light and reflections

A gilded star on a ceiling above, makes an eye-catching design.

Flowerful Friday

Thankfully spring is in full swing here in Madison, and much to my delight, the bulbs I planted last fall are blooming. And, I think they are all beautiful! 

a continual theme: still lifes of flowers

One continual theme that many artists thankfully gravitate towards, is the image of floral still lifes. Still lifes are works of art depicting the inanimate. I think by looking closely at this genre of painting and seeing how artists have portrayed it over the years is fascinating. You can see what's stayed the same and what has changed. Below are some photos I took of still lifes of flowers, all of these paintings are at the Art Institute of Chicago. I hope you enjoy these colorful canvases as much as I do!

Trompe l'Oeil Still Life with a
Flower Garland and Curtain
Adraein Van der Spelt, 1658  

The Vase of Tulips
by Paul Cezanne, 1890

Still Life with Flowers
by Odilon Redon, 1905

Flowers (Blumen)
artist unknown to me, 1993

Do you have a favorite?

tour of Charleston, part 3

Not surprisingly, part of the reason I liked Charleston so much is that no matter where I looked, I could see beautiful flowers. When I was there, the jasmine was in full bloom, and its scent perfumed the air. It was a wonderful experience - walking around and having your senses awakened by the sight and scent of these small yet powerful little flowers. Oftentimes I could smell the jasmine before I could see it. I wish I could share the heavenly scent with you, but these photos will have to do!

walking along side of a wall
covered in jasmine blooms

a close-up of 2 little jasmine flowers

it's not an uncommon sight to
see porches like this -
isn't it lovely?

jasmine en masse

foreground - jasmine
background - magnolia
100% Charleston

jasmine climbing and practically
covering this entire building!

tour of Charleston, part 2

Continuing with the tour of Charleston, today's posts highlights more of what this beautiful city offers. From its grand mansions to its many historic churches to abundant flowers and greenery, Charleston doesn't disappoint those of us who appreciate all things picturesque. 

the Calhoun Mansion,
built in 1876 for $200,000

sunset over Broad Street,
with St. Michael's
Episcopal Church in the distance

this type of "curly"
iron-work is used often 

built in 1681,
this is the French
Huguenot Church
of Charleston

crisp white magnolias dot
the landscape of Charleston

outside of St. Phillip's
Episcopal Church,
a National Historic Landmark

the Calhoun mansion's
quiet garden
makes for a great
place for a break

common Charleston decor

tour of Charleston, part 1

Charleston, South Carolina is a city filled with so much beauty. Every street in the historical downtown district is simply stunning. I think this could be the prettiest city that I've visited in the U.S! So much attention is given to little details - the details seen in the ornate wood and iron work is remarkable. You can walk around and really know that the residents of this lovely city take pride in their homes. Here are several photos I took of the many lovely front doors that I saw while enjoying a carriage ride around the historic district. 

ornate wood work

I'd like to sit out on this
screened-in porch with a
glass of lemonade!

I just love this entrance...
look at all that climbing jasmine!

quaint, isn't it?

a sense of grandeur

materfamilias

Today is Mother's Day here in the U.S. and so families everywhere are celebrating their beloved moms. My mom is a constant ray of light in my life - what a wonderful mom I have! 

Earlier today, I was looking at an online dictionary to check the meaning of a word I heard on the radio and stumbled across a new word for me, the dictionary website's word of the day - materfamilias - a word most appropriate for Mother's Day! Its origin is Latin and its meaning is simple - the mother of a family or the female head of the family. 

Wishing my beautiful mom and a most loving and supportive materfamilias a wonderful Mother's Day!

light and reflections

Walking around Charleston, South Carolina recently, I saw gas lights on so many buildings - restaurants, shops, and houses were all adorned with these fixtures. Charleston is a beautiful city filled with so much history and so many stories. The gas lights lend to the city's charm and make you feel like you could step back in time while there. 

underneath an overhang
of jasmine blooms

flowerful Friday

Another week has flown by, and it's time for another flowerful Friday post. Here are some photos of a plant I'm not that familiar with, but I think its flowers are so striking. It's name scientific name is Abutilun x hybridum, and its common name is Chinese lantern. This is the Red Tiger variety - isn't it amazing how each bloom really looks like a little lantern? I photographed these at the Chicago Botanical Gardens a few weeks back...hope you enjoy!

Happy Friday!

one proud peacock

I think I had forgotten how amazingly showy the feathers of a peacock are. I photographed this one while in South Carolina recently. I did a little reading about peacocks once I got back home and was reminded that peacocks are indeed only the male gender of the peafowl species, the females are referred to as peahens. I didn't know that peafowls are part of the pheasant family. 

all in the name of
courtship

Peacocks display their iridescent plumage as part of courtship. This peacock fanned his feathers with what I swear was a sense of pride. Aren't his feathers amazing? Those colors are unbelievably intense!

a dream garden

I took this photo last summer at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens here in Madison. I stumbled across this image today, and to me, there's something kind of dream-like about this location. I think it's a such a beautifully designed space, full of inspiration for all of us who like to garden. 

a reflection pool,
 a sculpture,
and summertime greens

southern sun

I recently returned from a long weekend in Georgia and South Carolina. I was amazed by how summer-like it was - warm weather and sunny days made for a most welcome change! I'm back in the north now, and we are wondering if spring will ever arrive. I'm sure it will, one of these days. Meanwhile I will have to be content with the memories of warmer weather and the amazing lush greenness. Here's one of the photos I took while visiting the gardens of a former plantation outside of Charleston. I love how the sunlight hits the water creating an almost mirror image. 

one of the many beautiful prospects
at Middleton Plantation

our go-to no cook dinner

Many nights I love to cook dinner. There are those nights, though, when maybe neither of us are very hungry or neither of us feel like cooking, so a light, easy dinner is perfect. Those are the nights we often pull out our got-to no-cook dinner. It's ridiculously easy and is more about having the right items on hand than just about anything else. Case in point, the photo below shows our go-to no-cook dinner - missing only is a small toasted baguette drizzled with a little olive oil (I don't consider toasting bread cooking therefore, this - in my book - is a no-cook dinner) and some perhaps some red wine.  On this plate you'll find salami, creamy brie, a little pungent blue cheese, crisp apple slices, anchovies, a mix of briny Spanish and Greek olives, and savory little bread twists. Fancy? Not really. Tasty? Absolutely. Easy? Yes - couldn't be any easier and I'm getting hungry just writing this...

et voila, dinner is served

Public Notice 3

On a recent trip to the Art Institute of Chicago I captured what I think is such an interesting installation art piece. It's called Public Notice 3, and as soon as you enter the doors of the Art Institute this striking piece jumps right out.

background information

the installation

more of the text

I think this is a brilliant
contrast of styles!

Want to learn more about Public Notice 3? 

Here's the Art Institute's link on this piece: http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/kallat.