In all my years growing up and as an adult in Florida, I longed for cold winters. I dreamed of snowy days and cozy nights, only getting small doses on quick trips North. Since traveling through the West and Northwest for almost six (!!) years, I’m finally experiencing the seasons as I always hoped to.
I hear people complain about the cold and snow, but for me, it never ceases to be magical.
The streets are quiet, all the bustle of life slows and is muted.
Colors become deeper and more saturated.
Everything sparkles.
Expanses of white bring colors and textures to the forefront, giving them room to breathe, space to show off. This interaction informs and inspires my work more and more as I seek to create paintings that emanate that same sense of peace and quiet.
All images by me.
Gaelle1947
January 25, 2017 at 9:17 AMWhat a wonderful tribute to winter. As a Canadian for whom winter has always been an undeniable fact of life with no choice in the matter, and moreover, never in a financial position to escape to the south even in my old age, as some of my more well-to-do peers, it’s so endearing to read your story – how you dreamed and fantasized about this beautiful white stuff while most of the people up here curse it and start panicking at the thoughts of it once November rolls in. Your story is a reminder that indeed, we should be grateful for it’s magical beauty – For me it is the fabric of my childhood memories – we weren’t afraid of it then – in fact, couldn’t wait to build our forts packed with our stash of snowball cannons, slide down the hills, make our snowmen, roll around in this plush carpet and make snow angels … and Oh! the incredible feeling of coming in from the cold with our lungs purified with fresh air exchange, nature’s very own oxygen mask. The sparkles of fields and trees under the stars and moon, the carved scrolls as it outlines rooftops and architecture….. What splendor to the artists’ soul! One of Canada’s greatest French writer and folksinger Gilles Vigneault immortalized this feeling in his song “My country is not a country, it is winter” If you want to read the English translation of those lyrics, here’s a link: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/mon-pays-my-country.html-1
Artsy Forager
January 26, 2017 at 11:01 AMGaelle, thank you so much for sharing your memories. What a lovely tribute! I’m going to check out Gilles Vigneault!
Dell
February 11, 2017 at 9:44 PM“Expanses of white bring colors and textures to the forefront, giving them room to breathe, space to show off. This interaction informs and inspires my work more and more as I seek to create paintings that
emanate that same sense of peace and quiet.” I enjoyed your artwork and love when the artist is available to share the intent behind the expression. Emanate is defined as to flow out, issue, or proceed, as from a source or origin; come forth; originate. I pinned your paintings on my pinterest board “how is the snow in your direction.” What emanates from an artist always varies from what it might inspire in who it is shared with therefore is always bringing about something new in the world. Snow scenes after a storm have a way of doing that as well. Thank you for your art and may your art continue to flow magically off the page.