caterpillar flowers, dancing shoes, and tiny, bubbling ideas
My friend Jenne joined me yesterday morning for a brunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, sautéed potatoes, and summer squash.
Making our way through a bottle of cava, we talked about the week, odds and ends, and decided to meander through the International Mango Festival at Miami’s Fairchild Garden. (Read the rest after the jump)
Underwhelmed by the festival itself, we discovered many plants of interest as we strolled the grounds, starting with these caterpillar flowers.
This is how many of my ideas develop—as strangely colorful notions that sprout antennae (like miniature antennae galaxies) as they move forward.
We stopped at the lily pads (there are some large ones just beyond these like floating trays, that Jenne will someday craft in silver and license to Tiffany, perhaps)
and peered at the burnished hue of these stems revealed by the variegated leaf folding back and away.
I thought about the proximity of wilted flowers to new blossoms,
and we recognized anew that nothing gold can stay.
The source of much inspiration in my kitchen, we looked up to see vanilla orchids above,
reached out to touch leaves with veins like quilt pieces that didn’t quite align,
and ducked under pink flowers reminiscent of the tulle skirts we both wore as dancers, above pale pink tights, under satin ribbon lacings of pointe shoes.
From there we hurried to the Bass Museum before it closed, and I shared Jenne’s enthusiasm for a wonderful video installation exhibit by Robert Wilson called “Voom Portraits” where celebrities and animals move ever so slightly in highly-defined video environments (my favorite has Robin Wright Penn suspended on a plank, gown fluttering, in front of, literally, a blue screen). These heads lead the way in…
As the light in the magic cottage faded, I watched shadows play on the big mirror, hung a few hours earlier.
Cut by hand, the asymmetrical gilt frame of this family heirloom has watched me play with clothes, keep up appearances, and last night it returned my smile as I stepped with intention into new heels, met Jenne and Stefanie, and drove out to dance with yogis and yoginis celebrating birthdays and new beginnings into the morning…
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Posted Sunday, July 13th, 2008, 11:33 am | Filed in Art, Design, Food, Photography, Video. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
A beautiful post that captures your joie de vivre. Looking forward to reflections old and new, commemorative and creative, in the windy city.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thanks, Ben. I’m excited for Chicago and to see you and John—in fact, I found something for us to celebrate with at a winery yesterday…