A look back on "Troll et Legendes" festival in Mons, Belgium

I promised I would give frequent news. So here is a little look back on the festival called Troll et Legendes, that took place in Mons (Belgium).

Our arrival in Belgium was quite eventful! I am currently working on some paintings to achieve a book on Arthur and the knights of the Round Table and I am supposed to give the finished pictures by the end of this month... For each day is so worthy in my busy schedule, I resolved to leave home at the very last moment. At the opening of the festival, we were not completely ready: indeed, we forgot some stuff as the clips to hang the curtain on the booth’s wall. After running everywhere to find what was needed, the booth was finally all set, the canvas hung and my pen ready for two long days of signing.

As usual, the public was lovely. I got many people on the booth; new ones or faithful fans – some of them are coming so regularly that I start to know their names and it is really nice to enter in a deeper relationship. Many wished to take some photos. Some people sent me those pictures as a souvenir and it is really helpful for me to remember. Here are two pictures sent by Sorceline and Florence, who accepted to let me edit them on the blog (thank you ladies!)





If I had to describe the festival in a few words, I would underline this: its festive atmosphere, its funny cosplays, its artists and craftsmen, exhibitions and musicians… From the very opening, the air was full of mixed scents, like traditional vanilla raffles or spicy cakes, leather, ... - all that surrounding a bunch of faeries, trolls, imps…Make-up artists trying to outdo each other in talent to make those creatures exist for one day long.



Of course, I was very happy to meet my follow illustrators. It was a pleasure for eyes and mind, from booth to gallery, from one canvas to another.

(those two previous pictures are courtesy Philippe Halvick)

The climax of the festival was of course the arrival of the honour guests, Brian and Wendy Froud, the creators of Dark Crystal aesthetic and Labyrinth’s creatures! It was not the first time I met Brian and his wife: I got the opportunity to tell them a few words during the Comic Con in San Diego, CA. But there were so many fans then that it was really hard to get a real exchange. I like real meetings. Otherwise a signature on a book’s corner is not really worthy. There is nothing behind… This time, I was lucky! I had a piece of conversation with them, showed my last book as well, and ended up with a little souvenir on the Faerie’s first page: Brian’s doodle complete the nice words from Alan Lee, one of the very first he made for me before we started a more friendly contact. Brian teased me saying he was going to improve Alan’s drawing and pretending to draw on it!



I am speaking of “one souvenir”, but I should say “two”: I couldn’t resist a little Unseelie Faerie with goat’s feet that Wendy brought in her suitcases. She rejoined my own world:



To close the festival, there were some fabulous concerts. Amongst Woodland’s band and Cecile Corbel and her wonderful harp, everyone who loves Pagan folk was expecting Omnia. There is no word to describe their music… you really should go and listen at them. It is spectacular! Alas, I got no pictures to edit in here. I left my camera apart to be totally occupied by music and music only.

The last word is for another festival: a festival of the Nature. I was on my way back and we passed by Reims, nor far from Paris. For I love trees from my very childhood, I have always been fascinated by the Faux de Verzy. In French, a Fau is also called Fayard or Hêtre. It is the beech tree. By a curious coincidence, it is the same origin than the word “Faery” (Fee-Fay)… A Faery tree? Who would doubt this in seeing those marvellous curved trees that even science doesn’t explain yet…