 This
delightful picture in pen and Karisma color pencil is the
result of many requests for a dark skinned fairy. Of course
it may be easy to draw a dark skin fairy but first you have
to see one, and as yet Myrea has not, nor indeed have many
visionary Faery artists. Folkore does not take account of
today’s resettlement and integration of populations
and of second and third generation children of differing cultures
seeking to find their fairies.
This little pixie called Sweep comes close with Anansi the
spider, (below) a popular folklore figure in parts of West
Africa, stories which later came with slaves to the Caribbean
islands.
 Like
Brer Rabbit in America, Anansi is a 'trickster' figure - clever,
cunning, mischievous sometimes – he uses his wits to
make up for what he lacks in size and strength, though here
he seems to want to help, he is known to be very clever, sharp,
and tricky using his mind to outsmart others, normally to
find short cuts or to get others to do his dirty work for
him.
Myrea’s arachnophobia, an inordinate fear of spiders
shows clearly in her delightful image of Anansi. For Myrea
all spiders are enormous even the harmless Harvestman (Leiobunum
Rotundum) not a real spider, but having eight legs and a 3mm
oval shaped body and two eyes in the middle of their head
looking sideways, is a threat .
Arachnophobia |
