Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:19:38 +0000

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ERIKA TAGUCHI-NEWTON

When Delray Beach artist Erika Taguchi-Newton admits “a slight obsession with fairies,” it’s easy to imagine her house is filled with images of the winged creatures. She assures us, however, that this is not the case.

“They’re not all over the house,” she says, laughing.

The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale graduate became interested in fairies in elementary school after reading Faeries, a book by Brian Froud and Alan Lee, and then discovering Charles Vess, who illustrated Neil Gaiman’s comic-book series Stardust and Sandman, which included a meta-fictional adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“I love Vess’ storybook style,” Taguchi-Newton explains. “Very different from what you see typically in comic books back then.”

As a result of her love for fairies, Taguchi-Newton, who is also fascinated by nature, bugs and miniatures, has received several fairy statues as gifts. She also creates intricate paper fairy ornaments that incorporate watercolor, beads and wire, and larger fairy oil paintings and watercolors. One watercolor, “Drifting,” depicts a fairy alone and in a floating device with a lantern pole slung over one shoulder. It is currently on display at the Anything and Everything show at Howley’s Restaurant in West Palm Beach.

Taguchi-Newton didn’t imagine a full-fledged fairy tale while creating this piece, but more of a feeling. “I found it interesting that the light is behind her,” she says, “not ahead of her, like she is still trapped in where she came from but trying to go forward.”