Match your art to the romantic fantasy on your bookshelf

(and Outlander and Stardust in your watch-later queue)

Framed artwork hanging in an interior. The digital artwork is of a figure, possibly a mountain oread, standing on the top of jagged rocks. Her long dress is melded in the rock and she holds a white veil that billows in the wind about her and into the sky.

For modern-day romantics who want their home to feel as fantastic as their mind.

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This is one of my new creative projects for 2022—coming soooon!!!

PS Guaranteed to be 100% sparkly vampire-free.

Framed romantic fantasy artworks by Ailene Cuthbertson hang on a white wall. There's a belly dancer in a bright red dress (“My sweet, my rose.”), a ballerina in white tulle leaping in the moonlight (Freed from the earth), water dancers gliding through ethereal water (We sang in the warmth of the Waylight), and an river naiad sitting at the top of a waterfall (Splashing and laughing over the edge).

Make coming home like stepping into your favourite stories—the good bits

You can leave the crazy, noisy, monkeys-have-taken-over-the-zoo world outside. Your home is your sanctuary. In here, you’re living The Tale Of Me: A Collection of Good Bits Where I’m A Big Damn Hero And This Is Where I Belong. As the wise one (Terry Pratchett) said, “If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.”

And if you want the art on your walls to help you with that, the only appropriate response is:

As you wish.

Eclectic, almost bohemian, definitely romantic, décor. On the left, white shelves with books, a straw hat, ornaments, candlesticks, and a vase with dried grasses. A guitar sits on the floor, leaning against the shelves. On the right, framed artworks hang on the white wall: Can't help but dance, and Queen of the harvest, both by Ailene Cuthbertson.

Supercharge your collection, boldly

You’re a gatherer, a magpie, maybe even a little (gasp) bohemian. You collect memories. Your home blooms with colour and layers and texture. The pottery vase on the bookshelf? Picked up in a forgotten city where you met an enchanting fellow whose name you can’t quite recall. The mahogany egg-shaped sculpture? A gift for dealing with a delightful and somewhat pesky dragon. Shame the thread-thin crack down one side seems to be getting longer as the days go by.

Paintings and portraits cover your walls—an eclectic, story-filled gallery of earth, air, fire and water. Your favourite is the almost life-size painting of the girl hanging in the hallway. Ah, that one makes you smile. That one’s a reminder of how you’d like to feel. And, sometimes, the girl smiles back at you.

Relax, while you’re surrounded by magic

Magic is deeply personal. There’s no doubt it exists. (Which is why you don’t want elves to do your décor—elves are tricky).

Digital painting of a wind dancer standing on a white rock, her hair, dress, and clouds streaming behind her in the wind. Behind her are mountains that stretch down to the sea. — Sweeping over the hills and into the sky.
Limited edition fine art print, 42 cm x 89 cm.
Part of the In the Heart of the Wild collection

Remember those halcyon summer holidays when you ran barefoot and wild? You’d run into reclusive nature sprites around every corner and were on a first-name basis with all of them: the dryads, river naiads, mountain oreads, and even the fickle Aurae of the breezes. You might not see them so much any more, but you know they’re still there.

Shop the In the Heart of the Wild collection

Digital artwork of a ballerina leaping in a haunted moonlight forest, her white tulle dress flying around her. The scene is inspired by the ballet, Giselle. — Freed from the earth.
Limited edition fine art print, 12″ x 12″.
Part of the Giselle collection

Perhaps Outlander, The Night Circus, and picturesque romance with a Gothic edge are more your cup of tea. Of course, to be fond of dancing is a certain step towards falling in love. And, on occasion, you have been known to twirl through a haunted forest bathed in moonlight.

Shop the Giselle collection

Digital artwork of a belly dancer. She spins and dances serenely in front of the columns and arches of a desert palace. Her golden dress and veils swirl around her. — …golden silks swirling around her, loath to intrude upon her moment of freedom. Limited edition fine art print.
Part of the Fantasy collection

Or maybe you’d rather be crossing the wall à la Stardust or stepping into the wardrobe Narnia-style. You’d be perfectly happy hanging out with fire dancers in a wild wasteland, seeking a Waylight with water dancers, or walking across sand that hasn’t seen a footprint in centuries. Just be sure you can find your way back…

Shop the Fantasy collection

Digital artwork of a belly dancer in a long, bright red dress twirling and dancing in a rose garden. The scene is inspired by the story of Hurrem Sultan. — © 2017, Ailene Cuthbertson, “My sweet, my rose”. Limited edition fine art print, 12″ x 12″.

Ah, the guilty pleasure of The Magnificent Century. The lavish costumes, the rich colours, the spice, the drama! You could sit all day, surrounded by the scent of roses in the palace garden, watching one of history’s greatest love stories unfold.

Shop the Hürrem collection

Framed romantic fantasy artworks by Ailene Cuthbertson hang on a white wall. There's a flamenco dancer in a red dress (“Tell me”, he said lazily, “Does the dance of the Sashiana mean anything to you?”), a woman in a gold dress dancing with her husband in the moonlight (My wealth, my love, my moonlight), and ballerinas dancing scenes from the ballet, Giselle (Around her drift the wilis).

Stay connected to your magic

You’re a collector of memories and art is an excellent way to showcase your personality and honour your life experiences. It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure where this particular artwork will end up on the wall. Or if it’ll go with the couch. Or if your dog will like it.

It’s perfect for the house you just bought (because there will be NO “Live, Laugh, Love” here!) Or for the stand-up-and-cheer moment you’re celebrating—the graduation, the promotion, the wedding. Or for a thoughtful and meaningful gift to your favourite friend (who just happens to be a big Outlander fan).

Because, when you find a connection to your magic in this mundane world, make sure you keep it somewhere you can see it every day.

If you’re thinking right now: uh, yes, I need more magic in my life—I’ve got just the thing. Subscribe to my newsletter below, for free, and get my best tips to add to your walls, bookshelf, and watch-later list. And, get a peek behind the studio curtain at the inspiration behind the art.