Patricia Pinsk - Artist and writer
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Patricia Pinsk - Blog

Artist and freelance writer

Blizzards, snow queens and hook-ups

1/29/2015

 
Blizzard in a snow globe illustration © Patricia Pinsk
Blizzard in a snow globe ~~ © Patricia Pinsk
Snow and ice can get a little scary when it comes to children’s books too. A well-known older story is The Snow Queen (Danish: "Snedronningen", by Hans Christian Andersen).

The queen is a magical, cold-hearted creature made of snow. As heartwarming children’s stories go, she kidnaps one of the characters, Kay (a little boy).


The story also includes evil trolls, robbers and the freezing of hearts into ice blocks. The heroine, Gerda, has to constantly fend off nasty characters, AND…wait for it - run barefoot in the snow in nothing but her summer dress.

What a girl won’t do to save the boy she cares for!
What does it take to tell a story? Hype? Exaggeration? Extreme conditions? The recent blizzard along the east coast (of N. America) caused a fantastic media frenzy. With headlines like "Tens of millions brace for worst as historic blizzard pummels northeast", I’m sure most people wanted to run for cover – and stay there until the spring.
As much as this story is a bit over the top in sensational challenges, and reminiscent of the Monty Python Four Yorkshiremen sketch, it does contain a strong female character. Gerda can pretty much battle and outwit her way out of anything – and she doesn’t need a heavy parka and snow boots to do so.

The Snow Queen parallels the recent blizzard, as we wonder just how bad things will get before they get better. With sensational blizzard headlines like “#Snowmageddon2015”, “Crippling blizzard, transit systems shut”, and "Potentially historic storm heads for U.S. Northeast” many of us sat glued to our devices, watching the News.

There is an even stranger parallel between this story and the blizzard. Like Gerda who was on a quest to find Kay, New Yorkers flocked to Craigslist to find 'blizzard boyfriends' and girlfriends. Hopefully for those on  such quests, there were happy endings all-round.
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This week's "Blizzard in a snow globe" illustration is illustrated in ink and digital collage.
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  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Abstract art
    • Editorial illustration
    • Children's illustration >
      • B&W children's illustration
    • Writing
  • Blog
  • Contact