SUNDAY DETAILS WITH BLUES

Sunset time with pink and blue. February is making its way here, with colder days. The light is softer, more yellow. Aquarius birthdays to celebrate for the whole month, first ones last night inside frosted windows. A long breakfast with a friend to think about the next ones, and some spring adventures.

Kristen made an interview with me. Her world of names is very interesting.

There is an exhibition with a few of my paintings in Vuojoki mansion in Eurajoki. Till the 28th of February.

Sunday evenings are for music, for reading and for a long walk (and pinched red cheeks).

Have a warm entrance to the new week!

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Heippa! Kevättalven retkikohde: Vuojoen kartanolla, Eurajoella, on Kuvittajat ry:n Metsän tuhat tarinaa -näyttely. Siellä on myös muutama minun maalaukseni, 28.2.2012 asti.

Lämpöisiä ajatuksia!

SPRING WINTER

Slowly it appears, the winter light. If counting small moments, the days are already a bit longer. Skating and observing new snow covers over the old ones. Every season is my favorite. This early spring-winter is the favorite of this moment. Cold air is so good to breath.

Thank you dear Barbara for the beautiful gift (and the cardigan).

Early spring flower scents of Grape Hyacinth, or pearl lily as it is called in Finnish. On my painting table other flowers are blooming.

Have a calm Tuesday.

Hearts.

(The book and the paper boat in the first and third photo by Barbara.)

LAST WINTER

Some winter sun. Slowly it comes and quickly it goes. In blue hues. Warm tunes from radio. Watching the snow fly in wind. Steam of coffee. A few paint brush strokes. A long walk in a finally-finished new and warm winter jacket. A sentence from a book once in awhile.

What will you do today?

Happy weekend!

Photos on film from last winter.

WINTER LIGHT

Afternoon break in winter light. Tea from summer forests with raspberry and blueberry leaves. While it rains and it is very slippery, stars twinkle and the moon looks pink on the morning sky. Radio host tells sweet stories and plays melodies of comfort. Lullabying weather. Hours, feeling like a few minutes, of daylight come and go. Behind the balcony seagulls search for open waters.

A small interview that I forgot to mention. Thanking so much for you to come here, for your words and orders.

Cups of hot and sweet to your day.

FLYING AWAY

Skies of different days are filled with flocks of birds. South reads on their map, but how they find there. Navigating by shores or mountains, hills or forests? Does the wind tell them and take them there. Seagulls, they will stay and only go when there is no open water. Goose flock was having their break in a park, middle of yellow leaves. Maybe they came from Greenland.

Birds at home. One bird who will stay with me through the winters, got a woolen jacket to stay warm. The other ones have always summer next to flower fields. They sway in their flock. The third one is living in Iceland, but I had the pleasure to meet some of them with my camera. Bon voyage migrating birds, have a safe journey!

The small lake behind my window is having white peaks on its waves, it is such a windy day. I wish for sunshine for tomorrow, when friends take mbe to a mushroom forest. Tea in a thermo bottle, cinnamon buns and a woven basket with a wish of a nice treasure from the moss fields.

Warm weekend wishes to you with some golden whiskers of the sun!

CARDAMOM COFFEE, MELODIES OF THE WIND

On a cloudy day. Feeling like it would already be an evening. A smile comes back from these greetings from Paris. Also the sunshine, if imagined enough. Outside the strong rushes of an autumn wind. Time to find some wool around.

Hot water boiling. Grinding cardamom seeds. A dash of cinnamon. Another one of vanilla. Coffee time. A very early one. Wondering how long I am able to keep those jars untouched. Till the next coffee time?

Oh, the weekend. A light(house) ship, beautiful melodies (a small moment to be back in the treasure island), guiding hands (while writing sms´s in street lights), the longest breakfast (feeling like abroad), walking, admiring houses and boats (especially the lighthouse one and another called Elvira Inga), a small food market, the deepest nap on the way back, in train. Sunshine at home.

Afternoon greetings.

RAINY WHILE SUNNY

Rainy while the sun shines. Sunny while it rains. Showers passing, like melodies. They make everything beautiful and to smell wonderful. Autumn. September.

Bicycled to the town in between those showers to develop a film (and to fetch the Tree House prints from the print shop) that has been longer than a year in my camera. What it becomes when there are no memories of frames taken. Empty pictures grow to patterns, colors, shadows. The raindrops on the window are from a few days ago, the first autumn rain. The sunshine on my hair is from early spring that we call as spring-winter in Finnish. The time when it is still very cold, there is a lot of snow left, but when the sun starts to reach us with its long but still tired yellow beams. That day I walked over the frozen lake from town to home. Afternoon sun of winter.

But now the autumn is here. A book, a dark chocolate bar, (a few candies called Iceland with polar bears in them,) tomorrow a train trip, music and friends. Happy. Maybe some yarn to knit.

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Heippa! Ihana naapurini Julia, joka asuu unikkokedon takana, vei minut kävelylle järven ympäri ja kirjoitti haastattelun kuvittamiseen ja yritteliäisyyteen liittyen. Kiitos Julia!

Two days ago my lovely neighbor Julia, who lives behind the meadow of poppies, took me for a walk around the small lake and wrote an interview with me.

Edit: Now also in English!
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Soft melodies to your weekend. Stay well!

APPLE BLOSSOMS

Do you know how it feels to fly? In sunset the seagulls are covering the streets by the lake and you bicycle. When you reach the seagulls, they arise on their wings and float in the air next to you, accompanying your journey. They sing and it feels like the ground is gone, you only have sky around you and the seagulls as stars or far-away planets hanging in the air. You float too and the air is sweet, warm, and a bit moist of the coming night. That is how I felt last night about flying.

There are apple blossoms everywhere, on the way to anywhere. Bird Cherry is in full bloom too and the wind brings its scent from behind every corner.

Thank you again for your orders. Apple Blossom Meadow -print has been very popular and it feels good to have sent it to all around the world. I never thought it would reach so many homes of yours as I painted it last summer on a rainy day. Thank you so much!

Have a blue skied weekend.

Hearts.

GRASS UNDER A TEACUP

Dear all,

How are you? How is the season treating you?

Here, it came summer. At least for a few days. Summer birds are here, the lake melted in moments. Gentle waves are floating and water birds diving through them. Eating on the balcony, drinking tea on the grass. Visitors and many sunny moments. A cat visitor too. Sprouts of green mint, basilica and lavender are bending their heads towards the blue sky.

Back to brush strokes and sketching, with happy hands.

Have a good week.

NUMBERS: ONE

Yesterday, 12th of April, my small company turned one year old. Company, where only I work and where I only work with illustration. (Thank you mum for making my bookkeeping and tax reports!) Little I knew a year ago, but it became all possible. There has been so many heart-touching persons, always interesting commissions, long conversations, very few phone calls but thousands of emails over the seas, mountains, oceans, wilderness. Through all the seasons and weather. And it all has made me so happy. Deeply I thank every one of you who has been there supporting me with commissions, orders, emails, letters, parcels, comments or lately even saying hello in the towns that I walk or bicycle. Thank you, thank you so much.

It has been wonderful and I make my best to do it again this year. With you.

Dear Jill made a small interview with me and I painted a little something about what I saw that day.

These photos are from August 2007, after my last summer in Iceland. The first one is from my grandparents´ garage which never saw a car, but a lot of strawberries. The other ones are from my home town, the three last ones from the summerhouse of my parents. In the last one I am washing the dishes. I wish all the places were as clean as that lake.

More days to color landscapes, to walk and see.

Thank you.

Hearts.

All the pictures are taken by S.

IN LIGHT

During daytime. Warmth, present palette, a moment after afternoon nap (with piece of birthday licorice), the last sun rays and how they reach further corners of this home each day. Softness, movement, dreams and how the days are already so long.

Thank you dearly for your emails, comments and orders! Days hum so gently with you all.

A cup of tea and a few brush strokes to your Sunday and the starting week.

WEEKEND GREETINGS

Old sheets ripped to strips. Trousers, shirts, all white. Already with holes, grandmother sewed them. Jute thread and cotton jersey. Grandmother´s loom is built at home, mother starts to weave carpets for my home. Home here and there, everywhere I visited. But mostly there by the fire and forests.

Afternoon walk to the still sleeping summerhouse. Snow up to knees, sun peeking while setting down. Train brought back to the town for a painting weekend. Still a few stretches before mixing the first colors of the spring.

Thoughts of golden beams to your weekend.

AFTERNOON WITH YOU

A little bit of spring with you on a Thursday afternoon break. Tea and apple pie, remembering the sun rays of this morning. They do tickle.

Have a warm Thursday.

P.s. To you I send the scent of this flower.

GREETINGS, A BOAT

Dear Monday,

At home, the secret message is scribbled with a very secret language by my brother´s handwriting. Boat, games, hamburger, Greetings: Boat. Turquoise slipper friends met other childhood friends. White snow reflected the light of a full moon at midnight, and the yard birch tree crossed the whole yard with its shadow. The next day a wolf was seen on our fields. Just that the wolf turned to become a dog with a closer look. Birds, they flew around an oak tree catching a seed or three and enjoying them on branches of bare neighboring birch trees. Not cross-country skiing yet, but hopefully soon.

Just a moment ago, I have emailed to the ones receiving some winter postcards (or made a comment on your blog if you did not leave your email address): Tanja, Carolina, Sarah, Heather, Susan, Darcy, Rotaeffchenundich, Pamela, Yelena B., Barbara B., Polly, Gise, Alexa, Millie and Jennifer. Hopefully you will like the cards!

White snow blanket covering all around. Busy hands painting and packing, new tea is soon brewed.

Have a warm week!

MORNINGS OF COLOR COPPER

Early sunrises with mystical mist. It hides everything, the world ends behind the balcony if being early enough, tiptoeing to wake up with the mist. One can imagine that the balcony is a boat, drifting on an open sea, in an unknown world. Where would it crash?

Stretching while tea water boils. Breakfast of blueberries, raspberries, apples from an apple garden next to a yellow house, and seeds. Bread of my mother. Stretching a bit more and then eating with a huge newspaper on the floor. Mailman is very kind, I never ordered the newspaper.

Painting. Packing books. Having tea in the square market café when dropping the parcels to the post office. Talking about the pollen of bees with a bearded man selling honey in another square market. Another tea in the market hall with a lingonberry-lover-boy and his mother to prolong the visit in the town. The sun shines lower than a few weeks ago and turns everything in copper. Streets filled with chatter again, is it the new season making people happy?

Old work published in a book, finally arrived. A letter from a dear friend is read many many times. Can you see the crocodile under the bear? Hugs to dear both of you U & V, a letter will arrive to you soon.

Hugs to everyone else too, have a happy Tuesday!