Today I continued work on my family website and added a few pictures and a few malicious remarks; I corrected errors after reading in my documents. I added a picture of my mysterious ancestor, my Granny's Granny. Who was she really? Rumors said she was Jewish. But Jews were not allowed to settle in Estonia before 1865, an era of liberalism under Tsar Alexander II, who also gave more freedom for the Finns. Few years before, 1861, slavery had been abolished. Anna married in 1850. Her husband was Mart(in). When he became a free man, he was allowed to choose a surname, and he chose the squirrel to be his "totem", his name became Orrav. His sons, Wladimir and Alexander, changed this into Eichhorn, the German word for squirrel.
The only way to rise in society was to leave the old life behind.
Continued...
New watercolour/gouache painting and collage on black paper: A Night in Hortensia Gardens.
Hortensia means Hydrangea.
4 comments:
I love your little watercolours! They remind me of some of my favourite artists -Klee and Kandinsky; and of course Hundertwasser! I think its the geometrics and the colours.
I do a bit like this when the mood takes me - small prepared paper collages with watercolour and gouache. Nice bright/strong colours cheer you up on cold, grey winter days. Have fun.
x Chris
Love the painting - and you have me totally captivated with your stories and your wonderful antique photos. Your grandmother is beautiful!
I agree with Chris on the Kandinsky comment. One of my favorites too. I love this piece of yours.
Isn't family history fascinating? I got lost in my family genealogy several years ago and was able to trace my fathers family all the way back to the late 1600s in Worms, Germany. I would love to visit this town someday to see exactly where my ancestors came from.
Have a wonderful new years :) Diane
the Hortensiz Garden painting is fabulous....my favorite color is that limish/chartreusey green! I just love that painting! It sings!!!
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