Once upon a time country folk on Dartmoor told stories about the "little people": the piskies and faeries who lived among tree roots, cavorted in the River Teign, and led moorland travellers astray on misty, moonless nights. Today, the faeries of Dartmoor are beloved by people all around the world due to the work of Devon artists Brian and Wendy Froud.

Brian, raised in Winchester, studied graphic arts and worked as a commercial illustrator in London before he began to explore a deeper interest in mythic themes with the publication of Faeries, co-created with Alan Lee, in 1978. He is the mad genius behind the films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the best-selling books Faeries, Goblins of the Labyrinth, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, Lady Cottington's Fairy Album, Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, and many others. His artwork inspired the mythic novels Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip, The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint, The Wood Wife by Terri Windling, and Hannah's Garden by Midori Snyder—as well as magical works by a whole generation of younger artists and filmmakers.

Wendy, the child of American artists Walter and Peggy Midener, was born and raised in Detroit, USA. She studied art and music at Interlochen, then became a puppet-maker and sculptor for the Jim Henson studios in London and New York. She created such beloved film characters as Yoda for the Star Wars movies, and the Gelflings for Dark Crystal, as well as puppets for the Muppets television program. Her dolls and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. Her art is featured in three books co-created with Terri Windling: A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, The Winter Child, and The Faeries of Spring Cottage. She is also a writer. Her poetry has been published in Sirens, an anthology of mytho-erotic fantasy; and she's at work on other projects.

Brian and Wendy met on the set of Brian's first film, The Dark Crystal. By the time Labyrinth was filmed, their son Toby was born. Today, the Froud family lives in a seventeenth-century "longhouse" on Saxon foundations, where they've created a thoroughly magical way of life documented by their art. Brian's interests include world mythology, magical esoterica, archetypal psychology, creating enchanted environments in home and garden, and silliness of all sorts. Wendy's interests include literature and poetry, women's spirituality, singing (from medieval music to jazz), fine cooking, and exploring the Devon countryside.

For more information on their art and publications, visit the The World of Froud Web site produced by Robert Gould.