author : Anne Sudworth

Anne Sudworth is a fantasy artist famous for her "Earth Light" pictures of strangely glowing trees, amongst others. Here is a collection of some of her best, along with text by John Grant.

The pictures are excellent, both in the large original (I have seen some of them exhibited at SF conventions), and in their glossy reproduction here. It is difficult to believe that these are all pastels: the colours are sharp and definite, and her trademark lighting effects positively glow. They are all evocative: I can almost feel the stories weaving in my mind as I look at them.

Grant's text adds some background and interpretation to the pictures. I was amused to find how often I disagreed with his description of the emotions evoked by certain pictures -- some of the blue/white light he finds cold, forbidding and alien, I find cool, soothing and welcoming -- some of the ruddy lighting he finds autumnal and comforting, I find fiery and menacing. But it's no bad thing for the same picture to evoke different responses in different viewers. I am certainly with him in wanting to step through The Arch into the land beyond, however.

A marvellous collection of pictures.