More than a Painter (Carl Larsson)

Where has my sunshine gone? Today is swordfighting day, but the cold air and pouring rain are making strong arguments for staying indoors. Perhaps it's time to hang up the swords and shields for the year and turn to writing. It's not a bad prospect, though it would be more exciting if I had a hearth or a woodstove.

I've been reading about Carl Larsson lately, and coming to appreciate his art a little more. He seemed to live a very integrated life, making his whole home a changing growing work of art. From his paintings it seemed that his house was a good example of the ideas in Pattern Language since he and his wife designed and built much of their added spaces and furnishings. And when I see the pictures of his studio ...well, I salivate a little.

Larsson worked for ten years on his first album of pictures from his home life. On one hand, it's a little daunting to think about, but on the other hand trying to catch little, fleeting moments around the house is certainly a good exercise for the artist. In that spirit, here are a couple of my own little household sketches: