The Flower Window

Carl Larsson painted the room pictured above three times. Known for his lovely indoor compositions which included his beloved wife and family, this one, Flower Window is the one I love the most. So much so, that 30 years ago I bought a large melanin tray with the image on it that I still use today.

His daughter Suzanne is the young model and she is tending to a window-full of flowering plants. I also appreciate the unfinished knitting project on the table with four needles no less, and the pretty hooked pillow on the divan. The painting is homey and calming and denotes what I imagine is an outside spring thaw, due to the open casement window on the right. If it were summer, perhaps the plants would be outside on a stone terrace or patio.

When the weather whispers spring, don’t we all just crave to open one small window to let the new season in to say hello? Of course, I could open a window today but ice tentacles would snap at my curtain and within a few minutes I would have to shutter it right quick. Not yet…not yet.

I have a nice three window “picture window” in my living room and I have often thought of creating a flower window like Larson’s. But the space is better suited for my lap-dog kind-of-sofa. Instead, I built a mini flowery space beside my kitchen sink. Occasionally I will buy a tiny orchid plant for color to sit beside an equally tiny topiary and a green plant which grows from the top of a clay lady’s head. That sounds strange but I like her eyeing me as I wash the dishes. A few years ago, I also found a little brass bell shaped like a woman’s dress and to continue the ambiance, it sits on a small floral china dish. I add to this grouping and take-away by whim and reason.

Carl Larsson used every part of his winsome Swedish home. He wrote quotes and bits of poems on the walls and almost every door had a curlicue painted around it. But it is this peaceful image  that draws me into his embellished world – his young garden-keeper tending the family greens and shoots until the windows can be flung open at last. It’s a wonderful painting to meditate on while spring is still backstage.

~

P.S. Postcards of Flower Window can be purchased on zazzle.com for just a few dollars. I also recommend the book, A Home, with paintings by Carl Larsson and text by Lennart Rudstrom.

Paul’s Easy Hot Cocoa

Fill a mug with whole milk and microwave (I do three minutes). Can also be done on stove.

In small cup or bowl, measure out two tablespoons of real cocoa powder (we use Droste). Add one teaspoon Stevia (this is a sugar-free cocoa which allows the chocolate flavor to dominate). Add a splash of half and half or cream and stir to make a sticky paste.

Spoon and stir paste into the hot milk. Use a hand-held frother for just a minute to blend.