Happy International Children’s Day

I’ve met a man
who
in black buckets
tomatoes grows.

They used to be colorful.
They used to bring comfort to the dead.

Tanagra figurines.

Now, in brownish color, covered with stony himation, are standing silently behind the glass in The British Museum.
Beautiful, small, barely noticed terracotta figures.
When they had been discovered, or let say dig out, they were enchanting with their appearance, fineness and reality look.
Why they were made?
One theory says, because the figurines were mainly found in graves, that they represented the dead person’s possessions.
But maybe not.
In 19th century this figures of the fashionable women received a name “the parisienne of the ancient world”.

 

It is so good feeling to come back to life drawing.

 

 

Today I have seen them for the first time in this year.
Frivolously chasing one another, were making circles above my head.
They arrived. Good spirits of the Spring – Common swifts.

 

The idea for sweet peas linocut came to me last autumn. Despite of bad weather sweet peas which we sow on our small balcony started to climb up and up.
It was impressive, fresh and very green.  Amazed by this picture I made some sketches. They were as our sweet peas green and fresh.
But in the rush of everyday life, the idea and sketches went back on the shelf.
I needed few months to come back to this idea. But this time surrounded by grey winter my mood changed. Sweet peas became stronger, more mature and more emotional.
Time is a very powerful factor in creation process.

 

They used to be obvious residents of the cities. Now it is barely possible to meet them.
Sparrows, birds of April.

Around this time of the year, I come back to painting Pieta by Wiliam-Adolphe Bouguereau.
It tells very intimate story. The moment when Jesus was taken down from the cross.
On many paintings which tell this story we can see lot of figures, people involved in the actual struggle.
Here is just Mother and her Son surround by angels.
Recently I was drawing from this painting. The more I looked into, the more I was amazed by the expression of the mothers face. She looks like a small girl who is just about to start crying.
When I looked more closely I noticed two small tears on the edge of her eyelids.  I was shocked, that I didn’t notice it before. It is very powerful moment.
How big was my surprise when I looked at the same picture but from different print, I saw actual tears falling down from Mothers cheek.
I don’t know which print is correct. Unfortunately I haven’t seen the original painting, but somehow I hope that the one with not so obvious tears on it, is more correct.
It took me an hour of drawing to actually see, notice, realise the presence of those tears. And it really got me.

If you have a chance, look at this painting.
My drawing doesn’t show even in a small bit how beautiful, captivating and making goosebumps  on your skin is expression of Mother face who just lost her Son.

From this year bird collection, it is time for our March candidate.
To be honest, I have never seen this bird here.
It looks a bit like Robin, but it’s red tummy has a different tone of red, and generally its much bigger bird.
Please welcome the Bullfinch.

At the beginning of February it started.
Each morning was louder and louder. But this clamour was amazing.
Small birds with yellow tummies starts to sing. Their gaily chirp is right now my favourite sound.