The whole neighbourhood used to be nothing but villas until they started to build pre-fab apartment blocks in the 50s.
helsinki
Luminous fogbank sliding in from the sea
Luminous fogbank sliding in from the sea, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
In the spring when the sea melts, we sometimes see very bright fog clouds.
This one rolled in very fast, stayed for a few minutes then retreated.
Seen from my office window in Espoo, looking over the bay towards Helsinki.
Snow-capped mystery car
Snow-capped mystery car, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
The mystery about this car is not its model or why would somebody let this much snow accumulate on their vehicle.
What’s mysterious is that it seems to have been driving around without disturbing the snow bank on top of it. The street under it has been cleared of snow and it has even left fresh tire tracks.
The solution is of course that the city has moved the car before the snow ploughs came, and has then returned it to its parking spot. Probably that also explains the mysterious markings on the snow…
Leppävaara train station -20C
Leppävaara train station -20C, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
It’s been exceptionally cold here in Helsinki this winter. I drew this from the safety of a warm train.
Drawn from my office window. Downtown Helsinki can be seen in the distance, over the frozen sea.
Snow and more snow
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.
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.
Sketchbook Helsinki 2010-11-09
Sketchbook Helsinki 2010 11 09, originally uploaded by Brin d’Acier.
Phone doodle.
To see the changes in the landscape due to road building, compare with this drawing of the same scene from nine moths ago:
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.
Mille Croquis 