productivity

Things have been quiet for a few days, and I have been making work rapidly. On Sunday I visited Seinäjoki with Huan Ya, who is doing work at the Nelimarkka Museo until April. We had Chinese food to ring in the new year, then visited a few shops and buildings designed by the architect Alvar Aalto. Aalto's work is a point of pride for the residents of Alajärvi; he designed the town hall and library here. His library in Seinäjoki is very impressive. There is a café, reading rooms, a fantastic children's section, soft cushions everywhere and a great lower level full of quiet nooks.

Inside Seinäjoki library

We also stopped by the Lakeuden Risti Lutheran church, where a christening was taking place. I had a quiet look around before we left the city center. Seinäjoki also has a few art supply shops, but like most specialty places, they are closed on Sundays. I did a little food shopping at Prisma, a giant warehouse where you can find everything from skis and hockey sticks to groceries and refrigerators. On the way home, I had a lovely chat with Huan Ya and her family about languages and Finnish culture. My new word for the day was jäätelö.

Lakeuden Risti church exterior / interior

Monday night's Finnish class was a challenge; it is often hard to follow the instruction, as everyone is at different levels and I do not have the basics down. We went over the partitive case, which involves changing the endings of nouns and their corresponding adjectives, a process I did not fully grasp until the end of the lesson. Our teacher is very good, and her use of visual aids helps a lot with vocabulary retention. I also got information about an upcoming local high school hockey game, which I plan to attend tomorrow after a workshop at the museum.

More scenes around Seinäjoki: sushi and Chinese, Alvar Aalto's architecture and a Swedish Ferrari

Artistic pursuits this week have been a little regressive. I have gone from large, complex drawings back to small sketches of single hands and feet; I suppose there is not much depth to these studies, but I am enjoying the process. I also worry that my subjects are off-theme, but as long as I keep producing work, at least I will have quantity.

Various pieces from the past week

Yesterday I went for a walk in the woods. The weather has been warm, and the snow melted away almost to nothing, so the forest was more green than white. The roads were icy for a few days, and by icy I mean there was about 4 cm of ice on every driving surface. Then the ice turned to slush, which was interesting to bike through, and finally it had just about disappeared. But this morning, I woke up to for inches of fresh, powdery snow that has been building up all day. The flakes are light and fluffy, and I only wish I could take a photo or video that captures some of the beauty of the snowfall amongst the pine trees. Maybe it's a good thing that you have to be here to truly experience it.

Scenes around the Pekkola region of Alajärvi as the snow melts

There is a new exhibition coming to the Nelimarkka Museo in a couple weeks; unfortunately I will be leaving shortly after the opening, but until then I will continue to make the most of the time here. I am beginning to make additional travel plans, so the usual anxieties about traveling alone are returning. For now I am nourishing myself with long walk, hot tea and lots of scones.