One

Astrid Walsh ·

ONE

I have been threatening to start a newsletter for some time now.  To those of you finding this in their inboxes: welcome!  You are witnessing the birth of something new for me.  There will be artwork, writing and news when I have some.

I had a few different ideas of how to start.  Then, while walking to school with my son yesterday, he asked me: ‘what is your lucky number, Mama?’.  I, as always struggling to give an answer for fear I will be held to it, mumbled something unconvincing.  We play the game ‘would you rather’ often. ‘Would you rather give up cheese or chocolate?’. I have to practice not overthinking an answer, because deep down part of me believes someday I will actually have to choose between giving up cheese or chocolate, or wether I would rather have eyes for hands or hands for eyes.  ‘My lucky number is 1’, he said. ‘Because it’s the smallest number and I am the smallest in my family’.  ‘Ok’ I replied, busily trying to evaluate the implications of this for him, his personality, his life and future prospects (as you do).  He continued ‘I love seeing all the nines in a row:

…and then you add 1 and it changes everything and you get Googolplex’. *

It’s not the first time that I have had my mind silently blown on the way to school.

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

 You add 1 and it changes everything.

And there I was thinking he felt powerless.

One person to a family

One person changing the rules

One apology

One decision

One woman refusing to give up her seat

One tipping point

One blog post

One step 

One step 

One step

One is the smallest number, but it has the power to change everything.  

*(A googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes.  Googolplex is the number 1 followed by a googol zeroes)

What is a Visual Advent Calendar

Astrid Walsh ·

Since 2019 I have been offering an image a day for the 24 days of Advent, ending on Christmas Eve.  The Advent Calendar is originally a German tradition and as children we always had one, made by my grandmother.  It was embroidered and had small metal rings on it, from which dangled a little parcel. There was chocolate inside and a few times little gifts.  My two sisters and I took turns cutting the little parcel from the calendar - ‘Abschneiden’ was always very exciting.  Now I have one for my son, embroidered with love by my mother, his ‘Oma”.

Along with the novelty of getting to eat chocolate first thing in the morning, there was a sense of building anticipation.  It was also a small act which really set this time apart from the rest of the year.  In the earliest forms of this tradition a candle was burned every day, or a simple chalk mark put on a wall.  Later devotional images were hung, or maybe a short verse from the bible.  I love the act of putting up an image every day and the interactions that follow.  In the last few years I have been including some thoughts or observations and they do feel like little prayers, offered to everyone at this time of year.

For me it has been an opportunity to show people some of what I have been working on, particularly during a time where I have not being showing my work in galleries.  The reason it is in its fifth year though, is because of the always overwhelming positive response I have gotten. It could easily have been a one off if it weren’t for the question: ‘are you doing your advent calendar again this year?’.  This year it will be a mixed bag, some older work, some newer work and some photography.  But everything will be available as a print from my website for the first time.  I always want to offer opportunities for people to be able to own and enjoy something at an affordable price. Each day a new print will be offered…but only until Christmas Day! On Christmas Day, they will come down again.

The prints will go to you directly from the printer, to save them being shipped twice. I was not able to make a test print of each and every one, so if there is a problem or if they do not meet expectations, contact me and we will sort it out! Please stay in touch during this, because it really is my way of connecting with people coming up to Christmas.  I have never been good at sending cards.  It’s not a German tradition!