Gardens of Versailles

IMG_1399 IMG_1403{The Queen’s Hamlet- Marie Antoinette’s private cottage and gardens on the grounds of Versailles}
I have been passionate about flowers my entire life. Growing up my mom was a prolific gardener and would plant beautiful flowers as well as vegetables around the house. And, when the weather warmed I always enjoyed picking the floral arrangements that would decorate the table for family dinners. It was a euphoric feeling seeing the various colors and textures laid out within the garden. So, when I studied drawing it seemed natural that my eye focused on the leaves and stems to the blossoms for which I had a great affinity. Pouring through art books on Boucher, Chardin, Fragonard and my absolute favorite artist: Anne Vallayer-Coster who was painter during the Court of Marie-Antoinette with her exuberant still-life paintings.

 As I continue to pour through books reviewing the details in drawings and paintings of flowers and herbs grown during the eighteenth century plus, remembering the sweet smell of lavender; mimosa and violets from the Versailles gardens with camellias used as decorations in several of the rooms. These scents and flowers are my continued inspiration for the upcoming gardens at Heath.

 Plant stylishly,
K

Indulgent Taste: Treats from Around the World

 IMG_2257 IMG_2258One of my greatest pleasures in life is travel. From my earliest memories I have always expressed a curiosity about other cultures and had a tremendous passion for seeing foreign lands. Knowing how people live out their daily lives has been an extreme interest and fascination. Learning how individuals interact within their environment, how they dress, what they eat, and to be honest the plain allure of observation is a great purpose for traveling.

Naturally you visit a country to see the physical surroundings either as a whole or within a particular geographical area, but for me it’s the everyday life of the locals that captures my attention. I find myself defining a culture by their art and the foods they eat. I feel I have uncovered buried treasure if someone shares a recipe along with the ingredients for a dish I have enjoyed within an establishment. And, art for the sake of art is always a creative indulgence.

Travel stylishly,
K