Many Words For Snow
iPhone photography: birch and snow
These birches grow in the park behind the bus stop. It looks like the branches are sugar-coated! Although it was dark I had to pull out my camera. The photos are in colour but the landscape is in black and white. Monochrome. This scene makes me think of woodblock printing, linocuts, engraving and etching. And again, I’m inspired to create patterns for fabrics.
iPhone photography: frosted birch trees
Scottish Fold cat
And now there are more kittens in the litter. Pleased to introduce this marmalade tabby, an illustration of a Scottish Fold.
Expanding, meeting new friends, participating in group projects and finding inspiration. Closing in to focus on personal projects and deep connections with both online and offline friends and loved ones. And to swing back and forth between expanding and finding focus. Last year was an expanding year for me, this year I intend to be focused and yet open.
iPhone photography: birch branches
This extraordinarily snowy winter we’ve been giving different kinds of snow names. Feather snow, icing sugar, ice mist, castor sugar, sea salt flakes, snowball snow, movie snow… It’s been playful and imaginative.
I enjoy studying thoughts and ideas, the origin of words, to broaden my knowledge and explore the background. This winter I found out that it’s it’s a popular urban legend that the Inuit or Eskimo have an unusually large number of words for snow. And here I’d been saying “did you know that the Inuit have lots of words for snow!”…
Tags: black and white, carpe diem, cats, character, creativity, cute, Cute as a Button, fabric, focus, illustration, inspiration, iPhoneography, kawaii, letters, monochrome, snow
Well Birch trees are my absolute favorite and thinking of sugar coated Birch trees well that is just lovely! Woodblock prints, and linocuts two more favorites! : ) Such a fun, playful post I am loving your naming of the snow! We were having fun at the beginning of the season naming who left the frost and how they left it… Jack Frost dancing across the fields, the winter fairies flying with a sugar topped cake leaving it sprinkled across the yard as they hurried to their party… : )
I really like your game of naming who left the frost and how! It’s like making your own fairy tales, intertwined with reality. Poetic and fun!
Hejsan tjesan. I just love your photos. You really have captured the different types of snow and how much fun that you have named them. Maybe you are eskimo too. I love the orange kitten. I use to have an orange cat named oliver. He was my sweetheart. Have a great weekend Kate doing all that you love.
Tjena, Valarie! I’m very partial to marmalade cats and Oliver is a great name for a cat! I’ve had Kasper, Tudor and Agamemnon, and memories of my cats come to me when I make these cats. As well as thoughts of my English grandmother who loved her cats.
I hope you have a great weekend, I loved reading about the “The Next Chapter” book club over at your blog!
beautiful photos. They are black and and white but, like some photos you’ve posted before, they are an eerie feel to them and colors within the shadows. HOw do you capture those colors so perfectly?
The Scottish Fold brought a huge smile to my face. I delight in each and every breed you illustrate! you must be doing research for each one–I find that to be the part I’ve been looking forward to, lately.
And thanks for sharing the facts about the words for snow. Funny that we both mentioned word trivia in our posts today!
Thank you for your kind remark about my photos! I think it’s just the eye, I use the rather crappy camera on my iPhone, so many of my photos don’t come out at all, but I love the uncomplicated spontaneity of it! Besides, someone (I don’t remember who) said that “the best camera is the one you always have with you”.
And yes, I do research on the cats. Despite them all having similar features, I try to give them their characteristic features and colours. It’s fun, isn’t it, research? I see you’ve done some too, for your unique dinosaur necklaces!
:) My dad is fond of debunking that myth whenever snow arises as a topic of conversation. But even in English we have a variety of descriptive snow vocab like flurries, slush, sleet. I think your names would make a nice addition!
Ahhh, I arrive late to the myth debunking party! :D But that’s true, we do have a range of words for snow, and wet snow, stages of melting snow.
These are beautiful and inspiring photos Kate…and I hope to get to see your inspired fabric pattern! And your new kitty is too cute! Have a lovely weekend!
Hello Donna, thank you for your sweet comment and for being so supportive! Take care and I hope you have a beautiful weekend!
Deaar Kate, i adore your photos too…and such fun that you named them! Yipee to the new Hello Kitty friend…soo adorable. I love how you are defining your new year closing in to focus! Looking forward to your fabric pattern!
Thank you for sending me your love and support and for the very encouraging comment you left me on my first tutorial! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and love to yoU!
Hi Jacqueline, thank you for your encouraging comment and congratulations on your first tutorial!
Such thick frostings of snow there, Kate! Looks very much like here too! Your new marmalade kitty is ever so sweet… Look a bit like our Charlie-boy :o) Enjoy the creative flow and focus, my friend–Happy Week ((HUGS))
Thank you Tracy! Yes I thought about your Charlie. :)
Your creativity is riding high Keep going.
JT
Yes, I’m feeling so blessed with inspiration!
Dear Kate, what glorious pictures of snow! I love your snow names too, as well as your intention to be focused yet open. I feel like I’m heading in this direction as well, although I’m probably still in the expanding phase at the moment. Adore your kitty pic too :)
Thank you for your lovely comment, Wini! Yes… it’s about ebb and flow I think – for me, expanding and focusing, both are just as important! I love the expanding part so much that I worry it can take over! Focus…
Hahahah! It’s fun to see you Brits get all excited about snow! Enjoy it!
Oh, I find pleasure in the simplest things, at least when my mood is good enough. Things like rain, autumn leaves, long summer’s days… I think nature, and the small things in life can offer so much inspiration! :)