Cool my eyes

 

 

 

My eye keeps being drawn to images dense with color and coolness.  I think the dry summer is starting to get to me.


1: Charles Burchfield via what were the skies like
2: by Olaf Hajek
3: 1945 New Yorker
4:  Morris Louis via secret little gem

5: Cover illus. by Józef Wilkoń for Tygrys o złotym sercu, 1963 From the collection of Hipopotam

Blue green brown

Judging from what I've pinned this week, I think I've been craving cold dirt and shallow pools.  It's been way too hot here, and I got a little sunburned, which was embarrassing.  I am thanking my lucky suns that today is grey, cold, and tomorrow promises more of the same. 


1. Vintage Copenhagen pottery  2.  Rachel Carson  3.  Pool photo by Eric Piasecki   4.  Rugged style.

Autumn in LA

I realize this photo looks like nothing but the epitome of dry and dead to most people.  After months of no rain, lots of harsh sun, and many days over 100º, it's hard to expect anything to thrive.  But next to the frighteningly large forest of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a drift of my favorite plant, Longstem Buckwheat (Eriogonum elongatum).   Can you see it's cheerful stems of rust and cream colored pom poms?  Let's go in for a closer look... 

Leonard Edmondson

I first encountered these mid century prints at the Norton Simon Museum in Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California, part of the Pacific Standard Time series.  They were just to the left of the exit, and I lingered on them longer than any other piece.   What you can't see on your screen is the texture of the ink, which made me want to rub my finger along the rich washes of color -- at the same time exciting and calming, like I could be sucked into the lush backgrounds.

Leonard Edmondson's Botanical Gardens II and Tropical Garden I from The Annex Galleries.

Horticultural Magic

One of the gardeners at work brought me this little posy the other day.   I wish hybridization was always this pretty.  I also wish I understood the science behind it a little better -- or maybe not?  The magic of the error makes it much more enjoyable.

For those wondering, this is a Burgundy Iceberg rose.

Monday Morning

My path was scattered with color this morning.  Active squirrels in the pineapple guava tree shook down the hot pink flower bits, slow moving snails created iridescent dots and a dappling of light caught the bright green leaves. 

Ombre branches

Charmed

Sometimes I forget how much there is in the world to absorb.  My routine does not leave much room for lengthy exploration, which is unfortunate.  I am lucky to have a partner that shares many exciting discoveries with me, and I feel twice as lucky when I can share something with him.   This Elizabeth Bishop exhibit is just one of those things.

More here.

More from Lotusland.  Paving patterns and pink-tinged ferns (Blechrum occidentale).

Time off work means trips to new corners of L.A.  Today we ventured south, where the beaches were foggy and cool, and the rocks were holey.  Tomorrow, we'll explore some downtown shops, and I get a new haircut.  Then comes the New Year, when I promise to be more diligent about documenting all things almost grown.

Christmas may now commence

The house has been trimmed with heirlooms, colored lights and "locally sourced" greenery.  Thanks to the horrendous windstorm a few weeks ago, I now have a bounty of festive branches. 

I finally completed my second term of courses (16 more to go).   My parents have come and gone, and the second round of family has arrived.  I'm ready to begin to relax.

Fall

To those that say Los Angeles has no seasons, I say, well, you must have never lived under a persimmon tree.

It's been downright chilly here the past few weeks, with night time walks producing visible puffs of breath.  The trees in the yard are shedding, letting new light into the house.  The cats are permanently stationed by the heaters.  And my attic studio, a sweatlodge in summer, has become the perfect hideout. It's going to be a great winter.

Tiles

 

When I dream of my future estate, with its sweeping views and lavish grounds (a girl can dream...), it always involves some colorful tiles splashed around.  

Sometimes I forget how tropical L.A. is.  Then I find a parrot feather in the yard, and walk past sunlit bird of paradise leaves and it hits me.

Funny fact, bird of paradise is the Official Flower of the City of Los Angeles, but is native to South Africa.

Daily Greens

From just over a year ago, as we said goodbye to my grandmother's house and yard in Ohio.  These guys were just pushing up out of the grass down by the marsh.  I love the red stems that glow against the green.