This is the porcelain vase I purchased from Bernardaud in Paris this past fall. Its orange colors along with the Bromeliad’s bloom help brighten this room. For some reason saving my photos to the sRGB color space intensifies the reds in a bad way. Sigh.
The dining room, which is also my library, has always been difficult to photograph with natural light or any light for that matter. Both rooms face north and receive very little sunlight, but in wintertime with its leafless trees, more light is allowed to enter. So it was the ideal time to pull out my camera and photograph this space for the first time since the installation of the new Stark carpet. And of course, the lively vase with its feisty Bromeliad will provide a complimentary punch of color.
It’s odd that the windows look like they’re frosted, but they’re not. The contrast was too much for the camera perhaps.
Now that my living room has a new area rug, it was time to take new photos. It’s gray and cold outside, and I felt like I needed some indulgence to brighten up my workday. Even though I may be working across the hall in my office, I can still appreciate the sound and smells of a crackling fire. But this time, instead of heading back to work after adding the logs, I chose to procrastinate a little longer. Hence these photos showcasing my new silk Stark area rug. Click the link below for more photos of this space.
A Trip to the Moon is a silent film and the creation of French illusionist and filmmaker Georges Méliès, who I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t seen Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo. While watching Scorsese’s film, I had no idea that Ben Kingsley’s character was an accurate historical depiction of France’s cinema legend Georges Méliès and that most of the antique film frames used in Hugo were excerpts from Méliès’ surviving and reconstructed films. Those images were so wonderful that I couldn’t resist researching this wonderful legend and his films.
For the next four paragraphs, I will be giving you the story of how this once-lost film was reconstructed. The technical details fascinate me. If you want to know more about Georges Méliès, I would suggest viewing Scorsese’s film Hugo and then learn more by reading about Méliès here.
A little chapel in the Cluny Museum, built at the height of the Gothic era, early 1500s.
Ceilings of the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. I spent most of my time in Paris piecing together its architectural history. Unfortunately a lot of the surviving mansions are now government institutions and are not open to the public, but if an architectural gem was open, the rooms were rarely in their original state. Historical interiors had either been stripped bare by the revolutions or heavily embellished during the Second Empire. By the way, I am no fan of that era’s design.
After three weeks of effort, I did manage to find, visit, and photograph some wonderful buildings. Usually if a room retained any of its original décor, it would be the ceiling. And the ceilings were amazing! All but one photo of this blog post were taken in the Louvre. I was only interested in its structural and décor history. Plus there was the newly renovated 18th-century Decorative Arts Galleries that had recently reopened. It took me a whole day to see the new galleries and another whole day to discover the building’s architectural history.
This is the first of a series of posts covering my trip to Paris, France. It’s been two months since I’ve returned, but I needed time to adjust being back. You see, after a month of wandering and living in an historical and cultural paradise, returning to my humdrum existence here in Dallas has been less than happy. I think now that enough time has passed, posting about my Parisian adventures will not trigger another case of the blues.
As you’re looking at the following images, keep in mind that most of these objects were inside glass displays and were all shot with my iPhone. I did take a camera with me and alternated between the two devices, but after one week of switching back and forth, I decided enough was enough. Besides, shooting with the iPhone was the only immediate way to upload images to my Instagram account.
I realize that this photo is kind of dark, but shooting this in the early evening was the only way I could ensure that the lighted garlands would be noticeable.
The Bell house has finally dressed up for the holidays. Only those who drive less than twenty miles an hour down my street have a chance of noticing this display. With tough competition in this neighborhood, my three overdressed fir trees will have a hard time impressing folks. Once the Christmas season has passed and the ornaments have been removed, my firs will continue to dress up my front porch until late spring next year.
Click this image for a larger version. The pink-lined shape indicates the topographical placement of my acreage outside of Saint Jo, Texas.
Topography maps are fascinating and incredibly beautiful. To get a better understanding of the terrain on my soon-to-be-purchased piece of paradise, I turned to my old friend Google to hunt out topography maps. The map I chose for this post, which includes my acreage, is especially beautiful because of the etched valleys spreading south from the Red River creating what looks like green crazy fingers or maybe upside down Christmas trees.
With this topography map and using InDesign, I then layered it with two other image files, the site survey and Google’s aerial view, in order to know exactly where my property lies and verify what I already suspected, the entire 8.36 acres lies on the north slope of a large bluff. Sometimes this hill and the larger one to the east are referred to as Tyler Bluff, but more often, the larger east hill is the only one labeled as such. At least one edge of my acreage lies at the base of the hill where an access road has been created.
Click the link below for the entire topography map of this area.
Around the perimeter, there are open pockets of grass. Whereas the interior is thick with vegetation.
Located just outside of Saint Jo, Texas in what’s referred to as the North Texas Hill Country, lies 8.36 acres of paradise. The closing isn’t until November 25, but I’ve been calling this place “mine” for the past two weeks. Saint Jo lies in Montague County, but this acreage is in Cooke County. This area may not be fashionable for those looking for a country retreat, but that’s what makes it so perfect for me—an unspoiled weekend getaway. Plus, on a good day without road construction, it only takes 1.5 hours to drive there.
I caught this bug while visiting a good friend’s place up there. She owns 34 acres and is currently turning it into a retreat for school and church groups. She knows all the different contractors that would be required to install fencing, sink a water well, install a septic tank, and build a house. In other words, she’s done all the hard work for me.
In the next post, I’ll go into further detail about the location and terrain. And a third post will be needed to explain my ideas for a tiny house. So stay tuned. In the meantime, click the link below for more photos taken during my walk around this property.
Postal Mortem
Jennie Ottinger
at The Reading Room
3715 Parry Avenue/Dallas
November 15 — December 13 reception/stamp trade 11/15 from 6 to 9 pm
Postal Mortem by San Francisco based artist Jennie Ottinger will feature 25 postcards (front and back) sent by Ottinger as a creative endeavor to support the U.S. Postal Service and this endangered mode of communication. The postcards feature social media type messages that are handwritten with related drawings. The opening reception on Saturday, November 15 will involve a stamp exchange: bring some to swap for others (like tiny trading cards). Visit Jennie Ottinger’s website for further information about Postal Mortem.
Ottinger received a BFA from California College of the Arts and a MFA from Mills College. Her work has been shown at Volta NY Art Fair, NADA Art Fair/Miami, Headlands Center for the Arts, Johansson Projects and locally at Conduit Gallery and has been published in Art in America, ArtSlant, Daily Serving, 7X7, Huffington Post.
