Third nutcracker

   Well, It looks like this is my third and final nutcracker of the advent season. I was hoping to get four done but tomorrow is Christmas here in Austria. I say here because in the US, land of my birth, there is one more full day to go.
    I have been bustling between the logistics of a family, and the many studio projects that I wanted or needed to finish by the end of the month. I am especially thankful to my friends Kim and Rachel who kindly supported me with more than usual enthusiasm this month:) You were great!

   As I mentioned in the first of the nutcracker posts I danced ballet as a child and have always associated the nutcracker with Christmas. It is a Christmas story, and at the ballet school I attended, a chance to produce the most spectacular, extravagant backdrops, pure joy to any artist's heart. Each and every scene was produced with a very specific colour palette in mind. And the costumes, backdrops, and items on the stage changed as the ballet progressed. This multiplicity of color, pattern, texture, and atmosphere is rare in the pieces I have seen at the opera and theater in the last several years. Perhaps it was a style at the time, perhaps it reflects an American love of the fantastic. I do not know. But whatever the reason, it personifies the sparkle I associate with the joy of Christmas, and this 'sparkle' can be reduced down into one single object- a nutcracker. And thus, my nutcracker series- finished just in time for Christmas... Tomorrow!

This was the largest of the three nutcrackers I have painted so far. I adjusted it so that the illustration would be only slightly larger due to the heavy crown. This allows the three to be lined up together.

I worked on this illustration over several evenings while listening to an a mystery story on Audible. Here are the three nutcrackers lined up:

And finally, for those who have made it to the end of this post here are a few glimpses back at Advent.

 



















   I wish you a wonderful end of 2019. Look for scattered posts over the next week or two where I will be posting as between celebrations as I have the opportunity.





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