Willow the Wonderer is amongst the most beautifully illustrated picture books of our time. And judging by our customer reviews, our readers agree!
For all the art aficionados out there we have some great news: The wonderful creatures adorning our Willow the Wonderer picture books are now available as watercolor Giclée prints.
Giclée prints are also known as fine art prints, these are the closest duplication of an artwork that is physically possible.
Painted by illustrator/artist of the Willow the Wonderer series, our very own Darren Pryce, these make for an endearing addition to our little readers' bedroom and play areas.
The set of four Giclée Prints feature:
Willow the Wonderer, taking time to slow down and smell the daisies
Queen Bee, with her gooey honey stash
Bear, honey-happy as a bear can ever be
Dolphin, taking a bow
This is an inspired collection that goes back to a wonderful little visit Darren and I paid a few years ago to the Norman Lindsay Gallery in the Blue Mountains.
Discovering The Magic Pudding
Norman Lindsay was a prolific but also controversial artist.
The gallery is the home he lived in and worked from for many years - a beautiful sandstone cottage with an elegant garden. It features an extensive collection of his art and illustrations.
In addition to rocking the art establishment, Norman Lindsay also took on publishing.
He produced a children's book, apparently as a wager with a friend over what sort of books children like to read. His contention was that children would just as much read a book about food and fight as they would a fairytale.
The book he created went onto become a classic in Australian children's literature: The Magic Pudding.
The collection includes illustrations he produced for The Magic Pudding, including watercolour paintings of the Australiana creatures in The Magic Painting.
I was immediately drawn to these.
It's hard to describe, but the detail and craft that goes into those watercolour character portraits, captures something of their personality that does not quite make it into the illustrations produced for the books.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful to have watercolour portraits of our Willow the Wonderer characters,' I quietly hinted to Darren.
An inspired idea: Willow the Wonderer Giclée Prints
It only took three years for Darren to find the time and space to create the first four paintings last month.
The original watercolours are not be for sale. The marvel of technology however, allows us to make near identical reproductions - Giclée prints. It's not a cheap process but is accessible enough these days and also available in Australia. And that means, we can share Darren's beautiful character watercolours with you all.
These are fine art prints so will be signed by Darren and editioned. Available in a set of four, we'll only ever print 100 copies.
So, incase you were looking to introduce some artisan vibes into your little ones room or play area, check out our newly released Willow the Wonderer Giclée prints. It just that little bit more special :)
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