Monday 7 January 2008

December BJP

December BJP
So this is my December BJP. I don't like it very much. It didn't turn out as I thought it would. However in a way it reflects what I have lived in December, a weird month with lots of emotions including very unpleasant situations. Things started to get messy right from the start ; I was pleased to attach my vintage orange cabochon with peyote stitch, but getting absorbed by technique and forcible meaning, I sort of lost the grace and fulfillment that comes with improvisational/meditative work.

Drawing by Elsa Beskow

The basic idea was to go from a drawing by Elsa Beskow for her lovely book "Solägget" (The Sun Egg) which tells about a forest fairy who finds an orange and mistakes it for a sun egg. Oranges wrapped in gold foil used to be the only present children would get at Christmas years ago in France. So for me it was a reminder to go back to the origins of Christmas, being a time to share the light and warmth we have with loved ones, rather than follow the sirens of consumerism...

Kay Nielsen
Amongst the good things of December was a week visit to London that allowed me to see the superb exhibition "The Age of Enchantment". It's on at the Dulwich Picture Gallery until 17th February 2008, and you can read about it here and here, and you can hear about it here. I also found out that illustrations by Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen have been republished. And of course Art Passions is always a good place to look at these wonderful fairytales illustrations.

5 comments:

KV said...

Your December page is charming and further enhanced by the lovely tale that inspired you.

Amazingly enough, I have been working with a Kay Nielson print for one of my beaded pages! Nielson and Dulac are among my favorite illustrators of all time.

Kathy V in NM

Padparadscha said...

Oh, thanks, KV, this is a really sweet comment.

I do look forward to seing your pages, especially the one inspired by Kay Nielson. Did you put them on Flickr ?

Hugs

Hélène

KV said...

Hi, Helene -- the Nielson print I am working with is from East of the Moon. It is far from finished, but I hope it will be done before the end of the month.


Kathy V in NM

Anonymous said...

Hi Helene,

I love this little girl! I'm not sure why you don't, but I think she's charming.
Even though I'm not a member of BJP,
I'm very much enjoying seeing all the creative pieces different people have done.

Thank you!

Padparadscha said...

Thanks Maggie, thanks Peggy :o)