Fairytale Freaks; Nicoletta Ceccoli.

Contrary Mary.

Crows.

Girl in the Tower.

Fisheye.

It seems appropriate, since I'm at home in Italy, to create a post on an Italian artist. Yesterday my sister received a birthday card featuring the final beautiful image from above. Nicoletta Ceccoli has been drifting on and off my radar for a number of weeks; her sweet but surreal images catch onto your subconscious.

Her work reminds me a little of Mark Ryden, also a proponent of pale young girls. However, I feel Ceccoli's creations are somehow more refined than Ryden's. There's a certain delicateness to her drawings that may come from her profession as an illustrator of children's books. But I think there's also something very powerful about her odd little ladies, in spite of their incarceration or impediments; in fact, Girl in the Tower immediately brought to mind one of my favourite paintings by Remedios Varo. There is a fairytale-like dreaminess and softness to these works, but also a slight uneasiness.

See more of Ceccoli's enchanting and eerie works in her online portfolio, where the above images were taken from.

"Feral Princesses"; Justin Duerr.

This evening I am thoroughly enamored of Justin Duerr's dark and detailed damsels.

They somehow remind me of Fuschia Gormenghast; there's so much feeling in their faces.

I do believe Duerr may be a fixation for a while; you can peruse his artwork, music and words (from which I took the title of this post) over on his website.

Mon Petit Fantome's Fairytales.

Vasilisa.

Baba Yaga.

While all of Chad Merritt's recent additions to the Mon Petit Fantome etsy store have me utterly entranced, these two papercut prints are particularly amazing.

Evoking images from two of the most frightening fairytales, they're so full of movement and magic.

Vania Zouravliov.

Both images from the artist's online portfolio, here.

These images are by Russian artist Vania Zouravliov (who created the cover art for The Night Circus, which I reviewed a while ago). They make me feel as though I've entered a freezing and frightening fairytale landscape... But they're so intricate and engrossing that I can't look away.

The Night Circus.

I have been wanting to write about this novel for quite a while now, so when my brother visited recently I jumped at the chance to use his camera and get a couple of shots of the amazing artwork and black page edges.

This is the UK edition; the US cover, by Helen Musselwhite, is also lovely - and the main difference I would pick out is the presence of the hand holding the circus tents (the significance of which can only be revealed in reading the novel), while the UK cover underlines the romance aspect of the plot. Regardless, this is a rare and beautiful case of a book's cover cohering perfectly with its content - Vania Zouravliov's illustrations are so perfectly attuned to Erin Morgenstern's intricate and imaginative prose.

Aesthetics aside, The Night Circus is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Even as I begin, I am doubtful I can find the words to do justice to Morgenstern's mastery. The Night Circus is utterly magical, and replete with such intense and original imagery. A botanic garden made entirely of ice, a candle-covered wishing tree, a bonfire ablaze with white fire, a maze made of clouds... And these are all features of the most enchanting and engaging image of all: the eponymous nocturnal black & white circus.

Morgenstern's prose is so wonderfully sensual - the reader is wrapped up in the sounds, smells and sensations of the Le Cirque des Rêves; caramel, autumn leaves, hot cider, candle smoke, the pages of old books... Even the names of the characters feel special when you say them out loud: Celia Bowen, Marco Alisdair, Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre, Lainie Burgess, Tsukiko, Poppet & Widget... They trip off your tongue like strange music.

The novel is a rich tapestry of allegory and imagination, beautifully blurring the boundaries between the "real" world, and one filled with dark and dangerous delights. And, as hinted at above, The Night Circus is ultimately about love; specifically, the love between an enchanter's daughter and a magician's apprentice. There is something eternal about Celia & Marco's story - Morgernstern expresses the all-or-nothing love so integral to so many great stories, suggested by snatches of Shakespeare and wisps of Oscar Wilde.

A little while ago, J.L. Schnabel of Bloodmilk wrote a post about this book, hinting at some jewels in homage to it. I can only dream of what she might conjure up in tribute.

Fold yourself into this disconcertingly tangible and totally delightful fin-de-siècle fantasy. You will not be disappointed.

My, What Big Teeth You Have; Morwenna Catt.

Phrenology II: Wolf (Big Enough To Eat You)

Phrenology II: Red Riding Hood (Small Enough To Be Eaten)

These creations by Morwenna Catt are so striking and visceral.

Just looking at them, you can appreciate their labour-intensity: they're so intricate and imaginative, and achieve the perfect balance between beauty and barbarity.

I found this fairytale pair to be particularly captivating. They immediately brought to mind one of my favourite Angela Carter collections, The Bloody Chamber, which features a fantastic reworking of the Red Riding Hood tale.

Such skilled and spooky stitching.