Leaves flying in the wind, the first rain drops drizzling after many sunny autumn days. Frost appearing on some mornings, Northern lights dancing on some nights. Mon herbier, a botanical guide and a herbarium available now from Rustica éditions. Text by Michel Luchesi, illustrations by me, edited by Julie Parpaillon and design by Caroline Soulères. A box with all the tools to make your own herbarium: a botanical guide and a notebook to collect your leaves. The nomadic botanical guide explains many things about the trees and the forest life: the shape of their leaves, their host animals, the fruit and flowers, and gives interesting hints about activities and discoveries. A spiral notebook allows you to paste all the leaves from your walks. Text in French. Hopefully you enjoy collecting and learning about leaves!
Birds singing in a summer forest after a refreshing rain, the sun starts to glimmer on every leaf and flower again. The bird songs grow stronger and wilder. Peace is around. My colleague, wonderful illustrator and comic artist JP Ahonen made a website that sells original drawings and paintings and a few prints. All income will be donated to the Red Cross to aid their work in helping asylum seekers during the Syrian conflict. This is a detail of a bigger painting, In Forest, that was a commissioned painting for Mirando Bok in Sweden. The original painting is also now available there. The site has collected already more than 10000€, and hopefully soon even more!
Hello September! Gardens still bloom, meadows are filled with dragon flies near to the lakes. Every possible minute outdoors, sleeping under stars, watching full Moon and Aurora Borealis on dark sky. The cool misty mornings are swept away slowly with sunshine and warmth, until the evening cools everything to perfect temperature, to woollen cardigan weather. A few new prints available in the small online shop! Meadow Path, that can be coloured in, Tree Village with blue evening moments, Butterfly Branches to savour the last summer moments and Buttercups to think of the new coming spring. The Tree Village and Butterfly Branches were made with the kind support from Arts Promotion Centre Finland. Thank you for the support! Long walks, warming drinks, starlight!
Summer in North, first in the waves of Norwegian and Barents Sea, then hiking the fells. Around lakes, deeper in the fjords. Calm waves, many bonfires, wrapped in many layers, with wide smiles, even with big puddles inside shoes. Whales, crowberries, cloudberries, eagles and crows. Mist that covers the fell tops.
Boat trips on the lakes of this city, bicycling from shadows to warm sun. The wind that hymns its summer songs through birch tree leaves with different melodies. Swallows late in the evening. Swimming and reading books, feet in water. Summer Birch Tree -poster available in the small online shop, here. July greetings!
Summer, even cold so far, Northern magic at home in the East and in Lapland. Trees that get smaller and twisted on the way, people who get more relaxed. The sun that does not set. The visitors with antlers on greener blueberry patches. Secrets of the North. Happy summer!
The painting table here is covered with green splashes of aquarelle. Trees appear, night and day on my table. Trees are coloured in green dresses also outside by every spring rain drop and sun beam. Greetings & Salutations, An Exhibition in Collaboration with Red Cap Cards, with works by Jon Klassen, Chris Sasaki, Christian Robinson, Becca Stadtlander, Yelena Bryksenkova and me. A few days the exhibition with Red Cap Cards artists is still open at Gallery Nucleus in California, if you happen to be nearby. Or if you are far away, like me, you can still enjoy the show online, here. All the works are also for sale. Thank you Carrie and Jessica for this possibility! Green spring dreams! All the photos by Red Cap Cards.
