Daffodils

Daffodil Fairies, The Illustrated Fairy Gazette

"Daffy-down-dilly has come to town, in a yellow petticoat and a green gown."  Every spring, when Ontario is still in freezing weather, I bring home the little pots of mini-daffs and other bulbs to brighten the windowsills.

Mini Daffs and Muscari

 They look so pretty, it leads to paintings.

Mini Daffs in a Mason Jar, watercolour

Even the smallest blossom merits a portrait.

Mini Daffs and Paint Water

One idea leads to another -  flower teacups like these.

Flower Teacups, Daffs

And so on, to a garden of teacups on my RedBubble shop. 

All from a pot of daffodils.

Immortality

Ohm, Fairy Advisor and Printer of the Fairy Gazettes

A recent communication from The Illustrated Fairy Gazette:

"We miss Ohm. Our printer, technical advisor, Dearly Beloved and everlasting friend, has left on the Great Journey that even fairies must take and for now we are parted. 

Ohm, in the mortal world, is the unit by which electrical resistance is measured. One "ohm" (Ohm is very good at explaining this) is equal to the current of one ampere which will flow when a voltage of one volt is applied. "Turn up the voltage and get more ohms".  But for us there is only one Ohm, shining bright and constant. Every flicker of light reminds us that we will meet again."

Eritha and Ohm, The Illustrated Fairy Gazette

A Fairy in Lakeshore Woods

Scilla Fairy

 The woods nearby are carpeted with Scilla, masses of them  in sweeps of heavenly blue.  Of European origin, the little blue flowers have naturalized here and become as integral to the landscape as the native Trout Lilies and Trillium. Where there are flowers there must be fairies, hence this Scilla Fairy in Lakeshore Woods, just a short walk from home.

The first blossoms were snowed over early in April

 and the preliminary sketch showed the wintry scene, every blossom capped with snow. But that is another painting.

We've had enough snow for a while.

And to all a Good Night

"Sleep in heavenly peace....."

The Fifth Day of Advent - Between friends

Day 5 of Advent

 In watercolour classes I demonstrate ways of creating  frosty effects in snowy landscapes.  A sprinkling of salt on a wet wash is one method, as in the background pictured above.
The cardinal's bright pop of colour makes him a perfect foil for winter's greys and browns. And the fairy? She just flitted into the picture for a neighbourly chat with the Christmas letter carrier.