It’s the second exceptionally cold and snowy winter in a row in Helsinki. There’s actually more snow here than in Lapland.
With temperatures below zero since November, the only sketching I’ve been doing is from my window.
finland
Long shadows at noon. Sketchbook Helsinki 2010-11-26
For the next month or so, the sun manages just barely to climb over the horizon.
Functionalist Buildings in Kallio, Helsinki
Functionalist Buildings in Kallio, Helsinki, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Kallio (the rock, as it’s built on one of the rare hills in Helsinki) is a traditionally working class neighbourhood. The buildings range from Art Deco to 70s pre-fab. Most are in a pared-down modernist style.
Art Nouveau apartment buildings, Helsinki
Art Nouveau apartment buildings, Helsinki, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Corner of Bulevardi and Fredrikinkatu.
It’s getting cold, so this might be my last outdoor sketch of the year. If the weather stays sunny and I get myself a pair of fingerless gloves I might squeeze off a few more.
Alberga Manor, Espoo – the Sugar Castle
Alberga Manor, Espoo – the Sugar Castle, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
I often pass through the grounds of this pink manor house on my way to work. As the weather was nice I decided to draw it.
There has been a manor on this site since 1620. This latest incarnation was built in 1876. I don’t know if this neo-renaissance building bears any resemblance to the original. It’s also known as ‘Sugar Castle’ as its owner Feodor Kiseleff made his wealth trading sugar, and wood from sugar crates was used in its construction.
The Old Church, Helsinki
The Old Church, Helsinki, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
This wooden church was built in 1826 to serve as a temporary structure while the older cathedral was demolished and a new stone church was built to replace it.
The architect was Carl Ludvig Engel. He was responsible for most of the neo-classical buildings in the historical centre of Helsinki.
It’s almost impossible to draw this church from the front in the summer because of the big trees. It’s the same “Plague park” as here and here.
The first frost of the year melting into mist in the morning sun
The first frost of the year melting into mist in the morning sun, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
The title sounds like a bad parody of a Japanese poem, but it’s simply a description of what’s happening in the picture.
A very quick watercolour of the view from my office window, done before starting work.
The clearing in the middle right is a golf course, all frosted over. In the distance you can see a heating plant chimney (it heats up a whole neighbourhood) and the main radio tower in Pasila
Neo-Baroque apartment building on Annankatu
Neo-Baroque apartment building on Annankatu, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Most buildings in this neighbourhood date from the late 19th century, and range from Neo-Renaissance to Art Nouveau. This one is from 1898.
September in Plague Park
September in Plague Park, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Corner of Annankatu and Bulevardi in downtown Helsinki. The park on the left is known as Plague Park as the victims of the 1710 plague were buried there.
Autumn colours, Leppävaara
Autumn colours, Leppävaara, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Another phone doodle.
I’m lucky to have these never-ending roadworks under my office window. They keep changing the signs around, and there’s always a new kind of machine working on it.
Mille Croquis 