ARTIST WEBSITE
So it’s the week of Easter and this year my Easter surprise was that my website crashed for 4 days!! Apologies are in order to those of you who tried to unsuccessfully access it, nice to know that it was due to a lot of traffic, so thank you.
EASTER AND ANIMATION
Anyway the story this week is of course about Easter and this will be our third one here by the sea, time flies when you are having fun. The animated painting is of course a scene from my background as a Swede and the Swedish Easter painting is animated and set to music by my friend Susan Flashman. I can sense the confusion on your faces as to what witches has to do with Easter so here is the story about that.
COMMISSIONED PAINTINGS
We Swedes are weird, you know in a nice way, and it wasn’t until we immigrated to Australia that I realized that fact. I was originally commissioned to paint a Easter painting by my American gallery a few years ago. The owner like me is Swedish and I had free reign to paint whatever I choose as long as it was to do with Easter.
Notice something strange about it, what’s with all the witches on broomsticks I hear you say? Well that’s perfectly normal – no little cute bunnies for us Swedes, no we have witches flying around and flying off to Blakulla (the Blue Mountain) to meet the man downstairs, you know who I mean! I think the animation and the naive painting really suits Halloween too.
THE ART OF EASTER
When I was little in Sweden we would dress up as Easter witches, raid mums or grandma’s wardrobe for long skirts. We wore colorful head scarves and painted our cheeks red, and then we would go from house to house in our neighborhood and knock on every door and be given lollies and sometimes fruit. Much like the Americans do for Halloween.
PAINTING BOILED EGGS
We would also spend a day painting boiled eggs which would later be eaten during the Easter celebration together with a smorgasbord feast. We would go and pick small branches and twigs of willow and birch (the ones with lots of soft little fury buds, so cute!) and then we would decorate it with feathers and small witches on broomsticks and other decorations much like a little Christmas tree. Every Swedish household would have a vase of these on the table.
ORIGINAL PAINTING
The original painting was framed with the Easter eggs on the side. Yes we would receive an Easter egg too but not one made from chocolate, instead it was made from cardboard with bright pictures on it or from plastic and usually filled to the brim with lollies and chocolates.
But of course mine was a bit different, always being the eccentric (oh yes I do admit that). So what do you think mine was filled with, something really yummy, that I could not usually eat as much of as I would like of course….a jar of peanut butter that’s what. Weird kid, weird Swedish kid!
This quote by Matt Lauer made me laugh today:
“Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can’t remember what they are.”
Hope you are enjoying your chocolates!
Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!
Love Marie xxx
If you enjoyed this one you may also like another art blog on Swedish customs 113 Art & Swedish Traditions, Another weird one
Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.
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