Belleayre Mountain, a popular ski resort near my home, early May.
The leaves on the summit emerge when the man-made snow melts: June.
Serviceberry blossoms in my pantry.
Eternity
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
-William Blake
I don’t think I set foot in my studio this month. My feet, in my worn pink rubber boots, have been making sucking noises in the soggy overgrown meadow near my studio where my husband and I have been bucking up next year’s firewood. I take such satisfaction in homesteading; just my soulmate and I transforming a tangle of third growth trees into a pile of fuel, branch by branch, exposing a slope fat and green with grass. Only the song of the stream, chickadees, and red-winged blackbirds accompany our chainsaws. We chat, thinking of the Native Americans and Scotch settlers that did the same in this area (without chainsaws), proud we’re part of the legacy.
We’re not real homesteaders. I long to kick responsibility to the curb and move to the country, but we need the medical benefits and I’d default on the car loan just selling eggs and veggies. I like high heeled shoes, bleaching my hair, tropical vacations. I don’t fit in anywhere!
My photography class at the local community college on Long Island is fun. It’s not geared for people studying to be a professional photographer, but the instructor is knowledgeable and of course you learn so much just by talking to other enthusiasts. I appreciate the feedback. I want very much to know if something I did stinks.
Like this picture I took during class, where we were challenged to go outside and find something to shoot. I picked viburnum and shot it on my scarf. My instructor thought the scattered florets looked contrived. He’s right. I wasn’t happy with any of those pictures. The viburnum is pretty but all flowers are pretty. I failed to show how I saw it. How hard it is to capture something in limited time! I must learn how to do this—a photographer generally has only one day to shoot a house for a magazine.
This is why I love the Japanese cultural sentiment for cherry blossoms and their fleeting beauty that, in truth, can never be captured, only experienced.
Speaking of photographers, yet another fabulous interior décor book will hit the market in October 2011: Vintage by Nina styled by none other than oft-imitated (myself included) stylist Nina Hartmann with heavenly photos by Maria-Isabel Hansson.
'Vintage by Nina' by Nina Hartmann. In Swedish.
Photography by Maria-Isabel Hansson.
Photos used with permission.
Have a store and wish to carry it? Please email them here.
It’s a safe bet to assume it will it will be available on Amazon
or Book Depository in October.
Sound familiar? This team has been in Jeanne d’Arc Living, Vakre Hjem, and a host of other magazines. If you like the ‘Dansk-Fransk’ style, check out these wonderful blogs—they’re at least a potent antidote to this boring post.
Next post, I will share pictures from the very first shoot in my studio: Fifi O’Neill’s styling and Dan Mayers’ photography. A review of Romantic Prairie Style will accompany now that I’ve received my signed copy back from Fifi.
Until next time, stay shabby!
Sharing with White Wednesday at Faded Charm –
please join in on Kathleen’s 100th party and her giveaway!
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