I always get inspired during the
darkest month of the year to feats of light and colour. It might be the
darkness and the romance of tiny twinkling lights that set rooms aglow.
Candles burning with their warm flicking radiance, and the dancing of cast
shadows that entices the imagination. But it might also just be the
pleasant warmth of the mid-winter holidays. The smells of mulled wine
simmering somewhere below a boil on the stovetop, the scent of the needle
shedding tannenbaum, spending its last days bedecked in lights with a
shimmering plastic angel jammed rather scandalously on its peak, the taste of
butter, sugar, vanilla and flour moulded into a paste and fresh from the oven
(a.k.a. shortbread). The spirit of giving and the simple pleasure of
bringing a smile to another’s face.
This past week, found me visiting my
folks, and taking Chicken Little on a number of first time adventures
- Such as marathon a Christmas Shopping trip (from a commercial point of view, if Christmas did
not exist it would be necessary to invent it), a visit with Santa (the legendary jolly fat man made famous by a Coca-Cola
advertising campaign in the 1920’s and capable of riding around in a sleigh
pulled by flying reindeer when not otherwise stuck moonlighting in shopping
malls) decorating
a batch of gingerbread men so enormous the recipe calls for nine cups of flour,
painting winter scenes on the windows, and my personal favourite, the annual
Christmas tree hunt and subsequent adventure of dragging it in the house and
decorating it! (this year’s tree topped 12 feet with a stump a good
six inches in diameter – yes we had to open both front doors wide to get it in
the house!) But somehow amid the craziness that I love so much I
managed to pull the following off the easel. Behold: “Poinsettias”.
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“Pointsettia”
Watercolour
© RiverWalker
Arts
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Also known as the Christmas Star and
Christmas Flower. While considered by the ancient Aztecs to be symbols of
purity, in today's language of flowers, red, white or pink poinsettias, symbolize
good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration
A Christmas candle is a lovely
thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.
~Eva Logue
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.
~Eva Logue
Coral,
ReplyDeleteI've finally managed to settle down and write a few emails after the Christmas busy-ness... As you know, Doug gave me a copy of your calendar this year and I JUST LOVE IT!! I so admire your talent and you just get better and better all the time!
I hope the clouds clear away once in a while so you can have the sun on your face and you're enjoying all the best of (relatively) newlywed life and parenthood, my friend. May you be richly blessed and may 2012 be your very best yet.
Hugs,
K xo