…and, if you are seeking graphic design assistance, consider lovely memphian laura beck. i couldn’t be more thrilled with the cards she conjured up…either with a cute taxi-cab-yellow ribbon tail on them (easier to fish from a pile), or without (easier to tuck into a cardholder)…she is wonderful: flexible, incredibly creative, and super-nice to work with. inquire at laurarbeck@gmail.com.
until reading the definition/description, mrs. jones had no idea that she is, indeed, a chimpsy. an acronym for digital camera users who constantly and habitually check their image preview display, chimpsy is also a very cool new photography school that holds workshops in cities all over.
sunday afternoon, my pal perre and i met our teacher, max mcmullen (aka max savant) and a small group of fellow students for a chimpsy fieldtrip. after a class session gathered around his laptop in escape alley sundry, max took us outside and turned us loose to practice our new techniques, and then brought us back inside for some very constructive critiquing.
it was such a worthwhile afternoon…i learned to use buttons i didn’t know were there! so, loyal readers, prepare yourselves for an improved photographic experience from here on out.
just for fun, here are a few of my photos from class that max approved (with absolutely no post-production tweaking!):
meg and i are just back from a visit to tucson, arizona - home to all manner of fascinating creatures (and my lovely parents.) we thoroughly enjoyed great food, mani-pedis with meg’s “honey”, shopping, swimming, and sunset golf cart rides tracking road runners, bobcats, jack-rabbits, and herds of javelina:
tops in the category of highlights was a visit to arroyo design. with a letter of introduction in hand from my lovely friend john tackett (the devoted classicist himself) the red carpet was rolled out for us into the charming courtyard at the former tophoy ice cream factory, now home to arroyo and other creative businesses. snug in the heart of the downtown iron horse neighborhood (to some tusconians, simply the barrio) the artisans at arroyo bench-make gorgeous custom furniture from mesquite and other woods. it was a huge treat to meet everyone and have a tour of the studio and workshop…lovely, talented people crafting the highest-end heirloom pieces…amazing.
(this may shock some loyal readers: in an attempt to travel lightly while shopping – and don’t get me started on all the fun boutiques in main gate square, at the gate to the university - mrs. jones left her camera behind at honey’s house on dove mountain. i am very grateful to ellery thomas at arroyo design for the use of the following two images.)
arroyo is branching out into a new venture soon, still involving mesquite, only this time, they will use the seed pods…
…and work some sort of potable/edible magic on them. i can’t wait to find out more.
and now, back home, and back to school.
…always seems to happen when you’re at spruce. selena mcadams and meg kerr make it such a friendly, accessible place, and it’s chock-full of yummy things. a beautiful lacquered etagere – special ordered for one of selena’s lovely clients - had been damaged in shipping, and i was only too happy to have the excuse to buzz over and make repairs. while i was working (and soaking in all of the fab sights and scents) mary seay taylor - who, along with mimi danosky creates brave design - happened in with some of their newest pieces:
her jewelry is as charming, beautiful and fun as she is! (is it possible for something to be totally elegant and wildly funky at the same time?) it was a huge treat to meet her. brave’s things are a perfect fit in the mix at spruce. if you are in memphis, stop by and see/enjoy/devour.
(one of these cute jack-a-lope trophies came home with me…a birthday surprise for my meg. she’s been coveting one to hang her necklaces on. please don’t tell!)
the “locally-grown” mindset applies to more than just produce, don’t you think?…we should have that same attitude toward all our excellent & unique hometown businesses. to me, spruce is the place for fresh finds that (unlike those yummy ripley tomatoes i can’t wait to get at the memphis farmer’s market this weekend) don’t have an expiration date.
looking for inspiration, decorative arts history, and amazing photographs to swoon over? it’s all here:
highlights include gorgeous chinoiserie wallpapers (old & new), incredible stenciling of every sort (including gilt leather – oh my!) and, on page 185, a beautiful room designed by my friend john j. tackett that was – most unfortunately - not properly credited by the author. still giddy over this fabulous book, mrs. jones will reserve her theft-of-intellectual-property rant for another time.
just in case you don’t have a local bookseller who carries it, i’ve added it to the toolkit. happy reading.
