Merry Christmas to All

from "The Worker in Sandalwood", Illustration by Frances Tyrrell 1991
© Frances Tyrrell 1991

Painting in the New Year

Woodland Nutcracker mouse

Back to work in the New Year.

A lovely project is getting close to done!

Merry Christmas to all

Advent Baubles, 2012 © Frances Tyrrell

Five years of Advent baubles!  I started posting these in 2012, for fun and to celebrate the season with friends.  The first year was a miscellany, a bit of something from my book illustrations and card art, and also one of my ornament designs - a stork for a royal baby.

Fairy Advent 2013, Illustrated Fairy Gazette © Frances Tyrrell

It was all fairies for 2013, art from the original Illustrated Fairy Gazettes as well as the larger editions with Templar Publishing UK.

Birds Advent, 2014 © Frances Tyrrell

A flock of fanciful birds for 2014, with new art and many from my books. 

Huron Carol, Advent 2015, © Frances Tyrrell

 The beautiful Huron Carol was my choice for 2015, the nativity in a northern setting. 

Woodland Advent 2016 © Frances Tyrrell

 The Bears and friends made merry for Advent 2016, from Woodland Christmas (Scholastic 1995) and Woodland Nutcracker (Key Porter 1999). 

Merry Christmas, one and all.

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.

Welcoming the New Year

Woodland Celebration, Woodland Nutcracker

We had personal sorrow and loss in 2016, such as eventually comes to all who love and are loved.  Going through all my art files that were so carefully catalogued by my lovely father is both pleasure and pain. How very thorough and thoughtful he was in everything!  A good example for anyone to follow, and a good model for the coming year.
I like this quote from Marie of Romania, who saw her own share of loss and turmoil:
"Work, give, share; recognize the blessings you have and multiply them in your heart; do not strain after the impossible, but keep hope fresh in your soul, the hope that each day will be better than one just lived, which was already good because, like the Boy Scout, you tried to do at least one kind act in the twenty-four hours. Joy lies within your heart; does not depend upon what you are or have." 
Best wishes to all for the New Year.

Merry Christmas to All

Santa Bear and True Love, Woodland Christmas

A Woodland Advent - Day 24, The Night Before Christmas

Farewell, Woodland Nutcracker

For day 24 of Advent, Clara Bear makes her farewells to Prince Nutcracker and the Great Bear. The magical adventure with celestial creatures and woodland friends has come to an end, and Christmas morning awaits.