Merry X-mas and Happy New Year!

We are not sending postcards this Christmas, we gave all postcard & stamp money to charity. This image is one of the first experimental images by Lumi, she got a cheap digital Fisher Price kid's camera from a flea market. That's the way how you start doing art...

Merry X-mas and Happy New Year!

Before X-mas

See little girl fly! Images by Riitta Päiväläinen.

Robots, Fairies and Other Drawings

November, November...

First really chilly nights and days, wooden stairs of our house were still frozen this afternoon. The whole family hiked few kilometers at a nature reserve area: ponds were covered by thin ice, reed and trees had a thin cover of frost. Lumi looked quite professional. She had brand new winter trousers which we got with little (financial) support from grandmother.

Father's Day

Morning, Grandfather's Old Cottage

Well, this year could have been easier

Since I got nominated as chairman of the board of the Union of Artist Photographers, Finland, time started running short. I am also a board member of the Artists' Association of Finland and also board member of the Museum of Photography, Helsinki. This means that though I have not very much weekly activities, I got some long looks from my wife, who asks me how long am I going to do this... Especially because of our little daughter, who can be quite active sometimes (read: often).

My most sincere apologies to those who have followed my blog. I am going to do some updates - and I have not forgotten you.

Summer

Life is great, even though this little girl gives us lots of trouble when we want to renovate the old grandfather's cottage... We have again too much to do...

Face Painting

The first mask is supposed to be an ape... my most sincere apologies, if the artwork (by your's truly) looks liks like a cat!

Jurmo Island in 2011 (#1)

Oh boy, what a holiday. After furious driving during early hours we entered a boat to the one of the outmost islands, Jurmo. I fell in love with the island in the late 90's, and visited the island by kayaking several times. Now it was just below zero Celsius, but the wind in gusts was in storm readings. The boat could not enter the harbour due heavily packed ice, so we walked, both ways.

Lumi Drumming

-19 Celsius and...

..she keeps telling us that the snow is melting and the spring is coming (temps about 66 F)!
One can't beat that kind of optimism, so I did a little foxhole for her into snow.



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Autumn Summary

...so far: four or five cases of flu and three cases of inflammation of the eyes - and I am still very satisfied with our kindergarten. One just can't avoid this sh*t when dealing with small kids. But we are very tired... designing my web page is late, one exhibition proposal is half-done and both the studio and the house are a mess.

Father's Day Blues and Cabin Fever

Last Sunday was local Father's Day and my girls served me my Sunday paper, a cheese cake and full breakfast (which was great because I am the early bird in our family and I am usually making the coffee).

The flu has not left and the house is a mess. We had to stay indoors several days, so I really got crazy and frustrated. Lumi can turn a room chaotic in few minutes, and unfortunately we are too tired to clean it. Both parents want to sleep long and well, and get better again... and I miss the sea.

We are creative in the kitchen

...and constructed an extempore castle form two cardboard boxes! Somebody enjoyed the painting part quite a bit –see her red cheeks. Our kitchen activities get sometimes wild: you shoud check also this!

Last Days of September

Wow! Finally we really managed to do something! Besides finishing the bigger chimney, we did some apple calvados syrup and jam... And half of the calvados went down our throats - which is part of the fun...

Drumming again...

Sleepy time (Summer Memories #1)

...hot July night, after the sauna...

Amusement Park in Spring

... who is happier, the mother or the daughter? Or father?