James Christensen, Flying Fish, and "The Locket" Part Two

My love of fairy tales has led me to many amazing artists. There are the classics like Gustave Doré, Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen, and Edmund Dulac, but there is some beautiful work being done by contemporary artists, too. Artists like the Andrea Dezsö, Shaun Tan, and, my personal favorite, James Christensen. I might be a little bit bias because Christensen is a local (Utah) L.D.S. artist, but, when it comes to fairy tale art, he's hard to beat.

"Fairy Tales" by James Christensen

Many of Christensen's paintings directly depict fairy tales and fairy tale creatures, but even the non-fairy tale work evokes in the viewer everything a fairy tale should: a sense of mystery, wonder, depth, and something akin to childlike playfulness. This is in addition to all the wonderful symbolism that permeates his work.

"Flight of the Fablemaker" by James Christensen

Of all the symbols you can find in Christensen's work, the most common is a fish. Usually this fish will be weightlessly swimming though the air for no apparent reason. Christensen was asked about these fish in a December 2010 interview with Mormon Artist. He said, "I’ve done it because it seemed whimsical and magical and it transports us and reminds us that this is another place...This painting isn’t 'here.' Fish don’t float around 'here,' so you are immediately transported to somewhere else."

Sounds like the essence of a fairy tale to me.

"Finding Your Fish" by James Christensen

Below is part two of my fairy tale "The Locket". I dearly hope it transports you... "somewhere else".

The Locket: Part Two (You can find part one here.)

Guided by her shadow, the little girl found her way into the darkest part of the forest to where there was a large pond shining in the moon light. The water was muddy and murky and choked with weeds and moss.

“How will I cross it?” the little girl asked.

“You must swim,” said her shadow.

It looked to be an impossible task. The little girl was very frightened, but then she thought of her locket and she started wading out into the water. The mud sucked at her feet and the weeds tangled around her legs making every step difficult. Soon the water was up to her neck, the mud at her feet was even deeper, and the weeds tangled around her whole body. When the water became so deep that she could no longer touch the bottom, she took a deep breath and tried to swim, but the moss on the surface of the water was too thick. It was impossible to move forward.

"What do I do?” she shouted to her shadow in desperation.

“You’ll have to hold your breath and dive beneath the surface,” said her shadow.

“But I won’t be able to see! I’ll drown!”

“I can see in the dark,” said her shadow. “I’ll let you see through my eyes.”

The girl took one last breath and dove beneath the surface. Her eyes were open, but no moonlight could penetrate the thick moss. She could see nothing in the complete blackness. The weeds clutched like greasy tentacles at her face and arms. She kicked and clawed at the weeds and started to panic. Then she heard her shadow say, “I am here. You must close your eyes and see through mine.”

The little girl quit thrashing and closed her eyes. Immediately the underwater world came into view as if lit by a lantern. She was able to weave her way through the weeds and beneath the moss. Just when she thought she could hold her breath no longer, her feet were able to touch the bottom and she pushed her head up through the thick moss. She tore the moss and weeds from her face and gasped for air. The island was now only a short distance away. She slowly dragged herself onto the shore, and collapsed.

When she finally regained her strength, she looked around. The whole of the island was covered in flowers that glowed faintly red in the moonlight. Their heads swayed and bobbed as if in a soft breeze even though none could be felt. At the center of the island was ancient looking tree all twisted and gnarled and hung with shining ripe apples.

This is a page from my journal where I first wrote "The Locket" 

She hadn’t eaten for quite some time and the apples looked delicious. She quickly gathered a handful of seed pods from the flowers and then started for the tree when she heard a faint voice say, “Be careful.”
The girl turned to see a boney old woman propped up against a raft made of tied sticks and logs.

“Be careful of what?” the girl asked.

“That tree is guarded by a serpent,” the old woman wheezed, “whose venom will cause your flesh to burst into flames if you are bitten.”

The girl moved closer to get a better look at the old woman. She was so old and withered that if she hadn’t just spoken, the little girl would have thought she was dead.

“What are you doing out here?” the girl asked.

“I came for an apple from that enchanted tree.” The old woman tried to gesture to the tree but lacked the strength to even lift her arm. “Anyone who eats one will have the years fall from them with every bite.”

The little girl knew that the old woman would die within the hour if she did not get her an apple. She was terrified of the serpent that could be hiding anywhere in the grass and flowers, but she said “Don’t worry, old woman. I will get you an apple.”


I'll post part three tomorrow.