I've been trying to work out of that box, to leap from my safe comfort zone. Not an easy thing let me tell you, despite the fact that I'm a huge fan of change and of learning new things in life and of fearlessly (ahem) exploring the unknown.
I've also been known to dip my toe in the water, scream "argh it's freezing!!" (slightly colder than tepid) and dash wimpily off across the sand as fast as I can manage. So. Not as easy as it seems. Still, here are my (artistic) attempts at leaping into that crazily unsafe unfamiliar space ... first, in painting as loosely as possible, and second, at carving rather than drawing ...
I'll admit that they aren't what I'd call works of art (or vastly different from my norm) but that's not what I was trying to achieve. I'm just experimenting, enjoying something new. I'll get there, bit by bit.
These were done as part of my college course, and will be reblogged over at my children's illustration blog, so to take a peek at that, just click HERE.
I've been busy at college. Started learning metalwork recently and it's wonderfully fascinating. I've done a couple of rough, small pieces and will show them off soon. Meanwhile I've managed a few doodles when time permits, adding colour to my Float Like A Balloon drawing and sketching a few ravens for fun, all in my moleskine blank book ...
So yes, I'm still fascinated by the black birds and their mythologies and fables, so will pursue that further whenever I find spare moments to do so. Right now I'm occupied with filling in college sketchbooks and drawing tons of shoes ... so expect to see loads of footwear up here soon.
Wishing you a week full of blessings and lightness. Cheers.
This is one of the projects I've been working on recently, for an art college class. Yes, birds and mail art. Wonderful. Loads of cutting, slicing, collaging, and then drawing and painting, was done. I ended up with a couple of options to work on, and liked them both but ended up picking this one below for the final review.
I went through a bit of exploration and research and managed to develop quite a fascination with ravens, sifting through poems such as Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven', folklore, fairy-tales, fables--almost picked Aesop's The Crow and the Pitcher--so it isn't too surprising that I went with this pair in the end ... In Norse mythology, Huginn (from Old Norse "thought") and Muninn (Old Norse "memory" or "mind") are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world of Midgard, and bring information and news back to the god Odin. Flying messengers. Perfect.
I've depicted them as a white and black raven, and addressed the envelope to them. Their names are written in ancient Nordic runes just above their respective beaks. Yes, there's a message inside as well, written on rice paper 'parchment'. Private, of course. Let's hope that the envelope will eventually be returned to sender (me!) with a postal mark to show that it's been in the system. Here's a glimpse of the bit of mess I made while researching and working on the project ...
Here's the back of the envelope with a depiction of the Nordic mythical Tree of Life, Yggdrasil ...
The ravens and the tree were paper cuttings (my sketch book suffered somewhat) that I painted (watercolour for the birds and some marker pen on the tree) and collaged onto the envelope. On the front I'd also glued crosswords (to symbolize thought, naturally) onto the original white envelope, and then placed a thin sheet of rice paper over the whole thing so that it looked like parchment, slightly aged. I quite like the result, what do you think?
The other attempt at mail art was slightly a different one: I made an envelope from black paper and then cut straight into it, collaging and shading only the white bird on the front. Then I placed white paper inside the envelope so that it showed through the snipped out leaves, flowers and insects.
Simple, but I think it's quite cute. The back is a more abstract representation of a (meaner) raven and its wings, can you see it?
I did like this black and white bit of mail art, but once I'd begun on the research for the winged messengers of Odin, I fell in love with them and that was pretty much that. I think I made the right choice picking them as my final piece, what do you think? There are infinite possibilities for both options though, and I may end up using them somehow on cards and other goodies, so keep an eye out for them up at the Floating Lemons shops in the near future ...
Meanwhile, I wish you a fantastic week. Cheers.
I can't believe that it's been less than two months since I moved to the UK ... so much has been squeezed into that small amount of time that I'm still in a bit of a daze. But the good news is, of course, that I'm finally back on the internet.
Have tons of catching up to do but it will have to fit into the cracks between my college artwork. And I haven't been completely idle creatively either, despite 'real life' competing for my attention lately. Here's a glimpse into what I've been doing - tons of research and a few sketches for an upcoming class project. First though, here's the art-space I've set up for myself in our new, temporary home:
And a glimpse into the pages of a new sketchbook:
Different mediums, styles, cutting, collaging - lots of lovely experimentation going on. Birds (I'm developing a particular fascination with ravens and crows) and mail art. I've also been pinning for inspiration so if you'd like to have a look, check out my Pinterest Boards, Art: Mail Art, Art: Crows & Ravens, and Art: Birds. Have fun.
Wishing you a week full of flights of fancy. Cheers.
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Krabat and the Sorcerer’s Mill
written by Otfried Preussler
translated from German by Anthea Bell
The New York Review Children’s Collection 9/23/2014
978-1-59017-778-5
Age 9 to 13 258 pages
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.“New Year’s has passed. Twelfth Night is almost here. Krabat, a fourteen-year-old beggar boy dressed up as one of the Three Kings, is travelling from village to village singing carols. One night he has a strange dream in which he is summoned by a faraway voice to go to a mysterious mill—and when he wakes he is irresistibly drawn there. At the mill he finds eleven other boys, all of them, like him, the apprentices of its Master, a powerful sorcerer, as Krabat soon discovers.
During the week the boys work ceaselessly grinding grain, but on Friday nights the Master initiates them into the mysteries of the ancient Art of Arts. One day, however, the sound of church bells and of a passing girl singing an Easter hymn penetrates the boys’ prison: At last they hatch a plan that will win them their freedom and put an end to the Master’s dark designs.”
Opening
“It was between New Year’s Day and Twelfth Night, and Krabat, who was fourteen at the time, had joined forces with two other Wendish beggar boys.”
The Story
Krabat has a strange dream he feels he must follow. The next day he slips away from the other two boys in his vagabond group and goes to the mill of the sorcerer. Krabat and eleven other boys work grinding grain for long days and nights. It is hard work and Krabat has a difficult time keeping up, until Tonda, the lead journeyman and Krabat’s new best friend, lightly touches Krabat while uttering a few words under his breath. Suddenly, Krabat can work as if he gained the strength of many men; the work is still laborious, yet Krabat can work with ease. Krabat has been with the mill almost one year when Tonda dies. Days later, Krabat, now three years older, becomes a full journeyman and a new boy replaces Tonda, sleeping in his bed and wearing his old clothes, just as Krabat had done one year earlier, though he did not know this until the new apprentice arrived that he slept in the bed and wore the clothes of the journeyman he replaced.
Year 2 is not much easier for Krabat. He thinks of Tonda regularly, who, in a dream, tells Krabat to trust Michal. Michal is similar to Tonda and helps Krabat when he needs help. The millwork is still long and hard, but he can easily get through it with the magic the Master teaches his little ravens in his Black School. Once a year, the boys mark each other with the sign of the Secret Brotherhood, pass under the yoke at the door, and take a blow to the check delivered by the Master, reaffirming their roles for another year.
Various Covers, pt. 1
Year 3 sees Krabat ready to leave the mill. He tries to leave three times and three times, he finds himself back in the mill. He runs to the east as far as he can run—but is still on the grounds of the mill. Krabat runs to the north—only to be at the mill. Krabat can escape but one way—death. Year three’s new apprentice is one of the friends Krabat left when called to the mill. The young boy recognizes the name Krabat, tells of having a friend by that name, but does not recognize Krabat who is now many years older than the boy is. Krabat takes his friend under his wing; much like Tonda had done for him.
Krabat cannot let go of the voice of a young singer from the village. Girls and journeymen of the Master’s mill tend to end in tragedy for at least the girl—including Tonda’s girl—and often the boy as well. Krabat knows this, yet still wants to meet this girl. She could become his savior, except no one has ever outwitted the Master. With the help of a couple of other journeymen, Krabat sets about a plan to gain not only his freedom, but also that of the other journeymen as well. This would mean the end of the mill, the end of magic, and the end of the Master. The Master has his own plan involving Krabat; an offer Krabat should find hard to resist yet does. Instead, Krabat places his life in the hands of the village girl. Can this girl pull off what no one before her could?
Various Covers, pt. 2
Review
I have never been disappointed by a New York Review Children’s Book and Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill is no exception. When originally written in 1971, winning many children’s book prizes, some of the German words were archaic and difficult, especially for American children. The translator replaced those words, never losing the story or its basic scheme of horror, love, and friendship between those held in bondage. It is easy to understand why Neil Gaiman calls Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill “one of his favorite books.”
After his dream, when Krabat is walking to the mill, each person he asks for directions or simply meets, tells him to stay far away from the mill. The villagers tell him dark, strange things occur at the mill; yet Krabat ventures on, compelled to find this it. For a beggar boy the mill must seem like Heaven. Krabat gets a warm bed and filling meals that do not scrimp on meat. No more singing for his supper and traveling on foot from village to village is indeed a blessing. But the work grinding grain from dusk to dawn is laborious and leaves Krabat exhausted. Then an older boy, Tonda, steps up to help Krabat. Krabat must keep Tonda’s help secret, as the Master would not be pleased his new apprentice received assistance.
Movie Posters
The Master is unsympathetic, mysterious, and dangerous. He has secrets of his own. With only one eye, the Master seems to be able to see everything, regardless of where it might occur. Many times, he follows Krabat into town, showing up as a one-eyed raven, or a one-eyed horse, and even a one-eyed woman, all with a black patch over the useless eye—that he cannot disguise. Krabat sees these creatures but never makes the complete connection as to it being the Master.
Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill will delight kids who like adventures, mysteries, and magic. Though the Master deals in the black arts, there is nothing in the story that will scare anyone. At times, the writing feels long, and at times, it is long, yet never arduous or out of place. Preussler spins a tale so complete one wonders if such goings on really occurred in seventeenth-century Germany. Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill will keep kids entranced as they read this gothic tale of orphaned boys finding a home with a dangerous wizard. I enjoyed every word of this captivating story. Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill tends to be best for the advanced reader. Adults will also immensely enjoy this alluring tale.
KRABAT & THE SORCERER’S MILL. Text copyright © 1971 by Otfried Preussler. Copyright © 1981 by Thienemann Verlag. Translatation copyright © 1972 by Anthea Bell. Published in 2014 by the New York Review of Books.
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Purchase Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill at Amazon—B&N—Book Depository—New York Review of Books—at your favorite bookstore.
Learn more about Krabat & the Sorcerer’s Mill HERE.
Meet the author, Otfried Preussler, at his website: http://www.preussler.de/
Meet the translator, Anthea Bell, bio wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthea_Bell
Find other classic children’s books at the New York Review Children’s Collection website: http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/childrens/
New York Review Children’s Collection is an imprint of the New York Review of Books. http://www.nybooks.com/
Originally published in 1972, under the title The Satanic Mill.
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Also by Otfried Preussler, (soon to be published by NYRB)
The Little Witch
The Robber Hotzenplotz
The Little Water Sprite
Also Translated by Anthea Bell
Pied Piper of Hamelin
Inkheart (Inkheart Trilogy)
The Flying Classroom (Pushkin Children’s Collection) 3/10/2015
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copyright © 2014 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews
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I don't need one particular day of the year to give thanks for all that I have in life.
I try to be thankful every day, and yes, sometimes it's hard
Like when friends and family get sick. Or when there's not enough money for bills.
But even if I'm in a weeping heap, I know how blessed I am just by being given another day to try to get it right. To make a difference even in some small way.
Here's to all of you who have made a huge difference in my life. I'm grateful to you all even though I may not say it (or visit) often enough.
I really love knowing you're there.
Really ♥
xoxo
Lo
full moon photo taken in Pacific Grove, CA.
19 Comments on Thanksgiving Grace, last added: 11/27/2011
Quoth the raven: What the heck?
At this point I’m getting a little suspicious. You see, every year I like to keep track of “trends” in the world of children’s literature. For example, back in 2006 there were at least two novels (Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett and Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow) that contained sentient cheese. I found this funny and mentioned it in my yearly Golden Fuse round-up. Since that time I have taken care to note any trends I see in the world of children’s literature. [Note: Google "sentient cheese" sometime to get a wide and weird array of hits]
This year I saw the usual smattering of trends. In one case, Tillie the Terrible Swede, Around the World, and Wheels of Change all discuss the rise of the bicycle in America. Fun! Trends like this usually don’t involve more than three or four books. Then I noticed something. There is one trend that has gotten, quite frankly, out of hand.
Ravens.
Ravens show up periodically in children’s books anyway. Last year Adam Gidwitz made lovely use of them in A Tale Dark and Grimm. However, this year it began to get ridiculous. I’ve been faithfully reading all forms of fiction and I have encountered time and time and time again a veritable unkindness of ravens. Consider the following:
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier – A whole SLEW of ravens in this one. Warrior ravens at that.
- Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby – Features one raven named Muninn, named after one of Odin’s ravens (Huginn and Muninn).
- Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky – Contains a raven named Juniper who, according to Mr. Kozlowsky, also can be traced back to Odin’s ravens.
- The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey – The heroine has an enchanted talking raven by the name of Deacon.
Lo, I totally agree, everyday is the day to be grateful, but I like it that we have a holiday for it too :-). Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo
beautiful lo, hug hug hug. i hope you have a wonderful day. (loved seeing the nepenthe bird)
*BS*, you KNOW I feel exactly the same way. Life and Friends are Precious Gifts to be thankful for.
We have both had a *roller coaster* year..... but... the lovely things far outweigh the sad ones.
I am picturing you, basting the turkey... SH scans the horizons for Squirrels and Princess Bliss sits on her *Throne*...her nose inhaling the fragrance of roasting turkey! Hey, Bri will be watching the '49'ers" play the RAVENS! (See how savvy I am!)
Love and Blessings to all 4,
♥ LS ♥
Yes Every day we should take a moment to count our blessings.
You are one of them dear ♥
Love You!
M
just remember to stuff that bird and not cook it upside down (heehee)
happy thanksgiving, lo. thank you for being such a bright star in my sky. and thank you for every adventure ahead :^)
your photos are gorgeous
love
kj
Your gentle way and powerful words brighten my spirit...always! Giving thanks for you...:) ♥
Oh, Lolo...you are such a sweet person...I appreciate your awesomeness!!!
Julie
I hope you and yours had a great day Lo. I am thankful for you too. Big hugs.
Before I scrolled down and read all the way to the bottom, I knew that view was from Nepenthe. A beautiful place if there ever was one!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Lovely way of sharing your life and blessings here today with us. I too am glad YOU are here LOLO.
Happy Thanksgiving. Yes, so much to be grateful for.
lovely photos. hope your T day was full of friends love and good food. so many "not" blessings in our lives such as there is not a war going on down the street, Thich Nhat Hanh's not toothache meditation. Peace, Suki
And you know how much you mean to me too Lo, even if I visit your blog rarely these days- you are always in my heart- and I am truly thankful.
Lovely images and words! Hope your Thanksgiving day was just wonderful. xx
You are so right, L. There are so many things to be grateful for every single day and we should never dwell on what we don't have. We should all appreciate each other more. Hugs to you, too, and I hope you had a happy holiday.
i love (love love love) nepenthe - always get such a kick out of being there.
and LOVE you dear -hope your day/week/ whatever was/is wonderful.
A lovely grace-filled Thanksgiving to you, Lolo! ♥
Your Thanksgiving blessing says it all. I too value and appreciate you and all my other blogger friends.
Hey Laurel! How are you my friend? Love your photos....just wanted to stop in and send Thanksgiving wishes your way. Take good care, xo
Gorgeous photos, Laurel!