I was lucky enough to come upon Lady Viktoria’s painting during one of my digital fairy-hunts two years ago. Thirsty for inspiration, I scoured Instagram seeking for art that fed my soul. Having left my passion for drawing and painting behind me when I moved to the UK, I longed to experience the in-the-present, all-consuming inspiration that pours through you when you create a piece of art.

Lady Viktoria’s artwork is the perfect representation of this experience. Enchanted by her talent, and driven by my love for the faeries, I emailed Lady Viktoria seeking access into her faeryland. Take a ride with me into the mind and heart of Canadian Fairy artist Lady Viktoria, as she guides us through her creative process.

What’s the story behind your practice?

It began at a young age for me; I had this very strong will to create, to make things, especially things that were not found in my everyday reality. My Virgo father taught me how to draw. Being a natural-born artist himself, he taught me patience, as well as the technical aspect of holding a pencil and “telling it” what to do. From then on that pencil became my magic wand, enabling me to make the perfect faerie, the way I saw and loved them to be.

I was lucky to grow up alongside a river, on a street tucked away from the rest of the town, shrouded in nature and dotted with little cottages. When I was little a lot of the streets in my area were not even paved yet, and nature ran wild. This was my playground, my faerie haven. My parents were very free with me, and let me leave as I pleased. Therefore, I would explore by the river and get lost in the forests, convinced I was in another world, making magic and suspending time.

It was here that I saw my first faerie: She was the size of my hand, nude, and dressed in gold, with a soft white light emanating from her body. It was all very quick, yet so very beautiful, and this memory has stayed with me forever.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

When I was younger it was much easier to let the faeries flow through, since children are better channels for this kind of inspiration. In my current practice, I’ve had to learn to surrender to this energy, to let it in, and create without an agenda. Sometimes a painting will change over twenty times. As frustrating as this is, I know that if I just let go and trust what is trying to push through, the end result will be satisfying beyond words. I’ve come to realize that art is, really, a form of channeling, especially if you are open to, and willing to experience it.

A big part of what I do is also embracing history and elements of the past. I am especially drawn to ancient pagan cultures, and cultures who embraced their myths and their elementals. Interestingly enough, it seems that the places where the terrain is rugged, and far removed from most of the world, are those places that were able to maintain their myths and faerie beliefs.

I also draw inspiration from the medieval and Victorian period, particularly in Britain. These were times where things were a lot less free in ways our modern culture cannot imagine. However, because of this repression there is also a real potency of the paranormal. I enjoy exploring these repressed areas because of the layers and layers of coded information within them – striving to say something really profound, but unable to.

Lady Viktoria is a self-taught artist from Toronto, Canada. Her training consists of a Bachelor with honors in English Literature, and a minor in Visual Arts from York University. She is inspired by nature, astrology, the tarot, Victorian and Medieval eras, as well as the Celtic and Germanic cultures. Most of her work is created with her cat Nola by her side, who inspires her daily.

To learn more about Lady Viktoria visit her website (lady-viktoria.com) and Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/artbyladyviktoria). To purchase both original and print copies of her work visit her Etsy Shop (www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ArtbyLadyViktoria).

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