Mother's Day Snowdrops, acrylic on canvas, Joanna Harling 2013
Snowdrops March 20th 2013
Browsing through Winifred Nicholson pictures online prior to planned visit to Kettle's Yard in Cambridge I came across a lovely picture of lily of the valley on a window sill. I love Winifred Nicholson and we have the wonderful Candle, Eigg in our kitchen (a poster from Tate exhibition 1987). I often turn to her when I need cheering up and for inspiration from her fabulous colours.
Well it is too early for lily of the valley in a normal year let alone this one with everything coming so late. A few days before my daughter had made an endearing mother's day posy of snow drops with ivy (she does have a knack with these things) and I had put this on a tile that my son had made at school. By blatantly copying Winifred Nicholson's setting with the brilliant backlighting she achieves I was able to paint Mother's Day Snowdrops.
I had just finished this when my friend Gretel Parker came to stay for the weekend. Gretel is a talented illustrator, painter, author, needlefelter (yes the list goes on and on very annoying for those of us with barely one skill to our names). Through the chaos that is our kitchen Gretel was drawn to my snowdrop painting and we talked about Winifred Nicholson, colour, not overworking things and Gretel's efforts to keep her life together after the tragic death of her partner. One of the things she is planning is to do up the bedroom as we all know we cannot function with out sleep. The next morning I gave the painting to Gretel and the amazing thing was that she told me she had dreamt that the snowdrop picture was in her house. I was so happy to be able to do one small thing for someone who is trying so hard to cope with the near impossible. I have found few things better for lifting the spirits than an artist I admire, admiring my work.
Unfortunately I had not photographed the posy created by my daughter but I have tried to cobble something together with the few snowdrops left in the garden today. Spring is creeping on despite still bitter conditions. The lengthening days apparently tells the plants it is coming even if temperature still low- why isn't it having that effect on me?
