A Fairy in Villa Ada

Last Sunday I went at Villa Ada, the second largest park of Rome. I love its secret and wild places! It's the park of my childhood... When I was a child I spent many days playing under her ancient pines.

I was walking deep in my thought when I heard a little bell music and... a strange creature appeared out of thin air, just in front of me!

"Stop here!" She said. She had a so ringing little voice! She told me she was a spokesfairy... from my Old Simple Fairy! 

She told me that they are very angry, because I dont' sculpt them from years, and don't teach anymore to my students how to sculpt them, too! 

I answered her that I'm a serious sculptor, now, that don't play anymore to sculpt the simple fairy. And I went on doing my walk...

But she appeared again under a big mushroom, just in front of my feet, barring my way!

She told me: "Art needs playing! Playing is the seriuser thing... together with simplicity. It's for this reason that fairies and babies love so much plays and don't make life difficult for oneself!" She flyed near the spindle-tree. 

"Art exists to remember to grown-up humans that in their heart lives a fairy. Children alredy know..."

After she told that, the Simple Fairy disappeared with a little-bell music...

The sun was shining and I heard again her ringing little voice... Then I understood. She was my fairy in the heart! I ask her: "Does not important perfection, intellect or realism in sculpture... but only what you feel, right?"

A blink among the spindle-tree and she was there again. "Yes. Play, don't make life difficult, live candidly... And you'll walking always on the fairy path." 

"Wake up again the fairies that sleep in humans' hearts. Make me and my fairy sisters visible! Show to the people the path: teach again them how to create a simple fairy... like me!" 

The fairy followed me to my home, with a lovely little bell music.

And you? What do you think? Are you agree with the Little Bell Fairy? 

Red Berries from my Garden

My little doll finally had a little dress and she ran outside playing with the Autumn wind! 

In the garden the old wild rose bush is full of berries, red like her little shoes! 

"Fairies certainly painted them, one by one!" Little girl think...

"I'd like to bring some of them in my house... " But she needs fairies permission first!

Fairies like kind children with red shoes, so they gladly gave her the permission to take some berries. 

But, in return for it, fairies she'll have to take care of the little robin that live in wild rose bush, for all the Winter.

Little girl answered "yes" and she's very happy!

Little robin answered "tweeeeet" and he's very happy! 

I'm happy too, because I start again feeding birds that came to visit my balcony in Rome - for the Winter - and a little robin alit on my windowsill yesterday! 

Sculpting a new little doll

I started sculpting a little girl in 1:12 scale. Here is her face in progress in a photo that I took few mornings ago.

And this is a photo of this afternoon, on my work table... It's under the artificial light of my work lamp, because it's already night in Rome, the days are getting shorter. 

Tomorrow - with the day light - I'll sew a little dress for her.

So she could go out to play in the Autumn wind!

IF - Shy

Illustration Friday week's topic is "Shy". It remembered me an illustration I made a few years ago for "Thumbelina", one of my favourites fairitales.

I believe tulip is yellow when you don't look but it become red if you look, because it's a shy tulip... like its little guest!
I used watercolours, pencils and inks for this work.