The art of whimsy and nature is alive and well in downtown Langley.

Resident artists Mary Jo Oxrieder and D.M. Windwalker Taibi have created a wonderland of creations that honor life, love and a vision of harmony in the natural world in their young gallery Raven Rocks Studio, which opened in February.

Art lovers browsing the side-by-side storefronts on First Street are likely to catch Taibi busy at work either weaving a wall tapestry or creating one of his unique, American Aboriginal-influenced pieces of gemstone jewelry.

Pedestrians may find it hard to pass by their stage right window, which displays the faery houses on which the artists collaborate and which are fast-becoming the talk of the town. The houses — with their moss-strewn roofs, driftwood doorways and colorful glass bead trims — are lovely and whimsical and speak of the rich fantasy life that is evident in most of Oxrieder and Taibi’s work.

The couple is particularly welcoming of children who wish to come and touch the houses and talk about their own experiences with woodland creatures and found treasures from island woods and beaches which may inspire them to create their own faery houses.

“We want kids to come and experience art; to touch and explore,” Oxrieder said.

“The kids love the faery houses.”

“It’s created a situation where I have to clean the forehead marks off the window from the kids leaning their faces on it,” Taibi said. “It’s just great.”

This side of the gallery also houses many of Oxrieder’s mixed-media pieces including painted glass and ceramic work, dolls, faery wands, handbags, treasure boxes and small paintings that were the inspiration for building the faery houses.

All of her playful pieces are poetically titled with names like the paintings “Love Lights Up Life” and “The House that Preferred to Float,” or the line of pillows called “Hugs.”

Her small paintings and the faery houses are accompanied by little stories that hint at the artist’s embrace of her playful side. The painting entitled “The House That Loved Balloons” is one example:

“When we first saw this sweet house nestled on a hill, our hearts were immediately captured. We moved heaven and earth to make it our own. The day we arrived, keys in hand, balloons floated gaily in the morning breeze. Naturally we thought it was a one-time welcome. But each morning, new balloons — always — new balloons! How could we not celebrate each new day?”

“We want to inspire and move people with our art,” Oxrieder said.

Oxrieder’s “day job” is personal coaching and she often works with attorneys preparing their clients for depositions and the courtroom.

It’s serious work and, although she loves it, it has given her the ability to get a glimpse of a world that may need brightening.

“I choose words for my art that are meant to be positive; that have light,” said the artist. “It’s just who I am and so I’m very careful in that sense. I want the art to be inspiring and uplifting.”

Taibi’s richly colored gemstone jewelry is also displayed on this side of the gallery and is inspired by his Native American background.

Having been raised without much of a connection to his father’s Lakota roots, Taibi decided to satisfy his longing to identify with the native part of himself and became a member of the Meti tribe of the native peoples of Canada. It is not yet a recognized nation in the United States, but Taibi is determined to change that. He is presently the Chief of the Meti Lodge of Washington state and is working to create a greater presence for the tribe in Washington.

The word “Meti” translates as mixed-blood and originated with the influx of French trappers who made their way to the hinterlands of the Canadian outback.

The art is identified as “American Aboriginal” and much of Taibi’s work reflects its spiritual inspiration.

The stage left side of the gallery shows much of his Meti-influenced work and some of the less whimsical pieces of both the artists, including the work from the monthly guest artists that show at Raven Rocks.

Just as Oxrieder’s pieces possess names that speak of the spiritual nature of positivity and light, so do Taibi’s pieces communicate his grasp of an indigenous peoples’ connection to the earth.

Beside some larger colorful canvases of oil paintings with symbolic themes of nature, Taibi’s needlepoint and tapestry works are beautiful studies in design and color with names like “Peace Lance,” “Summer Dawning” and “Warm Day of the Spirit.”

This couple exude a particular kind of settled happiness and talked about how anxious they both are to get to their home studio when an idea pops up. It was apparent on one particular morning how very much in love they are with Whidbey Island. They greeted each customer with warmth as if it were a gift to be able to talk to each person and said they are learning the stories of the island that come from the oral history of the families who have come and gone. Stories, they said, that give them the pleasant fodder that inspires them to create more art.

Oxrieder and Taibi said that Raven Rocks Studio and living on this island is a dream come true for them and they seem to want to pass that on.

“It’s all possible to arrive at your dreams,” Oxrieder said.

Raven Rocks Studio is located at 220 First St., Langley. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, or Mondays and Tuesdays by chance or appointment. Call 221-6484 or visit the www.ravenrocksstudio.com for more info.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.