"It all started in 1995, or did it? Did it, in fact, start way back when I was a child playing in my Grandmother’s garden? Where I experienced a magical event that stayed with me throughout my life – as childhood memories often do – particularly powerful ones. A visual memory, waiting to be captured with my paints and brushes, as portrayed in my short story, ‘Starway Sapphires’.
But … back to 1995, when a random request for a magical painting turned out to be the key that unlocked my imagination. My first two art instruction books had been published, along with some VHS Boxed-Videos on Watercolour Painting and we were gearing up for a couple of major projects. Eileen and I were in the early days of negotiations with a publisher to licence our concept for a painting magazine, which subsequently came out in1997. In collaboration with our friend, the Master Japanese Gardener and Medallist, Robert Ketchell, we were also working with Adrian Greenoak, the then Director of the Hampton Court Palace International Flower Show, on a substantial Japanese show garden for the following year, 1996. I was nearing the end of several dedicated collections and Eileen, as Editor of the painting magazine, was absorbed in gathering material for the first and future issues.
Time to reflect … or so we thought. However, fate had other ideas. That random request changed everything, as I delved into my imaginative childhood."
Paul Taggart
August 2026 Newsletter
The first character came to life through my watercolour paints and brushes and as I worked, the story developed along with it. Lacewing, a Swarm Leader, was soon joined by Artimus Glin, an itinerant artist; then Starfire, the Elphen Seer and on it went, until a
complete story was written and visualised through a collection of eighteen, full-plate watercolour paintings. The story ran across seventeen chapters, each featuring an ink-drawing chapter-header.
Meanwhile, Eileen had sourced a printing company to sponsor and publish the mini-magazine that she planned for the Japanese Garden at Hampton Court, 1996 – which would be handed to all the visitors, relating the background to and, narrative of, The Garden of Oxherding Pictures, as illustrated by myself. Fate, once again, stepped up to the plate and she grabbed the opportunity to get The Elphen Chronicles into print as an A4 hardback book in 1997.
What of the cover? That was when a visit to our antiquarian framers came into play - interesting how life throws opportunities into the ring. We were there to have some of my Masterworks oil paintings framed, when our quest for a traditional
book-binder came up in conversation. Did we know that just such an artisanal family-business resided in the same warren of Victorian buildings? No, we did not! Such a glorious discovery; never mind the array of binding covers to choose from, there was a selection of profiles and header-bands, not to mention hand-marbling par excellence, gold-blocking, embossing etc. – we were spoilt for choice.
So what did we choose? The best, for we were determined that collectors would get what they had come to expect of us. A passion for what we create, attention to detail, a quality result, as you can read in our covering letter from 1997, which accompanied every copy of the lovingly bound, limited-edition, hardback book.
EXCLUSIVE OFFER
REGISTER ON THIS SITE
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We have a small quantity of this original book, which is available as an exclusive offer to collectors only through our e-newsletters.
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO COLLECTORS
Paul Taggart's
ORIGINAL WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS
plus COLLECTION of chapter header ink drawings
produced for this first version of the Elphen Chronicles prequel
Not content with this hardback version, we also put our heart and soul into a Collectors Unique De-Luxe Hand-Crafted Folio-Edition – featuring completely different images portrayed in a set of eighteen full-plates – presented as hand-watercoloured, linocut prints. Each lino block being cut, inked and printed by me and the hand-pulled print then numbered and signed, before being affixed within window-mounts, to be kept safely in the folio, or framed for display.
Presented in a fabric-covered, boxed-case with leather edging and gold-blocking, featuring unique drop-down sides for easier handling; the Folio itself was hand-made in padded leather with fabric lining and comprised of a double gatefold forming two compartments – the work being carried out by an artisanal bindery that specialised in customised work.
One compartment contained the text of the story, whilst the other held the eighteen, mounted prints – each set secured by a fold-in flap with ribbon ties – resembling an artist’s portfolio. Loose- leaf, individual pages of hand-made Nepalese Khadi paper with deckled edges bore the text printed on the front of each sheet, garnished with spot colour, drop-capital letters and chapter-header images.
"All-in-all, 1997 turned out to be a momentous year, for no sooner had we invested our time and energy into The Elphen Chronicles, than the licence for our art magazine was taken up by a publisher and it was all go. Eileen as the magazine Editor, writing and commissioning articles, with my role being the Technical Editor and principal author/illustrator of the tutorials on traditional painting and drawing techniques. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the start of the next phase in our creative lives, which ultimately led to the release of my big book, The Essential Painting Guide and our introduction to the magical creative talent of Sunita Gahir; whose vision for books and design was to have a major influence on the The Elphen Chronicles and the various steps along our journey to where we are now.
Meanwhile and in conjunction with Sunita, there were more projects to attend to on the art instruction front – a new online educative platform based on illustrated books, for which we had been
invited to put forward proposals : our next set of six books, ‘Art Techniques from Pencil to Palette to Paint’ : followed some-while later by a set of four books, our ‘From Scratch’ series : finally the advent of online video platforms, an opportunity we simply could not ignore, for it gave us the chance to continue our art instruction work at a whole new level – but that’s another story; as is my work as a Fine Artist producing work for collectors.
Everything we have ever done is hard won, none of it fell into our laps, but as with anything in life, it is our passion that drives us to keep going, even in those times when events, or for that matter people, contrive to interrupt or destroy what we have created – something we have in common with Sunita – which is why we set out to never compromise our beliefs."
"So … let’s get back to The Elphen Chronicles and how we understandably fell under the spell of Sunita’s glorious design ideas for what we had produced and wanted to develop – for in Sunita we had met someone who shared our passion and we two, soon became three, as she proceeded to collaborate with us on Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles – the next generation.
Thank you for reading and continuing to support our work, which is much appreciated. We look forward to your company and as ever send best wishes from The Three Quills Studio - that is Paul Taggart, Sunita Gahir and Eileen Tunnell."
Paul Taggart
AUGUST 2026 Newsletter
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2026 – Paul Taggart has asserted his Rights as the Sole Artist & Author of Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles. ALL RIGHTS (including Music) owned by Paul W. Taggart, Eileen M. Tunnell, Sunita J. Gahir [The Three Quills]
The Three Quills studio, symbolising the trio of creative strands that are art & design, writings and music.
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Paul Taggart – Artist : Author : Presenter : Producer [Sole Author & Illustrator of ‘Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles©’]
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Eileen Tunnell – Project Director, Producer, Video Auteur ‘Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles’
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Sunita Gahir – Design Director/Producer ‘Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles’
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Liza Mulholland – Music Director/Producer ‘Paul Taggart’s Elphen Chronicles’