The Sleeper's Den

This little painting was made specifically for everyone to whose kind comments I failed to reply in a timely manner in ... January. All through November, December and January, I worked very hard on a specific project at the office that took up most of my time and energy. But other people were busy too, and they replied to their fest comments. So it's me. I am unforgivably disorganised, and at the end of last year and the beginning of this one, it was worse than ever. 

I didn't get round to replying, and as the weeks stretched into months, the situation became more and more embarrassing and ridiculous. But the matter never sat well with me — not least because of how much these comments mean to me. So I wanted to apologise with a small gift, on the next gift-giving occasion. 

Please, dear reviewer, accept my sincere apology and this Easter egg. I hope you can forgive me for having been such a rubbish fest participant.

My entry for the Pure-Blood Prince Fest at e_prince_snape, and cross-posted there...

Title: November
Author/Artist: sigune
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/character(s): Eileen Prince (& Tobias Snape)
Challenge: Pure-blood Prince fest. My prompt was #63, "photograph".
Summary: In November 1959, Tobias Snape gets it into his head to take a photograph of his wife.
Warnings: none whatsoever.
Notes: I signed up for art, but ended up writing a 100-word drabble alongside it :).

November

When he entered the house whistling, Eileen groaned. He had fixed the thing, as he had said he would. She knew there was no escape now.

“Go on, into the light with you!” Tobias ordered, triumphantly waving the old camera at her.

“Sentimental nonsense,” Eileen muttered; but she hoisted herself out of her chair, and pulled on a coat and hat against the crisp November cold.

Once outside, watching her husband fidget with the camera, she could not stop a faint smile of amusement from curling her mouth. Very well, then. But she refused to look at the stupid birdie.

~*~*~
( Our Eileen, November 1959. )

There is a first time for everything; in this case, I am offering my very first art rec. Since I discovered her work at SH Illusions, I have been an ardent admirer of chicxulub (who, I have just discovered, also goes by the name of iron___bridge). I have traced her to deviantART, where all her gorgeous pictures can be found together in one album - mmmmm... I find that there is one painting in particular to which I keep returning, trying to find out what it is that draws me to it, and that is the one I want to rec to you:

Princess

G, no warnings; it is Eileen Snape in Spinner's End.

Pictures like those make me want to take up watercolour... (Actually I bought myself a box of them yesterday, fully intending to set to work once RL allows me to.) The effects are lovely and the colours great. I also love how the artist combines the paint with beautiful, clear line work.

There is something deceptively simple about this picture, probably because its complexities are so subtly done. The composition is brilliant, with Eileen in the margin and yet eye-catching because of the bright green of her dress and bright orange of the watering can. The idea of portraying her with that can, cultivating small bits of green in brick surroundings, is just great. She is not dominated by her environment, even if the dirty cloud from the mill's chimney looks ominous and threatening.

Oh, it's just marvellous. Go and see for yourselves.

Two Princes is up at DeviantArt - in colour, this time.

I like Eileen Prince better every day.