**See my latest, very special Faery Mermaid Healer here: Faery Mermaid Healer, Quartz Point Read about my process below!

When I made my first Faery Healer, I was looking for a more
interesting way of selling crystals. I used to vend at Renaissance Faires, and
yes, I dressed up as a corseted wench and sold incense, crystals, tarot decks,
my own art, and other spiritual items. When I closed that business to
concentrate on selling my fairy art, I had some leftover merchandise. It was
about this time I started sculpting in polymer clay, and I thought, wouldn’t it
be cute if little Faeries brought the messages of crystals to mortals?

I set to work right away, and made a prototype, which I
still have. Not yet satisfied with this model, I worked on a few more, and
liked the way they turned out. At this time I was also producing larger
sculptures and selling them on eBay. I wanted a more affordable doll for those
who could not purchase my more expensive pieces, which usually run anywhere
from $250.00 to $350.00. And so, I listed the first Faery Healers for sale on
my web site, and they were sold in a matter of days.

Sculpting Faery Healers is a part of my weekly routine.
Their little faces shine up at me from my sculpting table and make me smile.
It’s gratifying to see them come to life. The first thing I do is choose a
crystal. I shop for all my crystals individually—I don’t buy in bulk—choosing
only the ones that “speak” to me, and appear to have the best energy, clarity
and finish. This is a very important process, for I believe in the healing
power of all of nature, and these crystals are sacred gifts from the earth.

Next comes the other fun part—the sculpting. I begin with a
wire armature. This is to insure that they are strong and will not break in the
shipping process. Then I usually sculpt the bodies, their little tushies and
plump legs, right onto the crystal. I add faerie slippers or boots, and then
sculpt their arms and hands. Because they are so small—usually between two and
three inches tall—I bake them after every addition of clay. This makes it
easier to handle the piece without squishing the previously sculpted area. The
last thing I sculpt is the face. This is the most fun for me. I sometimes feel
they are whispering Faerie secrets as ancient and wise as nature herself. I
paint and dress them in hats, if they are witches or bubbles if they are
mermaids and send them out into the world to work their magic. And they do! I
receive so many nice emails from customers telling me how much they enjoy their
little Faeries. To me, this is what the Faery Healers are all about. The tag
line in my eBay auctions is “Healing the World One Faery at a Time,” and I
believe they are doing just that!

My latest creation is a Faery Mermaid Healer,
and I think this one is extremely special. First of all, the Quartz Crystal
that comes with this faerie is gorgeous, and resonates with a gentle energy. Quartz
is a very good crystal for clearing negativity. It also helps to focus energy,
aids psychic abilities, and brings the body into balance. This Faery Healer can
be removed from the crystal (most cannot be removed) so that she might visit
with other dolls you have collected, but my guess is that she’s happiest
resting on her crystal. Her tail is blue and white, and reminds me of Delft
China. Her hair is white Tibetan lamb’s hair and her crown is made of natural
shells and glass iridescent bubbles.

Thanks so much for reading my blog and for supporting my art. May the Faeries always Bless you!

Janice

So, I've been enjoying painting small fantasy images lately and offering them on eBay. Sometimes it takes me such a long time to finish a larger painting because of my very detailed style, that these smaller ones offer me a sense of accomplishment while I'm working on the larger paintings. That said, I feel an inner pressure to finally finish my Love Faerie painting, which I'm sure you are sick of hearing about and not seeing any progress on, however, rest assured I have made progress and will show photos soon. No, really!

My new painting "Banished" is for sale on eBay, and you can see it here: See Banished!. Thanks so much for taking a peek!

This painting is somewhat connected to the novel I'm writing as the young vampire in it looks like my main character. There are slight differences, but for all intents and purposes, it's her. I think I've said this before, but one discipline seems to feed the other, because as soon as I finished this painting the story in my head continued--there is a ghost in the projection room and he just runs the film when he wants. Creativity is a mysterious thing.

Well, back to work. Vampire Nips!

I'm often inspired by myths and the creatures that inhabit them. Two such beings I find particularly fascinating are the 'incubus' and 'succubus.' I suppose it's not surprising that we human beings found a way to blame something 'otherworldly' for our weaknesses, but I admire our collective imagination, and the stories we tell each other, even if some are meant to pry us out of a tight spot.

Our world can sometimes seem a scary place, and otherworldly forces are just as good an explanation as any. In the world of myth seducer/murderer faeries also exist. "Leanan-Sidhe" is a Faerie woman said to inspire artists and poets. But her gift comes with a price; she takes their lives early in exchange for their artistic brilliance. She is also said to be a seducer/murderer Faerie.

Why is it that so often beauty and power are considered treacherous? Fatal, even? It's fascinating, but I suppose in our struggle to understand why a young poet might spend his brilliance too early, never to write again, or why an artist might take his own life, we arrive at a place of story, of myth, of something larger than ourselves...

There is no explanation.

Only the sound of the teller's voice and our amazed eyes as we witness the awesome power of nature.

I recently discovered that I really like the idea of 'fauns,' Roman mythological creatures that are half goat and half human. My version of the 'faun' has deer antlers. This is an ACEO original collector's card, size 2.5" x 3.5". It has already been sold on eBay, but I wanted to share it with you on my blog. I painted Faun Faerie using watercolors and acrylics, my favorite combination, on Arches 140 lb watercolor paper.

In keeping with the idea of fauns, I've recently created a Faun Faery Healer. She is not quite finished yet, but will be up on eBay Thursday, June 3rd, so take a look tomorrow night. If you are on my mailing list, you will be updated promptly so you don't miss out. She will be the first of her kind and is holding a labradorite gemstone. She is a little bit 'Goth' with black and blue hair and pearlized blue lips. She's really cute, and I wish I could keep her for myself! :-)

Happy Father's Day and Happy Summer Solstice!

Brightest Blessings,
Janice

I finished my vampire painting and called it "Dark Visions." It was great fun to paint, although I felt a little rusty as I haven't painted in a while. I'm going to try not to have such big gaps between paintings any more. It's just not good for me as an artist.

I feel like this painting expresses how I feel about the idea of the vampire: he or she enters through your dreams, becomes manifest possibly through shared experiences or feelings, and then pulls you back into his/her world by turning you. The sensual nature of shared blood or blood taken from the victim by force is quite frightening and alluring at the same time. Their power is coveted by humans, I think...One of the reasons vampire lore remains popular. When I read "Carmilla" I was so enchanted by this strange, frightening and sensual story that it has left a lasting impression on me. It was not only beautifully written, but showed the dark thrill of forbidden love and sex in an understated way, which, in this case was so much more powerful.

I think we are also attracted to the vampire because we wish we could command the elements the way they can. Untamable nature--to have the power to tame it is something humans have wanted since the beginning of time. In my painting, the moon and the ravens symbolize female powers and wisdom, respectively. Her hair is painted to look like the wind is blowing and she is painted to look as if she could be part of the sky. In this way she reveals her power over nature.

But her lust for blood will be her undoing, as all evil intentions are stopped by the one stake to the heart that cannot be deflected--Love.

So, here we are another Spring will soon be upon us! We got a couple of bird feeders recently, and we are really having fun watching and identifying the birds that come to feed. They are all so different and beautiful in their own way.

I'm reminded of how much I enjoy different types of media. As you know, I'm very fond of both sculpting and painting. Recently, I haven't been sculpting too much, at least, I haven't been working on larger pieces. I've been continuing to sculpt my Faery Healers, however, because people seem to really enjoy them and because in this economy, they are affordable and bring joy to people--I really appreciate your kind letters of thanks. They always make my day!

One reason I haven't been sculpting the larger pieces is because they take a very long time to complete, and right now I don't have the time. I'm concentrating on painting some new images that I hope will be a little different from my previous ones. Some changes in my thought process have gotten me thinking about new subjects and maybe a slight change in approach. You might remember last year I had talked about a new way of applying watercolors which changed the look of my pieces slightly. The two images that benefited from this new approach were Snow Bringer and Messenger--two pieces that now get the most reaction from customers. This year I'm adding to that discovery, and I'm hoping for an even better look. Still experimenting, but as soon as I have something to show you will be the first to know!

Thanks again for your continued interest in my work. Happy Spring! (Almost!)
Janice

I just finished an adorable sculpture that I just had to blog about. It was a commission from one of my customers. I actually had no idea how I was going to do this--I'd never done anything like it before--but I did some sketching, and jumped in. It had its own technical problems, which, looking at the small size of the sculpture, you wouldn't think this would be a consideration. However, even small sculptures have their challenges. Once I figured out how the two bodies would fit together, the faeries seemed to sculpt themselves.

As it turns out, this is one of my favorite Faery Healer sculptures to date. I had such fear entering into this project, and such self doubt. It's strange how these types of projects are the ones that teach you the most. As an artist, I'm always in my own head, so to take someone else's ideas and turn them into something that they might like to purchase is daunting. However, sometimes my customers have better ideas than I do, so it's nice to work with someone for a change--I work alone every day!

I've had other experiences like this. Together me and the client worked out colors and what the sculpture would look like. Check out Nocturna in my Fantasy and Fairy Sculptures gallery, and Faery Healer Fairy Cat in my Faery Healers gallery.

1) Nocturna URL: See Nocturna

2) Faery Healer Fairy Cat URL: See Fairy Cat

Thanks to my customers for having such great ideas!

Until next time, Faerie Blessings!
Janîce

There aren't many pop trends that catch me, for example, reality TV doesn't really even exist for me. However, one way to get me to take notice is to talk about myth and folklore. Then you've got my undivided attention! Vampire lore has always intrigued me, even before Stephenie Meyer and Charlaine Harris wrote their vampire-boyfriend stories (love them both, BTW). How did human beings ever come up with "vampires"?

Probably rooted in the time of the plague, some experts believe the vampire myths began in Slavic countries. Families noticed that their relatives and close friends were dying in record numbers. Their belief was that a dead relative or friend rose from the dead and attacked the living in order to be close to them again, either through staying "undead" or by bringing the relative to their side--the otherworld. Why did they believe this? Because people would bust open coffins and sometimes find blood on the mouths of the newly buried. This confirmed their suspicions. I find this fascinating--that our imaginations would jump to "vampire" instead of something like, "maybe blood is seeping out of the dead body because it is no longer in use." Of course, I'm speaking from my modern perspective, so who knows what I personally would have thought if I were alive then?

So, we have the Vampire in our collective mythology and what fun for artists! I love what the vampire can symbolize: vampiric love, the struggle of good and evil in ourselves, the struggle of doing the right thing when faced with survival, all these ideas and many more have been fodder for the vampire mythology.

Thanks for dropping by my web site. May 2010 be your best yet!
Janîce

As an artist and crafter different seasons bring different ideas, and one year I decided to paint images of people's houses and pets on Christmas ornaments. I did it for friends and family at first, and as they told their friends and relatives where they got their original, one of a kind gift, the orders started pouring in. Now every year around November 15th, I stop painting and sculpting faeries and paint Christmas ornaments. It's become a tradition now with some of my customers, and every year they get ready to place their orders by gathering pictures of the homes and pets of their friends and relatives.

The houses are traditionally painted as Christmas scenes with snow and holiday decorations. However, I'm usually painting from photos that have been taken in the fall, and it's fun for me to watch the transformation from pumpkins and corn stalks to wreaths and garlands. Pets are usually painted with wreaths around their portraits or red bows around their necks. Some even wear Santa hats!

This year is no different, and I've been busy in my studio painting these one of a kind treasures that I know mean so much to my customers and to me. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing how my customers react to their purchase. They always tell me, "This is the perfect gift." But what they don't realize is that they have given me the perfect gift.

Many thanks to your continued support of my art!  Happy Holidays to all my friends, fans and family!

Janîce

I created Faery Healers in 2007. Since then they have grown into a popular keepsake among many of my collectors. I've always believed in the healing powers of crystals, plus the beautiful stones are wonderful to stare at and ponder. I've created many different types of Faery Healers: witches, mermaids, faeries of course, and recently a vampire and unicorn (7-Day auctions began 8/4/09 and 8/6/09 respectively). These little guys offer so much opportunity for creativity and joy!

When I came up with the idea, almost immediately I decided to hold a Faery Healer contest to I give away a Faery Healer, and over the past two years it has been my pleasure to send these little guys to lucky winners. The contest begins December 1st and ends Christmas Eve at twelve midnight. All you have to do to enter is send your name and a working email address so I can reach you after the drawing. The drawing is done during the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve and announced New Year's Day. It's my way of saying thanks to all who have collected my pieces over the years. Keep a look out for the announcements beginning in November so when I open the contest on December 1 you can enter!

Until then, you can always find them on eBay or order one directly by writing to me through this web site.

Thanks for dropping by, and as always, may the Faeries Bless You!
Janîce