Behind a Curtain of Icicles

When I opened the curtains of one of the upstairs rooms to look at the snow tonight, the enchanting sight of an outside curtain of huge icicles amazed me. In the orangey-yellow glow of a street light, the scene looked fantastical.

I experimented with the colours a little here to try and express the atmosphere ...

The otherwordly outside seems accentuated by the everyday items indoors, such as the Ikea vases and the clothes-dryer!

I was fascinated by the way the pattern on the net curtain somehow blended in with the condensation on the glass, and the icicles beyond.

The last photo has not been adjusted at all. I could gaze for hours at the jewel-like droplets glistening in the light, and seeing shapes and shadows in this magical-mundane occurrence!

TFE's New Year Celebration of Lights

Today I'm taking part in TFE's New Year Celebration of Lights by lighting a candle in honour of persons who have especially influenced my life, and who are no longer on this earth.

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Firstly I'm celebrating my beloved boxer - (her blogger name shall be Gudrun!) - who lightened my life for several years. I had to draw her while she was asleep, as animals do not like to be stared at! She often snoozed with her tongue hanging out, which amused us.

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The perfect sketching companion, she would sit patiently while I drew or gazed at favourite places in the landscape. These pictures are from a journal in which I made very swift memory drawings of walks and found it helpful as an artist to include myself in the drawings occasionally. Looking at the pictures now very powerfully reminds me of those days, and the special bond which exists between oneself and one's dog.

The second lighting of the candle is to Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson. As a child I absolutely adored her illustrated Moomintroll books, (I still do!), and believe they have had a strong influence on my creative imagination, and the way I perceive nature.

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Last year my boyfriend bought me two volumes of her Moomin comic strip originally published in the London Evening News in the 1950's. They are as whimsical and enchanting as her children's books. She had great artistic integrity and refused to allow her work to be used in ways which detracted from it's essence. She is also an inspiration as someone who steadfastly followed her dreams and used her creative talent all her life.

Ingrid Sylvestre