the LEGEND

In 1994 Kristen Schwartz was a botanical illustrator in the middle of exhibiting her illustrations for the book, Medicine From the Mountains, by Kimball Chatfield. At the exhibit a gallery owner approached her with a seemingly innocent question, “Have you ever illustrated faeries before?” Kristen was gracious and courteous in her answer of, “No, I’ve never thought of doing that.” Inside, however, she was laughing heartily as she thought, Faeries? Ick! To Kristen faeries were silly little mythical airheads that had no place in scientific illustrations.

The next week Kristen illustrated a faery on top of one of her botanical illustrations. What was happening?

The legend goes something like this....

While sketching an intricate plant on assignment shortly after her encounter with the gallery owner, Kristen was startled by a rustling sound. Expecting to see a lizard, she looked into the dense plant matter to discover a group of tiny winged creatures with human likenesses. Faeries?! And they were ticked off. They had watched her draw plants for years and trusted her. They did not, however, like her reaction to the gallery owner. So, Kristen was chosen for a very important task just to teach her a lesson. Like it or not, she would be speaking on behalf of the faeries in order to pass on information that was in danger of being lost. If she didn’t take on the task her artistic endeavors would be sabotaged by faery mischief. Kristen quickly learned never to say "ick" when asked a faery question even if it was only in her head.

More and more fantastical creatures have appeared in her work over the years. At her exhibits her faerytales hang beside every illustration, each of which has the wisdom of the faeries woven into it. As Kristen puts it, “When the wisdom of past generations ceases to exist, so too, shall we.”

For more information about this project, go to Faery Medicine Boutique.