After the Tea Party

#fantasy art#sketch#drawing#tea party

“After the Tea Party” 9″ x 12″ Graphite

Tea parties were such exhausting affairs.  People had to catch up on all the latest gossip and  be seen in their very best outfits and hope their finery  wasn’t remembered from the last season.  But as trying as it was for the humans at the fete,  it was much worse for the china.  Imagine that you had to listen to all that silly prattle and the whole time you were very afraid that someone would drop  and shatter you into hundreds of tiny slivers and fragments.  Yes that was the life of the tea set and the china.  Afterward, we like to take a short little nap until it’s time for the servants to come and clear away the remains.  And then it more nail biting to see if one would make it through the dish water, into the hands of the one of the clumsy kitchen maids who would dry you and finally set you into the much welcomed safety of the china cabinet.  What was really annoying, was that the whole time, that ass of a sugar bowl was singing his head off.   One of the cups said  that I ought not mind the sugar bowl because that was the way that he handled his fear.  “Fear my ass,” I said ” He’s too stupid to be afraid.”  Where upon the tea cup just sniffed and gave me the look…you know the one where you’ve  suddenly become an everyday dish in her eyes.  “Oh well… it’s been a long day and we’re all tired and cross.” said the  creamer.  “Let’s just calm down and remember that we’re all in this together.”

Copyright 2013 all rights reserved Ann Gates Fiser

Care for Some Tea?

“Care for Some Tea?” 9″ x 12″ graphite

The Hatter was used to having unexpected guests drop by and always had a spare cup to give to those that did.  It didn’t happen too often because most people in the neighborhood “knew” all about the hatter and were somewhat reluctant to hang out with him and his cronies.   They would laugh at the oddest things for no apparent reason that a normal person could understand.  The Hatter would hand you a cup of tea and immediately snatch it back as if he’d just seen something wicked crawl out from the cup.   And then he’d forget to re-fill it and give it back to you.  Then he’d ask how your tea was and when you looked at him blankly, he’d mutter something about ingratitude.  All in all it was unsettling to say the least to drop by for a cup of tea.   If one had the impulse to go,  one usually thought better of it before long and would decide not to go…if you were wise that is.  Be forewarned if you’ve never gone!

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved  Ann Gates Fiser

Bath Tub Serenade

Petrius P Pandymon was unusual even for a citizen of Annaria. He was wealthy, and to be sure the wealthy can assume the title of eccentric rather than buck-ass crazy, but Petrius was beyond the pale. He started living in a tree after falling in love with the dryad. Liliah, to whom the tree belonged. And being so very rich meant that he could have the tree outfitted with all of the modern conveniences that Anarians are so very fond of. In spite of the fact that he loved the Dryad so very dearly, she finally had enough of Petrius’s attentions and forsook her tree to go and live with her cousin, a lake sprite, who assured Liliah that lake dryads were allowed to drown their lovers when they grew tired of them. As for Petrius he loved living in the tree so much that he never again ventured out of it, not even for the Empress. I believe that she even visited him a few times, but being as it hurt her neck to crank it upwards to talk to him, and that it was beneath her dignity to climb up in a tree, she declined any future visits.

This is the original pencil sketch that the painting was based upon.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved Ann Gates Fiser