White Magic And Rose Trees

Enjoying the warmth from my little radiator at my desk I sit. Listening to gentle music, planning ideas for new work and lists in my head of things that I hope to fit into 2010. All is peaceful. The children are back at school. Its their first day back. Titanium white touches new canvas.

                                                 

 Characters to breathe life into.

But outside a different tale was beginning. A whisper, a hush song, the gentle falling and gatherings of white bees.

That smell of cold and ice, travelled far from the north. She was finally paying us a visit.
By the morning the Snow Queen had painted her own canvas.

And what a masterpiece she created.

School was closed, my painting suspended, and off to find hills we walked. To sledge, with all manner of transport, toboggans, plastic feed sacks, dune boards, inflatable lilos, rubber rings and body boards.
What fun we had.

The Snow Queen has to be  my all time favourite fairytale.
I have loved it from the age of six, when I received this book for Christmas.

 I loved the illustrations, (By a lady named Pauline Hohly) especially this front cover.
And Jan and Gerdas window box gardens with minature rose trees growing in them.

Even now, whenever I see minature standard roses I always still think of the Snow Queens story.
There are so many beautifully illustrated versions of the story around now. I won't show you them all as you can hunt them all down online. But I do have this version here,  Illustrated by Errol Le Cain which I think is beautiful.

If you love the tale too you might like the quite recent BBC adaption featuring the music of Paul K Joyce.
I have both the cd and dvd and every winter, I listen and watch. (you can find it on Amazon through my link on the left side and find more about it here)

So, I have no 'new' finished work to show and school is closed again tommorow.
But we will enjoy the white magic while it lasts.
xx