A Fascination With Folklore

There's nothing to spark the imagination like a folk or fairy tale.

As a child, thanks to my great aunt Marguerite (who gifted me with the very old Brothers Grimm and Andersen books shown below), I read many of them and remember the magical feeling upon first discovering a new tale; Rumplestiltskin, The Musicians of Bremen, The Ugly Duckling, The Twelve Dancing Princesses...such wonderful stories (and crying out to be painted, hehe)...

At any rate, I'd of course heard of gnomes, but like most of us here in the US, had grown up seeing them mostly as guardians of the garden. I'd heard of the Tomten too, but only as a vague concept, and as never read anything specific about them.

Enter the internet, hehe. Isn't it just marvelous the information and stories available at our fingertips now?! (Makes one marvel to wonder what's coming in the future too!)

Well, suffice to say I've become fascinated with these tales and legends. In fact, it's probably safe to say the remainder of my Christmas Barnes and Noble gift cards will be spent exploring Scandinavian folklore.

So I must share the second of these Gnome or Tomte paintings, an 8" x 10" original on gallery canvas, now up for grabs in my Etsy shop. I do hope it finds a good home! ♥

Must also add, in addition to being captivated by folklore, I've also been captivated by the videos of Siku, the polar bear cub at a Danish zoo - hence the polar bear cub here. ;)

And speaking of folklore, there's a wonderful Russian tale I'm depicting next - the witch Baba Yaga. I just can't stay away from witches too long (and besides, my Halloween art friends have been joking that I may need an intervention soon, teehee). :)

Finally, a quick note to friends who've been following happenings on the home front; John's hospitalization will be rescheduled - a very long story involving miscommunication, scheduling snafus and a shortage of hospital beds. But we're trusting that the universe has a plan, and all will work out. I'll post an update when I know anything, and thanks as always for your concern, prayers and good wishes.

And now I'm off this chilly morning to brew a pot of Good Earth tea, put some appropriately inspiring music on, and begin Baba Yaga. Oh, and before I forget - - in-progress pics will be posted on facebook - - please do follow me there. The link is on the right sidebar. :)

Until next time,
♥ Carolee
PS - still two days left to enter the giveaway, two posts down!