My nose hasn’t stopped sniffing as I write this entry. Winter, and with it, snow, has arrived early in Tallinn this year, bringing the first thick layer of snow. Despite catching a cold due to the sudden temperature changes, I’m still incredibly happy with the winter spectacle unfolding in front of my eyes.
The book Winter- und Weihnachtsmärchen arrived at the end of September, and I had been hoping to photograph it against a snowy backdrop, “it would be perfect”, I thought to myself. Dream come true! Now, with less than a month until Christmas, it seems the perfect time to showcase this project that I’ve been so delighted about.
This is my first time working with a publisher in Germany <and imagine my pleasant surprise when I learned that they discover me and my work through my website amidst the vast expanse of the internet! :)>. I owe a special thanks to Lena, who has been incredibly kind and supportive, and keen to have me on the project despite my not speaking a word of German. Danke, Lena!! Since I don’t speak German, navigating the brief was quite an interesting challenge. The team had to source English version of all these stories from various internet archives. However, I still feel the need to conduct extensive research myself to fully engage with the narratives. I explored all the artistic interpretations of these stories, watched the Nutcracker’s ballet, and even purchased a kindle version of “Peter and Anneli’s Journey to the Moon” (currently out of print). I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and its illustration). Although it might seem excessive to put so much effort into a couple of illustrations for each tale (there are 12 in total), yet for me, it was the only way I could do to be able to get myself immersed in the mood and tone of the stories.
It was fortunate for me that, during the time I worked on this book, I was in Tallinn (Estonia) and experienced a European Christmas for the first time in my life. The season was colorful and magical, with many of which strongly influenced the scene where Peter and Anneli entered the forest of Christmas trees.
Here are also some photos of the toy soldiers I took for the inspiration to work on The nutcracker’s illustration.
Tallinn is a quaint niche city near the Baltic Sea, featuring an old town that evokes a sense of times long past. Despite its dark winter, there is a dreamy, almost poetic feel to the place. I was fortunate to experience many inspirational moments there that greatly influenced my work.
To me, even the shape of bare trees covered in snow looks exquisite. Having spent most of my life in tropical countries, I find winter utterly enchanting.
There was one somewhat dramatic event during my time working on this book that has become a special memory for me. Last winter, the heating system of the old house where I stayed in Tallinn was slightly broken, and it failed to properly heat the entire place. With temperatures outside dipping to many degrees below zero, I huddled in my tiny “studio”, surrounded by auxiliary heaters (not to mention the many layers of clothing I wore to stay warm)
‘camping’ near the fireplace in the sitting room to keep ourselves warm during the winter night
However, due to this incident, one of the house windows developed a strange-looking ice texture. Over time, it evolved into a mesmerizing pattern.
here it started, little snowflakes look-alike formation
Then look how it had grown
This ice pattern has become one of the main textures I’ve featured throughout the project. Such a timely alignment, in my opinion.
Let’s not overlook one of my favorite illustrators, Gustaf Tenggren, who has long influenced my work. His illustration for the classic version of Snow White and Rose Red are, in my opinion, some of the finest for this tale. Working on this story, which has been a favorite fairy tale of mine since childhood, was a dream come true. Therefore I couldn’t imagine a more perfect time to incorporate a small tribute to Tenggren’s work.
Finally, and crucially, Oscar Wilde, the writer who inspires me most, has two of his stories featured in the collection of Christmas tales Winter- und Weihnachtsmärchen. This is the second time I've had the honor of illustrating his work, but I've read his stories countless times before. Yet I must admit, I still shed a tear every time I read The Happy Prince.
Last summer, I found a small dead bird in the garden and buried him between the berry trees, It feel surreal now,
taking a photo of this artwork here
A year and a half ago, while in Paris gathering references for a different project, I visited the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, where Oscar Wilde is laid to rest. The trip profoundly impacted me - it was the first time I felt such a close connection to my muse writer. Around the same time, I learned that I would soon be working on another Oscar Wilde’s stories (The Winter- und Weihnachtsmärchen project). I silently prayed for his blessing there. Not sure how it would turn out in the end… However, seeing the beautiful outcome of Winter- und Weihnachtsmärchen is a precious reward in itself, and I am truly grateful for this opportunity and for every special moment I experienced while working on this book.
