Artist: Elisabeth Ladwig
Title: The Weight of a Snowflake
Medium: Photo Collage on Watercolor Paper
Dimensions: Please Select
Printed on museum-grade, textured fine art paper (100% rag archival). Unframed fine art prints.
18"h x 12"w: Edition of 28
27"h x 18"w: Edition of 17
35" h x 23"w: Edition of 7
"Unlike most of my work, I knew in advance what this piece meant to me. I knew why I was creating it. Beautiful, powerful things can happen when we work together to achieve them. The following tale by Joseph Jaworski, of which there are many versions, is one that has inspired me time and time again: "Tell me the weight of a snowflake", said the robin to the dove. "Why, it weighs nothing more than nothing," replied the dove. "In that case," the robin began, "I must tell you a marvelous story. I was sitting on a branch of a fir tree when snow began to fall... not heavily, not in a raging blizzard - no, just like a dream, delicately and peacefully. I decided to count the snowflakes settling on the needles and twigs of my branch: 3,741,952. Then suddenly, as the next snowflake landed, weighing 'nothing more than nothing,' as you say, the branch broke off." With that, the robin flew away. The dove thought for a moment and said, 'Perhaps we are just a snowflake away from achieving peace in the world.'" Elisabeth Ladwig
"The Weight of a Snowflake" presents an ethereal interpretation composed of intricate snowflake forms that coalesce into the silhouette of a dress. The bottom of the dress flares out gently, reminiscent of a ball gown, while the structure of the supposed bodice extends upwards, fading into obscurity as it blends with the surrounding darkness. The entire form is showcased against a dark background with a subtle gradient of deep red to blue at the bottom edge. Sparkling particles scattered throughout the image showcase a gentle snowfall, which adds to the wintry, magical atmosphere created by the snowflake-adorned dress structure. The overall effect is one of delicate beauty and a fusion of natural crystalline shapes with the elegance of a classic evening gown.