-watercolour-tutorial-crimson-wings Usually my most recent painting will be my favourite which is good as it means i am improving - although i do still find many flaws in each painting, i guess we are all human and we are our own worst critic.
I am working on many things for 2011 - always thinking with cogs spinning around in my head at all times! Last year I finally released my range of Body Products (perfume oils and body butters)
I had been working on them for months, I wanted a new way of showcasing my art and having a love for scents and generally nice smelly things in general I thought hey I'm going to do this!
It has been a slow process as i have to not only make sure the product itself is tested properly and is of high quality but I have also created the art for the label especially for each scent. Which is why I only have three scents at the moment, I have an artwork half - finished for a new scent: Vanilla Earth so that will be the next one I will release.
I am also frantically working on an Online Solo Exhibition, simply because there is no where locally that I can have a physical exhibition - or perhaps there is, I am just a big hermit and would prefer to stay at home LOL !
My up coming exhibition is Postcards from the Imagination, they will be portraits, all of them will be OSWOA (Original Small Works Of Art) the size of these are 4"x6" in size.You can find out more on my website that I created for this event:
http://exhibition.faeriemajikk.com
The site has been done very quickly and is a little crude in design but I will be working on that. I hope to have 25 pieces ready for this to begin on the 19th of March, the exhibit will run for two weeks and i will be giving away gift certificates for those who RSVP. I update my facebook page regularly on my progress of this at http://facebook.com/FaerieMajikk
I am also working on getting more prints/ gift items in my etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FaerieMajikk i hope to have a good range by mid year including prints, pendants, cards and bookmarks.You can buy your very own piece of FaerieMajikk at this etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FaerieMajikkor at this link :
http://faeriemajikk.com/storeCheck out Linz's website at :
http://faeriemajikk.com/connect through the FaerieMajikk Blog :
http://faeriemajikk.com/?page_id=14 or find FaerieMajikk on Facebook :
http://www.facebook.com/FaerieMajikk
