Lost in the Woods is the most recent and third coloring book to be available for purchase from Lux Art. In the process of making these coloring books, I've learned a lot and feel like I have come a long way from the first.
My first coloring "Art Nouveau" was inspired by its namesake. When I was 18 years old and a freshman in college, I spent a summer abroad, in Prague. This is where I fell absolutely in love with this art style and with one of its most prolific artists, Alphonse Mucha. Art Nouveau was all around me in Prague and to this day, I think Prague is one of the most beautiful and magical cities that I have ever visited. It was like something out of a fairy tale. It is said, by many of the locals, that Prague was spared during WW2 because of its beauty. My decision to use Art Nouveau as the inspiration for the first coloring book made a lot of sense. The style is delicate, intricate, and highly detailed; perfect for a more grown-up coloring book.
Fae Forest is the second of the three coloring books published so far. I am a huge fantasy nerd, this is obvious by the games I play, the books, the movies, and the series that I obsess over. Every year, you can find me and my kids at Ren-fest, in garb. As a teenager, I was obsessed with butterflies and fairies. I collected everything associated with them and had a room full of figures, magnets, and various Fae-themed knick-knacks. I actually set out to make a tattoo art-style coloring book at first but everything I kept prompting fit more for a fantasy or Fae-themed book, and so Fae Forest came together pretty easily.
The third book doesn't stray too far in terms of theme. There is still a lot of similar imagery but I did try to have my love for nature take precedence here. The book is called Lost in the Woods. One of the most healing things that I have found has been hiking in the mountains of Western North Carolina. There is nothing like the feeling of getting lost in the woods for a while and escaping the stresses of every day. Hiking up to the top of a mountain and seeing how vast the world appears from up there gives you an entirely new perspective. There is magic in the woods; in the streams and waterfalls, and on moss-covered trails, every time you find a fairy ring of mushrooms.
This coloring book still has some fairies and fawn girls with deer antlers, or ram horns, but it also has some imagery inspired by another of my favorite artists of all time, JW Waterhouse.
Waterhouse has captured some of my favorite female characters like Shakespeare's Ophelia and Juliet in a way that is both beautiful and haunting. The imagery of the tragedy of Ophelia in art is one that inspires much of what I do creatively. Lost in the Woods tries to pull images inspired by women in nature and of stories told, from Maid Marion to Little Red Riding Hood. Still plenty of fantasy-inspired art pages to color.
What inspires you? I would love to hear about the art styles or stories that have resonated in your life and have ignited that creative spark within you. Comment below to share!
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