Thursday, January 24, 2013

Deep Freeze


I don't usually pop in here to do quick posts. 
Why not? Here are some images from a bitter cold day. 
I was fascinated with the ice patterns that formed on the windows, 
and looking through the ice to the light and trees beyond. 


The wind is howling and the temperature is dropping to 
about - 9 degrees F (- 22 C), but after tonight, it will start getting a bit warmer. 
This time of year I am reminded of the scene in Dr. Zhivago where they are living 
in a frozen country estate, in one heated room. The image of the Ice Palace as I 
think it is called, is a strong memory from my childhood. 









There were a lot of VERY short outside jaunts today for Pasha, followed by long 
warm-ups by the fire. I stayed in, mostly. A good day for teaching prep, though the 
studio would have been nicer. I didn't want to use a ton of propane. But then 
I went to check on the studio and found I wasn't using ANY. Frozen, but the gas 
heater came on easily, so, not sure if there's a problem with the thermostat. 
I left it going fine, we'll see, choosing not to fret. Frozen inks and watercolors 
and glues... they'll thaw. Its happened once before in the old studio. 
And so it goes. 




54 comments:

ArtPropelled said...

Brrrrr... Can you believe we were 45C yesterday while Pasha was cozying up to the fire. I've just been admiring your Winter Branches in the last post. Stunning work Valerianna! So happy to see your owl came back.

The Cranky Crone, she lives alone! said...

Tree ice, fractuls, nature mimicking nature, such beauty right there before us, no need to visit art sometimes it visits us.

india flint said...

crazy cold at your end of the planet. keep close to that cat.

Barry said...

VA - deep freeze indeed; but it has provided the opportunity for some incredible ice-crystal shots. Very wise cat - dashes outside and warms up in front to the fire. Hope the gas to the studio is OK. You have the deep freeze; and we have lashing of rain after our heatwave - what a mad world. Go well and stay warm. B

LeeAnn at Mrs Black's said...

What gorgeous images! Truly magical. We are frozen here in our tiny village in England too! Pasha looks fabulous by that wood burner.
~ Minerva x

Lynn said...

Those ice crystals are amazing.
That's cold! We've only dipped a few degrees below 0 C here in Munich - and that only at night. Hope you and Pasha are staying warm. And that your supplies thaw without any mishap.

Valerianna said...

That's warm, Robyn... hard to imagine when in the depths of the opposite extreme! Thanks for the feedback on the Winter Branches, I SOOO wanted to get back to those right away, but the universe had other things in mind, and now the freeze in the studio, ugh.

Valerianna said...

Yes... art visits us- all the time.... there is no separating nature and art.

Valerianna said...

I always know where to find him in the chair or sprawled on his sheepskin by the fire.

Valerianna said...

I had fun with them. Definitely a wise, old cat. He seems to be able to feel the frigid temperatures from inside, as he doesn't even ask to go out in the early mornings anymore, somehow knowing he wouldn't like it.

Valerianna said...

Thanks, Minerva - stay warm!

Valerianna said...

Hi Lynn... I'm hoping I'll go out to the studio later and find that whatever adjustment I did last evening fixed the problem. Otherwise I might start to feel rather challenged!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Beautiful patterns.. all so magically different.

Caterina Giglio said...

yes, bitterly cold here as well, and just happy when the temp stays above 0... and like you I have that scene from Zhivago seared in my picture memory banks ... beautiful post...

Valerianna said...

Yeah, so much variation! I was wishing I had a super-duper macro camera for these patterns, but my little point and shoot does reasonably well.

Valerianna said...

Keep warm, Caterina, I've been delaying the inevitable journey outside to load in wood... been wating until today as it was suppose to get much warmer. Still only about 10 out, but I need to load in now, coldest day yet for outside work.... at least I'll be moving!

Unknown said...

And here in Southeast alaska, 43 degrees this morning! What the heck!
Lovely frost patterns - stay warm, Pasha and V.
xxoo, sus

Unknown said...

So beautiful. Your photos are stunning. How wonderful it must be to have your own studio. Stay warm.
xoxo.

Valerianna said...

Whoa, Susan, that is weird... getting warming the next few days. Today 18, tomorrow 20, Sunday 24. Being near the ocean, what is the norm for your Jan/Feb. is it usually majorly frigid or does the sea keep things warmer?

Valerianna said...

Yes... I love my studio, just wish everything was working properly so I could be out there today. :(

Tammie Lee said...

such a lovely strand of images
your frosty windows are beautiful and whimsical

i love the last closeup of spheres!

Valerianna said...

Those are so interesting to see through the camera's eye... I would LOVE to have had a really good lens for those!

Windsongs and Wordhoards said...

Wow.... tiny ice trees, ice feathers and ice shells - beautiful! Hope you are keeping warm - so nice to come in out of the ice to a cosy fire :)

liniecat said...

Those frosty designs would be fun to recreate in stitch!
Circular free motion stitching for the last one for example.
Great pics of Natures creations

Valerianna said...

Much warmer today... still cold, but its amazing the difference in 8 degrees when its arctic air! Easier to keep the house cozy today.

Valerianna said...

Yes, I can imagine stitching these would be amazing, though a challenge... well, especially for me, I am NOT a stitcher!!

Sweetpea said...

brrrrr...my goodness, sorry for your freeze in the studio. Still, how lovely to have those ice crystals for company if cold is your guest...

Best wishes for a bit of thaw.

A mermaid in the attic said...

Brrrr, Valerianna, I can't even begin to imagine -22˚C, and frozen inks and paints! Hasn't been too bad here the last few days, mostly in the low 30s, though it will be getting high later this week. Hopefully not back up to the mid 40s that we had after Christmas (I know how you feel Robyn!). I'm really NOT a summer person, but don't know if I could handle your kind of winter...somewhere in the middle would be nice! ;-)

Valerianna said...

There were no ice crystals in the studio.... new, super insulating windows.... these ice crystals are from the house windows!! I love the sunlight shining through them as I walk around the house there are tiny, sparkling moments.

Valerianna said...

Luckily these arctic cold blasts don't last forever... and this isn't really even THAT cold for North America. Folks in the mid-west get really, REALLY cold. And then of course, there's Alaska and Canada. I can't even imagine tacking the snow loads there. Stay cool, Christina!!

henrietta (aka ani aka zani) said...

oh yes, dr. zhivago has some wonderful images of "frozen"...there is also the one where he breaths on the glass and transforms the configuration...or when driving by in the sleigh and he looks up to see the candle light through the frozen glass...winter charms do have their beauty...as does a warm fire...same kind of images in a way but from a different perspective: flames reaching out pulling back in. lovely

Karen said...

Such beautiful images. That part of Dr Zhivago has also stayed with me since childhood. I remember watching it so long ago (must watch it again!) and really feeling the cold that they felt...
Our ice and snow has left us now and we are back to rain.
Stay warm. x

Valerianna said...

OH, yes Henrietta... I remember those other amazing, frosty shots. I particularly love the candle light and the one where he breathes onto the glass. Thanks for reminding me!

Valerianna said...

Karen, DO watch again. A few years ago I watched it haven't not in EONS. I saw it with a friend who had never seen it. We loved seeing it and I was amazed at how little I remembered, but how some of those amazing ice shots had stayed with me.

We are still freezing, but are suppose to warm up A LOT next week. Maybe even some rain, which is yucky on top of good snow and it will freeze again.

jude said...

it sure is cold.....

Valerianna said...

Yup

Velma Bolyard said...

blogger has swallowed two comments--i checked in, anyway

Valerianna said...

That's weird. I've been unable to post comments on several blogs of late... bummer.

Sandra Dunn said...

Brrrrrreautiful! ;)

Lovely images Valerianna. The Dr. Zhivago made me laugh!
Is it thawing yet? Stay bundled dears.

Mo Crow said...

wow cold but sooo very beautiful!

Hindustanka said...

H, Valerianna! I do remember such patterns formed on our windows in winter..i used to look at them very attentively, as they are very beautiful. sometimes, they can look just like a fountain of sparkles, sometimes - like a branch of a pine tree..
Zhivago! One of my favorite novel. There is loads of winter time in it:)
Say hi to Pasha! And you both keep warm :)

trish said...

What beautiful, beautiful images of the ice... so cold, but so beautiful.
Frozen inks and watercolors and glues!! Oh my! I want to go and sit y my wood burner now.xxx

Sylvia Linsteadt said...

Ice palaces, yes! Pure magic. Thanks for these photos! :)

Valerianna said...

Several days later ( its now Wednesday, Jan 30) we have raind and 50! Go figure! It will be warm tomorrow, then back into the teens from then on. My driveway is now an ice rink!

Valerianna said...

I don't mind cold, but I melt in hot and humid! Guess I'm lucky I'm in North America!!

Valerianna said...

I had a few areas that were fountains of sparkles, too! Fun. We're keeping warm and Pasha is purring :)

Valerianna said...

Luckily the frozen studio ( strange-acting thermostat) seems to have fixed itself. At least the last few days all was well in there!

Valerianna said...

I've always wanted to stay in one of those ice hotels they make in Sweden or Norway or wherever it is!!

rivergardenstudio said...

What gorgeous photographs of your white crystal world. Thank you for the reminder of Dr. Zhivago. Oh, I love that movie!
roxanne

Valerianna said...

It was good to watch Dr. Zhivago again a few years ago. I was amazed that it had been over 25 years, I think, since my last viewing!

Anonymous said...

really amazing ice and crystal pictures... hope you are staying warm and perhaps enjoying the imposed break from the studio

Valerianna said...

Luckily the heater is just being ornery.. I have been able to be in there!!

illustration poetry said...

Good morning Beautiful Lady! :)

I have never seen snow in real life let alone ice patterns haha poor me =(
so thank you for sharing me some pictures they are amazing, really!! ♥

I hope you and Pasha have been well, take care!

xxoo, Mita

Valerianna said...

Goodness... just getting to this reply :)

Well, I do advise trying to see snow and frozen patterns sometime in your life.
Very beautiful!