Jeweled Dahlias and More at Volunteer Park
September 14, 2015
“For dahlias give a jewel-like glow to the heart of the autumn garden, they are, in a mass, so resplendent.”
— Susan Hill, The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year
I spent a wonderful hour on Sunday wandering around Volunteer Park with my camera. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day — resplendent — and people were out and about enjoying time with family and friends. The dahlia garden was an outdoor showcase, but I enjoyed the various plants inside the conservatory, too.
The Gage Academy of Art was hosting a Drawing Jam in the park, and this time I just looked over the shoulders of the participants rather than taking up sketching myself. A lost opportunity, really, but I was happy this time just photographing.
Sometimes you just can’t beat a Sunday in the park in Seattle.
Capturing Life’s Subtleties in Photographs
May 7, 2014
“If one decides upon the medium of photography, why attempt to soar in the realms of the imagination? . . . There are plenty of the subtleties of life right on the earth, which need delicate interpretation.”
— Imogen Cunningham, After Ninety
” . . . a photographer who looks out on a scene. At one moment it is what anyone else might notice, but almost imperceptibly through some reframing of it — some moment of it, some combination of it with something else, some perception of it — it becomes a picture.”
— David Travis, At the Edge of the Light: Thoughts on Photography & Photographers, on Talent & Genius
Botanical Exotica at the Volunteer Park Conservatory
June 6, 2013
The Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle is currently displaying some glass flowers by artist Jason Gamrath amidst their collection of exotic and not-so-exotic plants. We went there expressly to see the glass art, but quite frankly, the glass flowers couldn’t hold a candle to Nature’s offerings. The conservatory has done some remodeling since my last visit. The seasonal room seemed less crowded and more open, making for a less chaotic experience. The orchids are no longer behind glass. Here’s a virtual tour:
Remembering with Photos vs. Sketches
January 15, 2013
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera.”
— Dorothea Lange
“Cameras made the task of keeping a record of people and things simpler and more widely available, and in the process reduced the care and intensity with which people needed to look at the things they wanted to remember well, because pressing a button required less concentration and effort than composing a precise and comely drawing.”
— Michael Kimmelman, The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa
I am certainly guilty of often choosing the ease of photographing to the effort of drawing or sketching. And while I have trained my eye over time to really see and pay attention to what I am photographing, it is true that I look differently when I am attempting to draw or paint.
To draw or paint means to carve out space, time, and materials (brushes, paper, water, good light, etc.), and that is cumbersome compared to snapping a quick photo with a portable device. I can take photos with people around, but I like to draw or paint in solitude. I like to think of my photographs as making art, equal in value to my drawings and paintings.
Something is gained by the ease of digital photographing, but something is lost, too. I’m going to try to cultivate both ways of seeing and remembering.
A Day Deserving of Preservation
January 14, 2013
“To make my days deserving of preservation, I have to give myself ample time for reflection and repose. . . . It feels as if such entries add an extra layer to living.” — Wendy Lustbader, The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Old
These short winter days slip by so quickly, especially if it’s rainy, dark, and gloomy. Thank goodness this blog gives me the impetus to find something in my days to share with you, my readers. Sometimes it’s just the excuse I need to see what’s happening at the Volunteer Park Conservatory, which is a heaven-sent destination on a rainy winter day. The warm humid interior is a comforting contrast to the cold outdoors. Even if I do have to wait for the fog to clear from my camera lenses!
My eyes were soothed by patterns and graceful, curving lines on this particular visit. Here are a few photos:
Two Special Flowers at the Volunteer Park Conservatory
March 25, 2012
I stopped in the Volunteer Park Conservatory this week and enjoyed all the usual plants — cacti, orchids, lilies in the seasonal room, etc. But my eye was caught by two special flowers that I cannot recall ever seeing before — a scarlet passion flower (passiflora miniata) and the Tiger Eye flowering maple.
Mum’s the Word
November 13, 2011
The seasonal room at the Volunteer Park Conservatory still features chrysanthemums, and there have been quite a few more additions since my last visit. The room is crowded with a profusion of mums. It’s stunning!
Chrysanthemums at the Volunteeer Park Conservatory
October 9, 2011
The Seasonal Room at the Volunteer Park Conservatory currently features chrysanthemums. Mums were one of my mother’s favorite flowers. She planted them in beds around the farmhouse where I grew up, so they hold a special place in my heart.