From the recurring American painter and illustrator, LaRae Fifer, we present a series of fairytale paintings.
“I am a lifelong learner and a lifelong artist.” Fifer says. “Since beginning my apprenticeship, I have only grown more certain I will follow my mother’s footsteps as a tattoo artist. I do all for the glory of the Creator. God bless.”
Fifer’s creations carry a dreamlike, mythical quality. They are a tribute to the imagination and an expression of a rebirth. As the artist describes it, “I had lost my way and found rock bottom in the hospital the winter of 2024—I thought I had lost everything. I never could have guessed that this gave me a clean slate to find my path, passion, and faith again.”
The watercolor study of a teary eye, titled “The Alchemist,” carries particular significance. “One of the first things I did when I got out of the hospital a year ago: I hardly knew right from left, didn’t understand much of what was going on, but I sat down and wouldn’t stop painting until this was finished,” shares Fifer.
Movement, dynamic scenes, and bright colors converge in these pieces. In Fifer’s new watercolor series, we can trace a honed instinct for spontaneity, innocence, and a deep affinity for fauna and symbolism—the eye, the water, and the unicorn’s horn. It is a short collection of spiritually infused fragments from an ethereal otherworld.
The theme of healing through art shines through a gentle use of color, blurred lines, and portrayal of fairytale creatures. This childlike sensitivity is not to be mistaken for naivety. Fifer’s creations come from a place of pain and deep faith that brings people to the light, whatever it may be.
Read our “Camouflage” issue in full
RAWGUE.’s 4th issue delved into the grey, moody, and cold atmosphere of winter. Yet it did not sink into the depths of madness or depression. Instead, it embraced this season of hibernation, allowing 31 artists from all over the world to present their timid work beneath a veil of quiet beauty.
We’re a team of writers using our craft to spotlight art in its most honest form. RAWGUE. started as a bi-monthly editorial experiment where each issue’s theme is dictated by the submitted work, thus removing editorial bias from the equation and preserving a more raw approach. We focus on all forms of poetry: written, photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed.
