Elphie And Glinda - Edition

Elphie and Glinda – Kerry Darlington

Before they became Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, they were simply Glinda and Elphaba; two young women who could hardly have been more different, thrown together by circumstance in the extraordinary land of Oz.

In Elphie and Glinda, Kerry Darlington turns to one of the great friendships of modern fantasy, drawing inspiration from the world first imagined by L. Frank Baum and later reimagined through Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. It is a story Kerry has returned to throughout this body of work; familiar characters viewed from another perspective, where witches are not simply good or wicked, and the stories we think we know become altogether more complicated.

Here, Kerry brings the two women impossibly close. Glinda glows in brilliant pink, all golden curls, flowers and romantic ornament, while Elphaba emerges in emerald green, crowned by the unmistakable silhouette of a pointed black hat. Butterflies flutter amongst the details and the two opposing palettes meet in the centre, their faces touching as though, for a moment, everything else in Oz has fallen away.

There is something particularly poignant in seeing them this way. Anyone who knows their story knows what lies beyond this moment; the Emerald City, the Wizard, flying monkeys, rebellion, separation and the very different legends history will create around them. Yet Kerry chooses not to paint the witches they will become. She paints the friendship beneath those famous names.

That idea sits beautifully within Kerry Darlington's own fascination with fairy tales, fictional witches and misunderstood heroines. Across her work, Kerry repeatedly ventures beyond the surface of familiar stories, finding humanity in characters traditionally labelled heroes, villains, good or wicked. Elphie and Glinda feels like a natural continuation of that world.

Created as an exceptionally small edition, only 45 Limited Editions and 15 Artist Proofs will exist worldwide. Each is produced on fine art paper before being individually embellished by hand; silver leaf illuminates the Limited Edition, while copper leaf distinguishes the Artist Proofs, adding precious metallic detail to Kerry's richly decorative imagery.

Signed by Kerry Darlington and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, this is not only a portrait of two of Oz's most famous witches, it is a portrait of them before the world decided which one was good, and which one was wicked.

Specifications

• Medium: Limited Mixed Media Edition on fine art paper embellished with Silver leaf and finished with a varnish.
• Medium: Artist Proof Mixed Media on fine art paper embellished with Copper leaf and finished with a varnish.
• Image Size: 21 x 21 cm / 8.26" x 8.26" 
  
• Frame Size: 44.1 x 44.1 cm / 17.36" x 17.36"
• Frame Choice: Signature Silver / Blue or in a White Gloss sculpted frame.
• Edition Size: Only 45 Editions and 15 Artist Proofs available worldwide.
• Signed by the artist
• Certificate of Authenticity included.