The Fantasy Art of Ksheyna Nightswood
KSHEYNA NIGHTSWOOD
Ksheyna's work has described as 'pure magic' and 'of the fantasy we see in old fables and fairy tales'
Ksheyna Nightswood is a reclusive self-taught Artist. Born in Queensland Australia she currently resides in a small country town in Victoria. Ksheyna has been making her art dolls since late 2009 and specializes in hand-sculpted one of a kind fantasy art dolls.
My introduction to the world of art dolls and doll making began when I brought a book called ‘Midsummer Night’s Faery Tale’ by Wendy Froud & Terri Windling. The dolls fascinated me! So elegant and beautiful. This lead me down a path filled with a world of artists and their work.
I have always loved fantasy, it has been a big part of my life since I was a very small child. My wonderful mother used to read to me every night. The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, the tales of Redwall and Valdemar opened the door to worlds filled with strange creatures, magic and enchanted beauty.”
Movies such as the ‘Dark crystal’ ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘The Last Unicorn’ as well as book like ‘Faeries’ ‘Fairy & Folk Tales from around the world’ and The Children’s Illustrated Classics from Times House Publishing have all had a great influence upon shaping my imagination as I was growing up.
As I got older my love for fantasy and art only grew. I became captivate by Pre-Raphaelite art, the expressions and the way the fabric fell fascinated me. I also became interested in learning to draw Anime/Manga style characters, which has left a influence upon my current art form in the way I create quite long and thin fairies with somewhat bigger heads, slightly larger eyes and long thin anime style fingers and limbs.
Nightswood is a world filled with trolls, fairies, pixies, goblins and countless other nameless creatures. It is a world of magic and enchantment.
I love making dolls! It is amazing to watch them come to life. Strands of wire, blobs of clay, genesis paints, mohair and bits of fabric all come together to create a beautiful fairy, earthy troll or cheeky little pixie. They each have their own unique personality. I never truly know how they will turn out till the very end and that in itself is pure magic.
The works of Arthur Rackham, John William Waterhouse, Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris and Arthur Hughes have had a great influence upon my vision of fairies as well as modern day artists Selina French, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and the amazing French fantasy artist Sandrine Gestin. My Pixies (aka brownies) are mainly inspired by folklore, fantasy and nature with influences from Japanese Chibi style manga and the work of talented artists such as Brian and Wendy Froud, Alan Lee, Arthur Rackham and Jean-Baptiste Monge. My Trolls are mostly inspired by Norse mythology, Scandinavian folklore, nature and the seasons, with influences from the works of amazing artists such as Paul Bonner, John Bauer and Alan Lee. My introduction to Trolls came from the tale ‘Peer Gynt’ illustrated by Paul Bonner from the book ‘Fairy & Folk Tales from around the world. Of all the versions of Trolls I have seen through my life this is the one that has stuck with me, and it has had the greatest influence on my troll art today. There was just something about their long faces and odd shaped noses, their rather happy expressions and the overall earthy feel.
To keep up to date with everything I am currently working on at Nightswood, including pendants, art dolls, books and my works in progress just head to my Blog!
Have you seen the Fairies? They have always been there...
even if you can 't see them..
They are there.. they are just waiting.. .