Tänään..

 

..nähtyä

..

these I saw today

Superkuu ja muita luonnonihmeitä

Supermoon and other wonders of the nature

Raumanmeri 5.-6.5.

Cease, O waterfall, thy foaming!

 

I have always lived near water. 

I like the rivers and lakes

but

I LOVE the sea

 ...

 UNDERWATER life / love

is the theme of this week´s drawing challence, hosted by dear Julia, thank you for the charming theme!
Via Julia´s blog you may see all the wonderful participants of the week.
I am going to -
guess where..
 ..well to the sea  ( in spite of the chilly weather and flu )
That is why I am sorry  not to visit your blogs until the Sunday evening, see you then!

 ...

Some years ago I made works based on the Finnish national saga, Kalevala. 

I became charmed by the rune 40, Birth of the Harp. 

Väinämöinen -  a shamanistic and  pretty bombastic hero -   cuts a giant pike in two and
makes a harp ( =kantele)  out of the fish bones. 

 

This rune is about men of the Northland

but there are also many unique, strong, characteristic women in the saga. 

This rune is also about water - into and out of the water.

pike tail, 90 x 116cm, oil on canvas

(Väinämöinen) ..Cuts the monster into pieces;
To the water falls the pike-tail,
To the ship the head and body;
Easily the ship moves onward.

 

 

Goodly Dinner, 70 x 70cm, oil on canvas

"Let the youngest of the maidens
Cook for me the pike of Northland,
Set for me a goodly dinner!"

jawbone of the pike,116 x 90cm, oil on canvas

Whence the necessary harp-pins?
From the pike-teeth firmly fastened.
Whence the sweetly singing harp-strings?
From the tail of Lempo's stallion.
Thus was born the harp of magic
From the mighty pike of Northland,
From the relies from the feasting
Of the heroes of Wainola.

...   

The Kalevala is the national saga of Finland. Pieced together (and embellished) by Elias Lönnrot in the late 19th Century, from a traditional cycle told by rural storytellers, the tales which constitute the Kalevala show signs of great antiquity.--J. B. Hare

Väinämöinen is the central character of The Kalevala, a shamanistic  hero with a magical power of song and music, similar to that of Orpheus.  Väinämöinen created and plays the kantele, a Finnish stringed instrument that resembles and is played like a zither.

All about the Kalevala

Maalla ja Merellä / Fields and Sea

 

 

Vapunpäivä merellä: kaukana huiskut ja serpentiinit,
lähellä linnut ja korkea taivas, mielenrauhan tyyssija..

Ja matkalla ihmettelin ruskean sävyjä ja ujoa  haaleanvihreää,
joka arkaillen pilkisti esiin siellä täällä.

 

I did not celebrate 1st May (more about this Finnish vappu carnival see here )
Instead we drove to Rauma and begun the boating and summer cabin season by the sea.
On the way there could be seen many shades of brown with very little light green here and there.
And the sea: as charming, lively and bright as always. It is the place of the peace of mind.

Yhtäkkiä vähän vihreää / Suddenly some green

Maa / Earth

 

  

Here in the North April is the time of year the earth is naked. 

The snow is gone but there is hardly any green to be seen yet.

So I think it is the perfect time for the theme:

EARTH

 .. it is the theme for this week´s  drawing challenge. 

See all the participants via Patrice´s  lovely blog Patrice A.

 

I feel closest to earth when working with clay. 

It gives me the feeling of the eternity and on the other hand keeps me down to earth. 

I think clay is  the most feminine and timeless media in art.

It is strong and fragile at the same time -  and it has got the will of its own as well.. 

In the pictures there can be seen two of my works of clay 

photographed  in the garden. 

 The tiny spots of lichen are almost the only colorful objects in my garden at the moment.

In the middle there is one of my recent wood cuts which has not got any name yet. 

Anyway, it also has got something to do with the earth, water and spring.

And I am sorry, there are - again - no drawings in my post, hope this will do:)

How it works: a host picks a theme. Bloggers who want to join leave a comment saying they are in. 

The following Saturday the drawings are shown on the blogs and the host links to all the participants. 

A new host is also presented for the following week.

...

Huhtikuussa maa on paljaimmillaan. 

Ainoat väriläiskät pihalla ovat jäkälätäplät sammaloituneissa kivissä.

Maa on teemana tämän viikkoisessa piirustushaasteessa. 

Tosin en nyt piirtänyt mitään (taaskaan) mutta kaikki kuvat liittyvät teemaan. 

Kuten aiemminkin olen kirjoittanut blogissani
koen savea työstäessäni  yhteyden maahan ja johonkin ikiaikaiseen. 

Savi on  voimakastahtoinen ja samalla herkkä materiaali, hyvin naisellinen, kuin äiti maa itse.

Keskellä oleva puupiirros on yksi viimeisimmistä töistäni.
Se ei ehkä ole valmiskaan, nimeä sillä ei ainakaan vielä ole, mutta maa-vesi-teemaan se liittyy kuitenkin

Kevään merkit / Signs of Spring