How I got My first Book Deal

How a visit to see Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross led eventually to my first book deal.

Salvadore Dali's Christ of St. John of the Cross (oils)

As an Art College student I was always attracted to the visual narrative of  Salvadore Dali’s surrealist  paintings. Then on a visit to see my Grandfather in Scotland I had the opportunity to see one of Dali’s paintings in Glasgow. It was Christ of St. John of the Cross and I was very excited to have the opportunity to pour over this piece first hand.

As I went over the painting up close, from the middle of the room, then from the other side of the room and from every possible angle to try and take in its size and composition. My gaze was then strangely drawn to another painting in the room that hung on another wall. This painting was The Fairy Raid (Carrying off a changeling-Midsummer Eve) by Sir Joseph Noel Paton. I had never heard of this artist before but I was fascinated by this painting and its attention to detail. Needless to say I spent the rest of my visit pouring over this painting to the point I almost completely exhausted my visual capabilities.

Joseph Noel Paton's The Fairy Raid ( Carrying off a changeling-Midsummer Eve) (oils)

 Although I was delighted to have had the opportunity to see the Dali piece, it was the Fairy Raid that had a major impact on my thoughts at that time. I had already been interested in the work of Alan Lee (who did the visual concepts for the Lord of The Rings trilogy) and Brian Froud.



(who did the visual concepts for the movies  Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal)

Coming from Ireland and having an interest in the fairy folklore of my own country it is no surprise therefore that I would complete work influenced by these artists who were also influenced by this subject matter.

After a couple of months and a lot of hard work I managed to complete “The Woodcutter” which I then reproduced as a print and sent out to publishers.

Andrew Whitson The Woodcutter (Watercolour)

A week later I got a book offer from a local publisher called Appletree Press which had a text on their table called “ A Field Guide to Irish Fairies.” I was delighted to have been offered this opportunity and got straight to work on this project.

A Field Guide to Irish Fairies in English, German and French

Needless to say, I still like the work of Dali but it was the unexpected opportunity to also see the work of Joseph Noel Paton that was the direct catalyst in making me sit down to complete my own fairy painting.

You just never know where an unexpected situation  may take you!