Please, please, please treat yourself to this Talking Writing interview, “Silence is Where We Locate Our Voice,” by Lorraine Berry with Terry Tempest Williams. I consider myself quite lucky to have met Terry Tempest Williams at a pivotal point in developing my voice. You can read about that experience in this blog post, Birdsong.
Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
a TW interview with Terry Tempest Williams
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Inspiration, interview, life, nature, poetry, prose, silence, Talking Writing, Terry Tempest Williams, voice on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »
cambridge pop-up show next sunday june 23rd
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, Photography Exhibits, tagged art show, arts, Cambridge, colors, exhibit, flowers, nature, Photography, plants, poinsettia, red, Riverside Gallery on June 16, 2013| 2 Comments »
Next Sunday, in Cambridge, MA, the Riverside Gallery will be hosting its annual “50-100-150” Pop-Up Summer Show from 4:00-6:00 PM. It is a juried show featuring 50 pieces of original art available for purchase at $100 each. I am honored to have on display Gordon’s Poinsettia, a set of three prints, all images from a single poinsettia plant, and displayed in a custom 9 x 20 mat. If you’re in the area that afternoon, I hope you’ll stop by.
Riverside Gallery
5 Callender Street
Cambridge 02139
www.facebook.com/RiversideGallery
mug and magnets
Posted in Inspiration, Photography, Publication Updates, tagged angels, architecture, arts, colors, David's Charge to Solomon, Edward Burne-Jones, Inspiration, magnets, merchandise, mugs, Photography, religious, spiritual, Trinity Church in Copley Square, William Morris on June 16, 2013| 2 Comments »
I’m excited to share that now available at The Book Shop at Trinity Church in Copley Square, this mug and two different magnets depicting a photograph I took of the stained glass window, David’s Charge to Solomon. As described in an earlier post, the window was designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris. The entire window is of course fantastic but for me, with camera in-hand, it is the light streaming through these angels that draws my eyes. To see these items and other lovely merchandise, visit the Book Shop in the undercroft (basement) of the church, or you can contact the Shop by phone at 617.536.0944 extension 225.
a lovely transformation
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged botany, calla lily, colors, flowers, gardening, Inspiration, nature, Photography, plants, transformation on June 13, 2013| 3 Comments »
Today the calla lily looks like this.
And just a few days ago it looked like this …
How cool is that? 😉
samurai!
Posted in Books I Love, Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged art, art of war, arts, Asian art, Barbier-Mueller Collection, culture, design, Japanese armor, Japanese art, Museum of Fine Arts on June 12, 2013| 5 Comments »
My first impressions of ancient Japanese warriors were formed by the Akira Kurosawa movies that used to air on Saturday mornings when I was a child. Later, I read James Clavell’s Shogun. That was a heavenly experience for someone who had yet to leave her hometown, let alone travel the world. I haven’t seen the Tom Cruise movie, The Last Samurai, all the way through, though somehow I managed to buy the soundtrack. All that to say, it was quite the treat to view the current Boston Museum of Fine Arts exhibit, Samurai!
Photo by DL
As described on the MFA website, samurai were “the military elite led by the shoguns, or warlords, of Japan from the 12th through 19th centuries.” Through August 4th, the MFA is featuring this exhibit of Samurai armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection that highlights how armor design and use evolved over time from actual warfare to more showcase.
Photo by DL
I have to thank my friend, DL, for dragging me out the door to see this exquisite exhibit. It was quite fascinating to see the layerings of cloth, metal and even paper that formed protective barriers for men (and horses!) — pieces that remain enduring works of great art. Afterwards DL and I wandered over to the Egyptian area but that’s a story for another day. If you’re in Boston before August 4th, I hope you have a chance to visit. There’s also fun stuff on the MFA website.
Photo by DL
from the heart — an interview with artist jen parrish
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, arts, beauty, celebrity, colors, creativity, design, Inspiration, interview, Jen Parrish, jewelry, jewelry designer, medieval art, music, Pre-Raphaelite on June 11, 2013| 6 Comments »
Jen Parrish gave me permission to visit her online sites to select images to use as illustration for her interview responses. As I did with other interviewees in 2012, I asked Jen to share how music inspires her artwork. Viewing her artwork inspired me. I had only to see an item described as “Gothic architecture meets nature” to know how appropos it was that she and I met through an art and architecture department in a Romanesque church.
She is an elegant, soft-spoken woman with a piercing gaze and gentle words. It took me a while to learn that she is also a renowned jewelry designer whose handcrafted pieces are worn by celebrities and other people around the world. Without ever having seen Jen work firsthand, I have only to listen as she speaks about her work to feel her dedication to beauty. I expect everyone who purchases one of her unique pieces must know they carry part of Jen, and more than a bit of world history, with them. I am very grateful she responded to my questions. Please read her interview here. I think you’ll find both the words and images quite interesting.
fragile beauty
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged compassion, Contributing Writer, empathy, essay, family, Inspiration, life, nature, Photography, racism, Talking Writing on June 10, 2013| 7 Comments »
There is a time and place for everything. I guess now is a time and place in my life to collect seashells and rocks and blossoms that I let dry in the sun. As I collect these things, I ponder. Here is a recent essay inspired by a broken bowl of stone and shells: fragile beauty.
the lily lessons
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged calla lily, colors, flowers, indoor gardening, Inspiration, nature, Photography, plants on June 10, 2013| 8 Comments »
I’m not sure when or where I purchased the bulb. In early spring, I was buying stuff to plant at every venue, from fancy nurseries to the Dollar Store. I remember that I found the bulb one day in the bottom of a crumpled bag. It’s label was gone. I still planted it by itself in an orange clay pot. Nothing happened for the longest time. I had to practice my patience skills big time. Then one day, green shoots appeared. A lovely dark green. An amaryllis perhaps? But then the leaves unfurled revealing white spots, providing me with just enough information for some internet research. As the leaves grew tall and spread wide, I kept wondering when the heck would the flower appear. And then one day it did.
It has been fun to photograph, and hard. There are things I see with my eyes that I have yet to capture exactly as I wish with the camera. Variations in color and texture, all of which continue to evolve as the plant grows.
That forgotten bulb at the bottom of a bag has turned into a very lovely learning experience.
like floating in darkness
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Alewife Brook Reservation, blossoms, flowers, Inspiration, landscape, light, nature, Photography on June 6, 2013| 4 Comments »
i nearly missed the turtle
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, Alewife Brook Reservation, nature, outdoors, Photography, ponds, turtles, water on June 5, 2013| 6 Comments »
The fluff of the cottonwood tree filled the air like snow and coated the surface of the pond. Plus there was the pollen, pond algae and the dust stirred up by the adjacent construction project.
Maybe the little fellow was trying to cool off because it was in the waters closest to shore and so there was also the reflection of the trees in the water. But how long could he remain obscured with that beautiful bronze shell?
Words + Images 