It’s been the coldest February in years, and I’ve been absolutely loving it!

When it keeps freezing:
-We drive on snow, which is soft and silent.
-The ice grows thick and strong so we can ice skate, ski, or even drive cars across the lakes.
-The house stays clean as the dogs only bring in a bit of snow now and then.
-Wearing cozy layers every day.
-The snow is easy to handle (only when it gets warmer, you get the nasty slush)
-Perfect weather to enjoy hot chocolate, soup, and mashed potatoes.
-And the perfect invitation for the sauna too.

Of course, I’ve been drawing.
Even a bit more than the previous months, as I felt my energy returning with every minute of extra daylight.

I made a few sketches in my art journal, too.
This spread was after a week where everything went wrong.
I had ‘tomtebloss*’ and smoke coming from the sockets, handles that were stuck since the 70s, flew off my doors, one of the dogs (Oona obviously) slipped in the hallway, she also destroyed the water filter, the trashbin outside froze stuck, and at the studio I got both an electricity issue and an error on the heating installation.
So with all this bad luck, I was triple careful when I went skating 🙂

*Tomtebloss = sparklers. I couldn’t find a better word to describe the issue to the electrician 🙂

All the way from Belgium, some presents came my way.
Small zines from Loopvis.
A snail pin by Charlotte Peys.
And several books.

From sessions with Emma Carlisle about panels:

I don’t like cooking, but I did make bird food 🙂

From a session of people and dogs in landscapes with Frances Ives:

During the darkest months, while finishing a picture book and other projects, I had very little extra energy, and therefore, I scaled back on Zoom sessions. Halfway through January, I got a bit antsy, in need of a challenge, something creative. Something fun.

I subscribed to Draw Brighton– and I wondered why I didn’t join earlier.
Every week, they host 2 portrait sessions and 3 life model drawing sessions on Zoom.
At first, I was hesitant. Life drawing online?
On a small computer screen…
But I can tell you, I’ve been drawing more diverse people and poses than ever before.
In only a few weeks, I filled an entire Royal Talens sketchbook!

What’s next?

-In March, while awaiting the return of the cranes (and spring), I’ll be finishing my winter zine. I’m still drawing, painting, and writing, but I have an idea of when/how I’d like to end this chapter.
-I’ve been asked to film more of my practice for YouTube, and now that we have more light, it might be nice to start doing that again. If there is anything you’d like to see on video, let me know!
-I’ll be working on a few interesting projects.
-And celebrating my oldest dog’s 13th birthday!

That’s it for now.
Take care!

X