True Places

december, here we come!

{this thanksgiving, we went on a family hike, and came across this pay phone in the forest!} 

so sorry for the long absence:: life just seems to get in the way sometimes.  the lovely thing about winter, however, is that it means more time in the studio, more time shooting, more time for art.

and yet, in other ways, december has landed, and i am not sure i am ready.

in shop news, i am having a little sale over here, with 20% off until tomorrow.  come take a little peek!

how do you plan on squeezing in your creative time during the holiday season?

::the path ahead::

{Big Sur Coast, 2009}

the artistic beauty of the omo people

misty left a link to this video in her last post (thank you misty!), and immediately i was in love.  and totally inspired.  i already had a vision of my daughter for a series: dressed up as a mermaid in kelp and tulle, and this video has re-sparked my vision: i am totally going to pursue it.  you'll want to view this one large- it's amazing!

daily patterns

Grate Full :: 2009

Annus Horribilis. This 1992 phrase from Queen Elizabeth is playing on a continuous loop in my head. However, in my case it's more like "August Horribilis". Somewhere between the seriousness of California's fires and the nonsense surrounding celebrity deaths, it seems like there's more than enough trouble to go around.

The real low point for me though is that our family has been burning a trail to Stanford Cancer Center. Which, oh by the way, if you find yourself at Stanford Hospital, make sure to take the audio tour of the art collection. They have some amazing pieces (my personal faves are on the second floor and very Rothco-esque) and if you're really into it, they even have a link to itunes for major events and lectures...another side note, on the second floor they have a seemingly bottomless basket of jolly ranchers (watermelon!) on the surgical desk . . . it's the little things that make me happy.

Speaking of little things, I find that while going about my way on these crummy days I have to force myself to see. By default, I find myself looking for patterns. Always interesting and readily abundant, patterns are everywhere and if you look at even the most mundane things, there is something beautiful to discover.  I especially love to edit an image down to just the basics, a simple composition to find the essence of something I see (and ignore) all the time. I think it was Gauguin who said "It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object; beware of this stumbling block." 

It's an excellent exercise to remind yourself that seeing something as it really is requires a different kind of mindset, moving beyond seeing to compiling a series and giving the images a  title is part of the fun too. Enjoy. Check these out :

 

 

bumps in the road ::  outpouring :: passageways :: post & reply :: 2009

But enough of all that, it's nearly September 1st and I am ready to turn over a new leaf and look forward to what's left of the year. Can't wait to be back on a regular blog schedule again! And many thanks to everyone who emailed me while I was on this unfortunate hiatus - I appreciate it! 

Our girl had her surgery and is recuperating nicely . . . 

Our Bare Naked Ladies on the Bluff

tower 11

take a good look around.

  

Hank Moody (David Duchovny) in the UTK offices. I'm loving that painting so much I wish I was the receptionist there.

One thing I love to do as an interior designer is see how people live. It's fascinating to see the pattern of how people move about their space and what they choose to live with or without. Of course, I just happen to have a quote next to my computer that says " a home is not a mere transient shelter: its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it." by H.L. Mencken. And it is this very reason that I don't really subscribe to any of the major shelter magazines, because the personality is missing. Sure, the architecture is ah-mazing and all the furniture is loving selected and nicey nice but at the end of the day I am left wondering "where is all your stuff?" if I wanted to see a kitchen that looks like a showroom I would just go to the SFDC. So, I was really happy when recently I found Californication  . . . it's my favorite series and I will sing its praises to anyone who will listen. It's modern, hip and edgy and so are its sets, way more interesting lately than the magazines. . .

I have a bad habit of watching a movie or a television show and stopping it constantly (ta- da! thanks to Tivo) to take a good look at what I'm seeing. I can't tell you how many times I have watched Something's Gotta Give with Diane Keaton because her character had the most incredible beach house (the bedroom alone is worth going frame by frame just to see the Oly chairs and the styling detail is amazing). And all those Bond movies are chock full of killer sets that interestingly still look futuristic and some are more than thirty five years old (check out the floating stainless staircase in Goldfinger).

Anyway, I wanted you to see something that's been inspiring me lately, check out the art in these scenes from Californication  . . . me likey! I have no idea how to really source this . . . do you? Got any favorites of your own?

 

Check out "Karen" Natascha McElhone standing in front of an incredible painting and wait, what's

all that stuff on the table?  Are those her papers ? Huh?

surrender.

 the quiet sound :: 2009

I think that I may have mentioned my love of the Diana once or twice. It really is fantastic plastic! (even though i try to live my little eco-friendly life "sans plastique"  this particular phrase I decided was worth compromising) Quirky and unpredictable, what's not to love? It's a complete guessing game and you have no idea what awaits when you look at the negatives. Who doesn't love a surprise? So, I thought you might like to see this little series from our time on Daufuskie. Even though it was a sunny afternoon, I shot it on the lowest light setting. I love that quiet, dreamy, ethereal feeling that comes from overexposure. . . and chance.

Now, I know I spend alot of time talking about how I like things just so, but the truth is I am most drawn to that that fine line between organization and chaos.  Sometimes you just have to surrender to the process, "surrender, but don't give yourself away" - right? But we'll have to get into that later.

   

 

 lead away :: content  :: untitled :: first key  :: ellis hepburn 2009

 

 

 

high on the lowcountry . . .

 Marsh View on Daufuskie, 2009

What a trip! Completely inspiring on so many levels and great fun to be back home in the lovely low-country. I guess I don't have to tell you that its been a while since I had a chance to post mostly due to the lack of "tech-mology" * available. Of course, I'm still sorting things out here on this end - loads of digital photos, five rolls of 120 film, a few interviews and fragmented notes written on the back of receipts, menus and napkins. Not to mention being overwhelmed by all the great new resources and products I found while on my walkabouts around Savannah.  So in the mean while, here's a little portfolio of images that remind me of  home. . .

 

 

   

tide reeds ::  back island intersection :: silverdew winery

isabelle :: may river dock :: so long skeeter 

 

* thanks to ali - g for "tech-mology" :: if you don't know what I'm talking about then click here to see what I mean and brush up on your Ali-G vocabulary - get with it there's a pop quiz later.

 

 

 

georgia on my mind.

   

Try this on for size. Spanish moss, quaint city squares and a run around Forsyth Park on a warm morning. Maybe being able to enjoy an evening walk without a down vest or spending the whole day playing on soft white oyster shell beaches, taking loads of photos with my not so trusty Diana and wandering around the historic district ~ doesn't it sound like heaven? I can't wait! I'm heading out with the fam to Savannah for just over a fortnight. yippeeeeee!! yahoo!! I can't wait to be reunited with this quirky town where I spent alot of creative time . . .

Let me just rattle off a few wonderful things that I'm looking forward to :: strolling around my beloved alma mater Savannah College of Art & Design with my favorite fellow alum markus palmer and then hanging poolside at the Mansion :: long before etsy ever existed there was shopscad  :: my good friend ali-san nanningas store mint :: one of my absolute favorite shops @home with liz demos  (note to self - read her blog ) :: BLUE ocean film festival from the 10th to the 14th :: throw in some lazy days on Daufuskie :: taking the kids to have an eiffel tower shaped almond cookie from two smart cookies at Paris Market & Brocante :: but my absolute favorite will be taking my husband for a slice at vinnie van go-go's in City Market where the pizzas are delivered around town by bike . . . I can hardly wait.

As a kid, I remember when we would drive to our summer house in the low country which was an all day affair (at least 12 hours in the car with my parents,sister and 3 step brothers).  I always knew we were about to arrive because the air started to smell really salty and THAT, my friends, is going to be the best part of this trip! Do you want me to bring anything back for you? a peach?

Follow me on twitter or on facebook so you can hear what's going on with me while I wander around Savannah...

 

** update - my husbands friend Randy isn't so excited for us - maybe you'll see his point if you click here