Once upon a time in a magical castle in France, believers from around the world met with renowned artists Brian and Wendy Froud, to embark on an adventure of a lifetime.
As is true of many of the world’s modern-life adventures, much of this story took place in the minds and imaginations of these men and women. This is not to suggest, however, that imagination equates to fiction. Indeed, the beauty of these stories is that although they may have seemingly come from the mind, their translation onto paper only proves their inherent truth.
In fact, this was exactly why most of these adventurers came to learn under the tutelage of the Frouds, who see and sense the faerie realm so acutely.
It began with a vision from Heidi Leigh, owner of AFA Fine Art Galleries in NYC and worldwide. Gentle mastermind, Brian Froud was at first hesitant to translate his art into a lesson for others, but with the encouragement of family and friends such as Carol Douglas, he subsequently agreed to lead three week long master classes at Heidi’s most enchanting castle-turned-art-gallery in the Aveyron region, Belcastel, France.
We were questers, seeking insight, understanding and a mere glimpse into the Froud’s world of faerie, and in doing so we discovered more about ourselves than art.
The content of these classes remain a mystery, as those who did not attend could not experience the full extent of Brian’s magic without direct contact (and perhaps we only touched upon his magic as well). As too is their connection to each other - a story best told by friends over a cup of coffee or glass of wine, perhaps with a plate of fresh cheese and bread. How each student arrived at this destination between worlds is another story altogether - one that tells of manifestation and destiny.
Perhaps most importantly is that the stamp of faerie is on each student who experienced these weeks in Belcastel over two years ago… and this week’s blog posts will begin as a feeble attempt to tell their unfolding saga in time for another reunion with the Frouds during their book signing at AFA galleries in Soho on October 10th.
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