exhibition

Phil McDarby - Into the Greenwood Deep

At the launch, McDarby was concerned that his illustrations were a little bit Enid Blyton. As if Enid Blyton could have conceived of the subtle claws, the hidden eyes, the safari leaves and the overall magical atmosphere, green, fertile, damp, possibly dripping with the possibility of a cheeky elf skipping out of the deep, dense ferns, and dancing upon the woodland scene, with less self-conciousness than a page 3 girl supervising a kid's pool birthday party. It was a far more Peter Jackson affair...it's wonderful, just like the Copper House, where Les and Maureen (ask for them, shamelessly track them down) have such genuine and deep-felt passion for the arts and the people that they promote and support, that you can't help but feel that the Copper House may be our Past, Present, and Future... / Kate Frances Coleman