NORTHERN LIGHTS

Last night, after sauna, wrapping back to warm woollen clothes. Outside wild bright green fires were dancing on the night sky. The Northern Lights. Revontulet, fires of the fox. Old beliefs say that a fox is wiping the snow with its tail in the sky.

Monday, mánudagur, Moon Day. Beautiful sunny days. Beautiful Moonlit nights.

Have a sweet calm new week!


(The second and third photos are crops of photos by S. in Iceland a long time ago.)

SNOWY WHISPERS

Snowstorm during the weekend, long walks and red cheeks. Pancakes with tomato salad and chicpea-cashew-coriander-parsley-olive oil-garlic-spread. Or pancakes with buckthorn jelly and oat cream. Slow and long music for snow, silence for the wind. Writing letters and cards in between sketching. In between gazing the snow flakes floating. A few at a time.

Packing orders (and originals). Watching the pine tree on the balcony. Walking more and listening the sound of snow. Small birds all over, eating the last berries from trees and seeds from people. Trying to learn more their names and behavior.

Have a calm Monday, with warmth from me to you.

FROST GARDEN

This week it might come, the first snow. Still a hint of orange light, sunset on a clear sky. Some clouds in shape of dancers, in a strong wind.

Last night the Moon was making a hole to the black sky. Which colored thread could have been the nicest to mend it with a needle? Violet probably, light blue too. The lunar maria of the Moon were so visible, if they really were seas I wondered who all were bathing in them.

One morning the winter came. It was drawing frost gardens to all the windows. I blew warm air from my mouth to one of the windows and rubbed a small circle to the ice with my warm hand. All the landscape was covered with a white blanket outside, but gardens on my windows bloomed all the winter through.

Frost Garden on My Window -print is now in the shop, with a few more pictures of it. I wait it to appear on my windows later this week too.

Orange colored Monday greetings, have calm days.

AFTER EVERYTHING, A LACE SUNSHINE

Hello beautiful Monday,

Nice to have you here. A morning with some frosty grass. Orange sunshine waking up, coloring a line of a cloud bright pink and then melting the frost layer on the grass.

Weekend, filled with smiles. Nothing could have been better than someone waiting me to arrive at the train station and taking me around the town, through a beautiful graveyard to a sea café with a bonfire. To movies, to eat and to a concert. To meet two more friends. Someone who first time fetched me away from Iceland and another who makes very beautiful music. And then the one after everything walks me to the bus station very late in the night. Thank you for the evening sweet D., J., and O.!

Sunday, the whole day outdoors. Bicycling, an outdoor flea market, friends and café, friends and lunch, friends and bicycling up a hill, friends and tea. On the way home I made the journey a bit longer and read a bit on the beach of the arboretum, the sun was still warming. When the evening came, I drew. This morning it was lit with lace.

Dear Justine has collected some of my watercolor paper scrap constructions into her world of paper and folds. Thank you so much for your kind words Justine!

Whiskers of the tickling sun to you,

Anna Emilia

LAUANTAINA, ON SATURDAY, Á LAUGARDAGINN II

Pouring this morning. Like curtains hanging all over outside. Curtains of cold invisible pearls.

Sewing, organizing files, bookkeeping, sketching. Landscape is visible on some glances, disappeared on the next ones. On Saturday I was sitting on a bench in the arboretum for a long time, talking with a new friend (carrying a typewriter). Soundtrack for our conversations was a circus on the other side of the lake Pyhäjärvi, trumpets and drums echoing sometimes from very close, sometimes from another worlds. Yellow leaves covering more and more the paths to walk.

Found old work hiding, called "Lauantaina". It was a project about emotion of Saturday in autumn 2006 in LHÍ. A cardboard box filled with soft crocheted woolen socks, a brochure about small exercises to increase the feeling of relaxation and postcards with stamps and envelopes to make friends happy. You can see my presentation about the progress here.

Monday, I wish that it is treating you well.

Hearts,

Anna Emilia

YELLOW ON ITS WAY

Hello dear all of you,

It was one more weekend of summer, bicycling up and down, around lakes and to a touching outdoor movie under dark blue sky with starlight on a hill of pastel colored wooden houses. Dark nights feel like a soft cotton cover around, it makes everything comfortable and silent after the summer light. Everything goes to sleep again. This morning the wind was very cold. A few leaves of the birch tree nearby have turned to yellow. Bye bye color green, it has been wonderful to have you around!

Last spring while I was waiting the first rain to arrive, my brushes were painting portraits, bonfire, handwriting and driftwood. There were "dark" and "fire" to be followed, I thought of nightly lakes. It all became album art for Holmes.

How was your weekend? Have a comfortable new week of August!

STRAWBERRY CLEARING, MANSIKKA-AHO

A week with my parents at their strawberry fields which are where my grandparents live. Open-air theater, forest paths, tickling grass under bare toes, hot sun, raspberry bushes, one very strong thunder night. Reading under gazebo´s shadow, watching people picking up strawberries for the coming winter and helping whatever there is needed. One small rabbit always lost in his paths on the yard, fresh basil to be dried for the winter´s dinners. When hungry, hiding in the strawberry fields for a while and eating a handful of the sweetest tastes.

This summer has been very warm, it made me to forget to drink tea. Today I am enjoying a cup of it again and gazing if long waited rain or a blow of wind finally arrives. The radio plays old summer songs and I have a blank white cotton paper in front of me, watercolors accompanying.

Happy August, happy new week, lovely to have you here!

P.s. Please have a look for Kerstin´s book with beautiful thoughts.

TWO THE SAME, THE OTHER WITHOUT WINGS

Teatime of the afternoon. Blend of verbena, jasmine, melissa. Watching painted areas to dry, from shiny to matte, from dark to pale. When the sun shines on the table, colors dry fast, makes hands to hurry, mind happy. For the afternoons the sun hides to the other side of the house, today behind clouds. I think it is all right, the table is on full bloom of roses anyway. Birch branches are dancing the dance of soon rising buds. Mr. Crow with his super shiny tail is sitting on those dancing branches. We seem to like to watch the same happenings on the yard. Pigeons, postman and dogs.

Roses to you!

A VERY LATE COFFEE BREAK THINKING OF YOU

I got my long thought rain on Saturday night while walking in the town. It was the most gentle thing. It takes always a while to understand it really rains with those fragile drops.

Today I have everything around me. Right tones of watercolors, good brushes, clean water, strawberry juice and tea, a plan, a few blooming plants, piano music, a good book and a magazine and lots of soft cotton paper. Mr. Crow singing on the birch tree behind the balcony and you all there behind your screens.

It is a good beginning for March. I wish the same for you.

WAKING UP FOR THE LIGHT

Spring has arrived even it comes today as big floating snowflakes. Spring makes me restless. Restlessness makes me to want to travel. Healing that with a bit of lighthouses of the world. Lighthouses from Germany, Iceland and UK. (1. by Sabine, 2. by Anke, 6. by Samuele.)

Do you feel the spring? How do you treat it?

Have a happy Monday filled with orange and turquoise, maybe a bit of raspberry pie too!

TASTE OF LAST SUMMER

Strawberries were filled with the sweetness of the sun and they were all around the house. The grass tickled toes while walking to pick a handful or a branch of rhubarb. The water in the forest pond was just perfect to swim and forget the hot air for a few minutes. A few days I was upstairs of my grandparents´ painting a tiger with heterochromia.

Today the postman brought this taste of last summer. It is an album by Lars Ludvig Löfgren and the illustrations are made by me. The originals can be seen here and here.

The winter is still very precious and I want to keep it but it was lovely to feel the summer for a small moment. Happy Monday!

Edit:

P.s. Here is a review of the cd and a nice compliment of my work, thank you so much!

P.p.s The design is by great Häleri.

HOME, FINALLY

For two and a half months I was away from my own home because of some renovation work. Yesterday I came back. Good to be at home, even though I think I made a home to every place I stayed even for a while. By sea and surrounded by mountains or middle of lakes, forests and fields.

There was waiting the best Name day gift from sweet Anne. Thank you so much Anne, it is very beautiful! I was so surprised.

The whole day it has been snowing. Many heaps to climb over on the streets. But in the new kitchen is tea boiling all the time. Thank you my special tea hunting agent for sending me some spicy herbal ones over the sea.

How are you? How is the weather there?