Heather, that's a wonderful interpretation of a Dryad! The wood grain that runs through her skin, her leaf-like hair, the herald-sprite a cross between a butterfly and a Minoan boy. Literal and imaginative at the same time! The warm colors are exactly right for the element of earth and the fluid lines reinforce the sense of rising sap.

Her expression shows she is a force to be reckoned with. And the long, dark nails made me think of darker chthonic deities as well as the Ripley/Queen hybrid in Alien Resurrection. A reminder that these were powerful myths once, not children's fairytales.

I can hardly wait to see the other three elements!

I'm glad you like it, Athena! The reflection of dark, powerful myths that fairy tales once were before their dilution was one of the foremost aspects I sought to incorporate in the image, as was the undertone of the otherworldly and I'm pleased to know that they come through.

Some of you may have noticed that there is a new album in the Gallery. Right now it has a placeholder image, but it will soon contain more work by Kay Holt, who is the co-founder and co-editor of Crossed Genres -- but also a writer and artist in her own right.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of her work.