There is a Swedish tradition, similar to the Japanese one of the happy cat, or the American tradition of giving flowers to celebrate and send good wishes. It's the gift of the della horse.
The dala horse popularity as a token of good luck and a gift of wishes for prosperity began for Sweden at the 1937 World Fair exposition in Paris. It was used as a symbol for the Swedish promotional materials. Then, it became a star of the New York World's Fair in 1939, where a huge painted horse was placed in front of the Swedish pavilion.
My dala is a nod to the sweetness of gift giving traditions. But me being me, I also added a narrative of the underlying motivation behind many gifts in our society these days - the dollar. I visited Lindsborg, KS where they have the world's only herd of wild dala. The town is peppered with wooden horses painted by local artists. My painting is inspired by one that stands in front of a bank in this charming little town.
There is a Swedish tradition, similar to the Japanese one of the happy cat, or the American tradition of giving flowers to celebrate and send good wishes. It's the gift of the della horse.
The dala horse popularity as a token of good luck and a gift of wishes for prosperity began for Sweden at the 1937 World Fair exposition in Paris. It was used as a symbol for the Swedish promotional materials. Then, it became a star of the New York World's Fair in 1939, where a huge painted horse was placed in front of the Swedish pavilion.
My dala is a nod to the sweetness of gift giving traditions. But me being me, I also added a narrative of the underlying motivation behind many gifts in our society these days - the dollar. I visited Lindsborg, KS where they have the world's only herd of wild dala. The town is peppered with wooden horses painted by local artists. My painting is inspired by one that stands in front of a bank in this charming little town.