MORE PHOTOS FROM PARADISE

We have plumbago in our garden. It is in an area overgrown with rosemary and lantana beneath an old eucalyptus tree.

A view of Camelback Mountain at sunset. The light is stunningly golden. We cleared out all the overgrown plantings that were hiding (and killing) the cacti. Oddly enough , these were water-loving plants that had been mixed in with the cactus. That didn’t seem right to me.

An oval shaped stone with an amazing shadow from a near-by succulent. It looks like a cartoon character to me.

A rope tied around a tree limb; the rope was left by the previous homeowners as a gift. The tree is a Chinese elm and we will be cutting it down soon. I hate to do it, but the tree makes a HUGE mess in the pool. It has to go!

A velvety prickly pear cactus. This cactus is a favorite of mine. I love going to the Desert Botanical Garden to see all the different varieties of cactus. It is a wonderful place.

These are ocotillo cacti which are also at The Desert Botanical Garden. We have an ocatillo cactus in our yard but I think it might be dead. We will know for sure in the spring–that is when it is supposed to sprout leaves.

All photos and content copyright 2008 by Janet Towbin

MEMORIES OF CLOTHES PAST

I have gotten rid of half of my wardrobe! Most of my clothes no longer fit–or they have gone out of style. Not just a little bit out of style, we are talking way out of style! Some of the outfits are from the 80’s, I kid you not. How stylish these things once were–and how dated they look today!

It was very hard to part with most of these items because of the memories they held. There were the special dresses I wore to our children’s bar and bat mitzvahs, outfits I wore for holiday parties, evening gowns worn for a few of the gala events and fabulous parties we have attended. Ah, the memories are more important than the clothes, but the clothes have managed to help trigger the memories. And such sweet memories they are!

In a few short weeks they will be on their way to adorn someone else’s body and create new memories for someone else thanks to online auctions and resale shops! A sales agent is going to pick up many of the better garments today; everything else will go to a resale store. Meanwhile, I thought it would be a good idea to photograph some of my more memorable garments to ease the pain of giving them away. The photos will serve as a convenient (and less cumbersome) way to hold on to the memory.

Coco Chanel said,

“Fashion should slip out of your hands. The very idea of protecting the seasonal arts is childish. One should not bother to protect that which dies the minute it is born.”

Intellectually, I agree with her. Call me childish, but I am loathe to let go of these garments I have loved, every fiber of which is imprinted with memories.

Etro silk patterned skirt.

Cache black and white suit from 1989(!).

Ungaro Striped Suit–very 90’s

Steve Fabrikant knit dress.

They are all gone from my closet, but thanks to these (and many other) digital images, they will not be forgotten!

I’ll end this post with another quote I love from Coco Chanel:

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

How true!

Content and photos copyright 2007 by Janet Towbin

THE LOW DOWN

I really do enjoy walking to work along 20th Street. Like any other major city, this downtown Philadelphia street has its share of businesses, office buildings and people all vying for attention. However, what I really notice is the street and it is mostly out of self-preservation. I must look down so I won’t fall (or twist my ankle) on the uneven sidewalk. (I’ve done that a few times and it really hurts.) Everyone who has walked these uneven city streets knows how easy it is to fall and how bad it feels when you land on your…whatever. So, I look down and watch where I walk. (There are other good reasons to watch where you walk in a city… but I don’t need to mention the unmentionable.)

As I was walking to work today, my eyes soaked up the gritty urban textures of cement, asphalt, pebbles and paint, with embedded bits and pieces of street junk. As I continued walking and looking down, I thought of Irving Penn’s series of eye-opening photographs called Underfoot. This wonderful series was exhibited at The Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2004 and I remember being completely blown away by those images.

I noticed some wonderful spray-paint markings on the streets due to repairs and resurfacing. Fortunately, I had my camera with me (of course!) and captured some of the vivid day-glo orange spray-paint.

There was a spinner in the street (perfectly poised next to a big blob of a line gone all drippy) and I thought about my friend, Harry Schwalb, who has drawn dozens, maybe even hundreds, of them, each spinner infused with personality and delicate beauty. This lone spinner next to an overweight, drippy line Aaron Siskind would have loved gave me a thrill. I honor all three artists in this particular photo which I have titled, Underfoot. The blobby, painted line with drips is for Siskind, the maple spinner for Schwalb and the general subject matter and title an homage to Penn. You can view these photos on my Flickr site to see them in their original size with greater detail.  (See Intersection and Underfoot.)

What a day! Thank you Irving Penn, Aaron Siskind and Harry Schwalb–your artistic vision inspires me in countless ways.

Content and photos copyright 2007 by Janet Towbin.

8 IN EXPLORE

I admit to being a Flickr addict. I spend hours looking at images on Flickr and making comments on them. If I don’t log on to my Flickr photo page every day (or is really 4 or 5 times every day?) I feel absolutely and thoroughly deprived. I love posting new photos, sending them to groups, and participating in a running commentary with some of my favorite contacts from all over the world.

I am mesmerized by the beautiful images I can see on Flickr–and the wealth of visual material available to me for free as an artist. If I want to have a photo of absolutely anything in the world I can find it there. It is a truly great visual resource.

There is a category of photos on Flickr that are purported to be the finest photos uploaded to the site. They are tagged Explore. I have no idea how photos are chosen to appear in Explore. No one offers any guidance or advice on what the criteria are for these photos or how to possibly get your photos on the Explore pages. A mere 500 photos are selected for Explore each day (182,500 per year). It is a very elite group of images when you figure there are over 3,000 photos uploaded to Flickr every minute.

As far as I know, I have had 8 photos in Explore…and even though I have no idea how or why they got there, I am darn proud of it! You can see all my Explore photos here.

The orange and blue photo you see at the top is one of my most recent Explored photos. It is a picture (taken in the evening) of the restaurant China Grill in South Beach, Florida.