In the garden behind a small cottage grows an ancient oak tree that hides a secret. The young boy who lives in the cottage couldn’t care less about the tree and certainly doesn’t know it is enchanted. But all is about to change, as the fairies living in the oak are about to cast a spell that will change his life forever…
The Boy in the Oak is an enchanting fairy tale written and illustrated by Jessica Albarn. It deals with the consequences of mistreating nature, and ultimately the power of kindness, thoughtfulness and forgiveness. The book itself is wonderfully tactile, with an embossed cover and translucent images overlaying the pages. The story is currently being made into a short film, a mixture of live action and animation, with Jude Law narrating. The score is being written by Jessica’s brother Damon (of Blur and Gorillaz fame).

The full length trailer for dark Norwegian indie film Thale is now available for your viewing pleasure. Even though the mythical creatures have been reinterpreted as human genetic mutations, it still looks amazing. Fine out more on the Thale Facebook page.

The spring issue of FAE is filled with faery magic, literally! As Lucy Cavendish shows us how to do ‘Spell Crafting’ with our faerie allies. Christine Lynch, daughter of Frances Griffiths (Cottingley Fairies) tells tales of real life faery encounters, and Elizabeth-Jane Baldry talks about the Fynoderee, illustrated by Alan Lee. We look at the artwork of some Cornish artists, including Peter Pracownik, Patrick Gamble and more! We meet some Unicorn Queens, and see some Enchanted Dream Wear in our special fashion features. Kitchen Faery, Sharon William’s prepares something sweet for Valentines Day and Australian artist Kim Turner shows us her cup cake faeries. Felicity Fyr Le Fay helps us to act on our ‘Faery Calling’ in a new 4 part series, and Doreen Virtue starts us off on the right track for 2012 with her Fairy card column for the spring months. Ceri Norman teaches us all about ‘Elf & Safety’ Icelandic Style! We look at the stunning inspiring sculptures of Lorell Lehman, and Bryony Whistlecraft talks us through the ‘Elfin Calendar’ illustrated by Aaron Pocock. We welcome back Hannah Titania who is now a regular columnist for FAE, and in this issue she talks about and shares some faery photographs, and much much more inside this jam-packed spring edition of FAE!

This month we’re pleased to feature the work of Marc Potts. Living and working in an old thatched cottage on the edge of Dartmoor, Marc’s art is infused with the spirits of this wild place. It speaks of ancient creatures and hedgerow magic. Describing himself as ‘an avid devourer of all things folkloric’, Marc’s art and writing reflects this. He has contributed to numerous projects, including a jewellery range created in collaboration with his wife Kelly Martinez, and the Shared Legends project. Marc’s work is available as prints from his website. Please stop by the gallery to see more.

Founded in 1983 by Karen van Kalmthout, Fortune Faeries are handmade one of a kind creations. Sculpted in porcelain clay and hand painted the range includes faeries, dragons, castles and portals. Karen’s work is available from her shop studio in Stroud, Gloucestershire, or you can contact her direct to have a special piece made for you.