READY TO GO, watercolor

Ready to Go, watercolor, 14x20 (36x51cm.)

The Sami culture, in Northern Sweden, celebrate midsummer's day with the dance around the maypole with flowers, and with reindeer lasso contests. Nowadays, they use reindeer horns nailed to a post, and the contests are organized by age. The first category is for ages 0-4, and the posts are held closer to the contestants. As the age groups advances, the reindeer horns become farther and farther. They don't actually move the posts with the horns, but the starting place. This contest and other ceremonies go on rain or shine, and everything is held outside. There is a saying in Sweden, that there is NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD CLOTHES!

MIDNIGHT IN LAPLAND-JUNE 1ST, pastel

Midnight in Lapland-June 1st, pastel, 12x9 (30x22 cm)

Every night I'm flabbergasted by the beauty of the sky near midnight,  and its reflection on the Kultsjön Lake. I run around the house taking pictures from different windows, or from the front porch, or the side. So a couple of days ago I decided to start painting those midnight suns in pastel. I started by my first night here, June 1st. This was midnight sunset on June 1st.

I've been painting the midnight sun for the past three nights, and plan to continue doing so for at least a week. Some of them will make it to this blog. So stay tuned!

SAXNÄS CHURCH II, watercolor and ink

Saxnäs Church II, watercolor and ink, 4x6 on Hungarian hand-made paper

The church in Saxnäs, Lapland, in Northern Sweden, is small, surrounded by a lovely park, with the stones of town people buried here all around the church. A few benches to sit down, meditate, or paint a small watercolor like this one.

I recently read: THOSE WHO SAVE US, by Jenna Blum.  This book examines the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration during WWII. At the core of the novel are the themes of love, sacrifice, and family secrets which cause a mis-communication between Anna and her daughter Trudy. Excellent! I enjoyed it very much and recommend it, even though...I know...it's another book on a subject that has been covered so much.

KULTSJÖN LAKE V, watercolor

Kultsjön Lake V, watercolor, 4x6 (10x15 cm.)

Kultsjön Lake is in Lapland, Sweden. For this month, I live in front of it at Ricklundgården. It is huge! I have only walked a couple of miles one way and the other way, making small sketches when the time permits, and taking photographs. There are many houses in the forest, near the lake, most of them are painted red, occasionally you find one in yellow or white. Here you breath viridian, and your eyes feast on cerulean and turquoise!

SÁMI GRANDMOTHER, pastel

Sámi Grandmother, pastel, 12x9 in (30x23 cm.)

The Sámi are the native population of Lapland, in Northern Sweden. Like any native population in the world, they have been misunderstood, mistreated, their rights ignored, their land invaded and stolen by the "civilized" groups that came later to the land. These "newcomers" are us, who think in terms of "conquering" nature. The Sámis live IN nature, with it, respecting it. In Lapp mythology there are seven female divine beings, and three of them are most important, the daughters of Maadter-Aahkka--the Earth Mother. The word Aahka means something good and safe, grandmother. Aahka is also an honorary title and symbol of respect.