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.

Fourth Day of Advent - Unto us a child is born

Day 4 of Advent
A certain Royal announcement changed my plans for today's Advent window!   Here is a little something to celebrate all  babies and parents-in-waiting - my Stork ornaments from the "Baby's First Christmas" collection that I designed for Silver Tree last year.  The product samples are very pretty. I like the finishing touches of opalescence and sparkle on the wings. 

There is still time for the office elves here to mail out Fairy Gazettes before Christmas.  All five of the original   size, miniature, fairy-to-fairy editions, hand-stitched with rainbow thread, are up on my Etsy shop.  

Third Day of Advent - "Sing and be merry"

Day 3 of Advent

From our Illustrated Fairy Gazettes, here is a detail from the scene "The Sleepyhead Feast".   Avril wrote that  "...the fairies prepare a feast and party just before the first frost"  for the creatures who migrate or hibernate for the winter.

 "After the feasting and gift-giving at the Sleepyhead Feast, the animals and birds entertain their hosts with music...always the old carols sung over generations.  The sweet notes of the birds harmonise with the piping descant of the mice, the deep voices of the frogs and the little reed flutes played by the hedgehogs."

( © Avril Tyrrell 2007)

Second Day of Advent - Something Sweet

Day 2 of Advent

Something sweet from my Woodland Nutcracker book - Laura Secord, Canada's own well-loved chocolatiers,  used these decorative elements from the book for Christmas packaging in 2000.  A chocolate a day must keep something away!  

Advent Begins - and a giveaway!

Day 1 of Advent

I would like to share a bit of Advent cheer, the simple fun of opening a numbered window every day, the hidden treasure revealed.  Look here every day for the next 24 and see what new picture-bauble has been added.  Leave a comment - even just a smile - and you could win this pretty item! 

( Leave a comment every day and I will send you one of my Christmas cards, just to be jolly!)

I designed the little reindeer above for a Canadian giftware company in 2006, this is one of the product samples.   It is 9cm tall from tip-toe to antler curl, and hangs very prettily on the Christmas tree.

Happy Advent to all.  

A visit to St. Marie Among the Hurons

How to best describe Sainte Marie Among the Hurons? A recreated historic site and a sacred place of Christian pilgrimage, it attracts visitors from around the world. During his 24 years here as missionary to the Huron, in 1643 Father Jean de Brebeuf created The Huron Carol , part of his remarkable effort to establish a bridge between two cultures. The museum at Sainte Marie records their brief but significant shared history. 

 I  first visited Ste. Marie in preparation to illustrate The Huron Carol book, published in 1990.  In 2007 those same illustrations became part of an ongoing Huron Carol exhibit at the museum at St. Marie.  At summer's end this year I  retraced my steps through this beautiful and moving historic site.

The Huron Carol installation begins here, with the original Huron language verses and the later French and English versions.

Here are some of the pictures in the installation, enlarged pages from the book with the text in French and English. 

The scene above, the Chiefs from Far coming around the longhouse, was inspired by this very spot between the longhouses and the paling:

Another view from the lookout, looking down on the kitchen garden.

Three of the Huron Carol illustrations are available as cards, which can be ordered from the website or from my Etsy shop. The Knights of Columbus Museum  in New Haven, Connecticut, have prepared a "Christmas in Canada" exhibit this year, with the cards featured in their on-site gift shop.  

It is hard to believe that Advent (and beautiful First Light at Sainte Marie) begins in scarcely a week.  I have been busy with new work and teaching, and will be posting again soon. 

Midsummer Magic 2012

My computer crashed this morning and it seems new equipment or parts are needed.  Bad fairies, one might say.  But the good fairies will still be at our annual Midsummer  Magic art show at Sovereign House, and preparations are still going forward...

even if I have to resort to paper and scissors.

I am also teaching art classes at Sovereign House this summer, painting scenes of the house and garden.

This beautiful Tiger Swallowtail was in the garden while we were painting last week.  Despite a very damaged wing (look closely, top left of butterfly) it was able to flutter on from flower to flower.