the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Oxford University Press announce:
It is with immense pleasure that [we] can reveal that the illustrator of Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet, the official sequel to JM Barrie's Peter Pan, will be the globally renowned artist Brian Froud. The announcement is made today at the 2006 Bologna Children's Book Fair, the world's leading event in children's book publishing.From the time Great Ormond Street Hospital first announced the commissioning of the official sequel in August 2004 it was clear that finding an appropriate illustrator was not going to be easy. Whoever was chosen would be following in the footsteps of Arthur Rackham, one of the greatest, most celebrated illustrators of all time. It is entirely fitting that Brain Froud has been selected to be the illustrator of Peter Pan in Scarlet. Not only is he internationally regarded as a visionary artist and as a world authority on faeries and faery folklore, but he also cites Rackham as one of his chief creative influences and inspirations.
Brian's lifetime fascination with the world of faery has provided the foundation of his diverse and highly original creative life. He is the author of the best-selling books Faeries (with Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee) and Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book (with Terry Jones) and was the conceptual designer of Jim Henson's classic fantasy films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.
Born in Winchester in 1947, Brian Froud graduated with Honours from Maidstone College of Art in 1971 with a degree in Graphic Design. Following graduation Brian moved to London where he worked on projects in advertising and publishing, and began illustrating books.
For over 30 years, Brian Froud's significant accomplishments have spanned a wide variety of media and a diverse range of applications. His internationally best-selling book, Faeries (with Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee) is considered a modern classic. With over 5 million books sold to date, Brian has continued to revolutionise the concept of "faery" in his hugely successful titles, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book (with Monty Python's Terry Jones), Good Faeries/Bad Faeries and The Faeries' Oracle. Recent works include Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters and the 20th Anniversary Edition of The World of the Dark Crystal.
Brian's landmark work with Jim Henson as conceptual designer on feature films The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and other Henson projects set new standards for design, puppeteering and animatronics in film and are considered landmarks in the evolution of modern day special effects. It was on the set of The Dark Crystal that Brian met and later married, Wendy Midener, a puppet designer and creator of "Yoda" (from The Empire Strikes Back).
Brian's work has been licensed by numerous companies around the world including Hot Topic, Sideshow Collectibles, C&D Visionary, Treefree Greetings, Chateau Lorane Winery, and Fenton & Lee Chocolates. Since 2002, the annually produced Faerieworlds Festival - an art, music and theatre experience inspired by Brian's work - has regularly attracted over 5000 attendees. He is currently beginning the initial concept designs for a sequel to The Dark Crystal and will soon start working with a major Hollywood studio to produce a live action/CGI feature film based on his book, Goblins!. Brian is also scheduled to supply faery themed designs for a water-themed theatrical production and retail area in Las Vegas.
Brian has won numerous awards, including the ASFA Best Interior Illustration and the Hugo Award for Best Original Artwork in 1995. Through his unique style - utilizing acrylics, coloured pencil, pastels and ink - he has created some of the most well known fantasy images of the 21st Century. His work has been featured in exhibitions throughout the world and his paintings reside in many private and public collections. He lives in Devon, England with his wife, internationally acclaimed doll maker, Wendy Froud, and their son, Toby.
The Official website of Brian & Wendy Froud is: www.worldoffroud.com.
[biographical details from Press Release]
