Inside Xue Wang's studio

Forget about ivory-wrapped towers and damsels in distress, there's a new breed of fairy tale in town. We visited lowbrow pop artist and mischevious narrator Xue Wang at her studio as she revealed why she's turning over the page on 'happily every after'.

"I liked Snow White and Cinderella when I was very young, but later I liked darker stories like Little Red Riding Hood. I think I like all the stories with female protagonists. "

Dogs, finger-painting and fairy tales!

A keen mushroom hunter with her husband Bruce, Xue braved the forest both literally and metaphorically to bring her artworks to life. Along with traditional fairy tales, she has explored the literary nonsense with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and even created her own fairy tale.

Xue paints at home, with her dog Kuma and daughter Macey - who sometimes like to add her own finishing touches by finger-painting once her back is turned.

Using oil paint for meticulous brushwork, she applies multiple layers of glaze and allows the carved frames to lend her work a Baroque aesthetic. Inspired by the Pop Surrealism movement of the1970s, her art is intertwined with themes of dolls, toys, funfairs and Victoriana.

Shop her full collection here.