Neglected Beauty.

Ready-to-wear beauty: Weedrobes

2012-01-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Weedrobes wardrobe

A friend sent me a link to some of the most fantastic clothes I have ever seen. I'm ready to wear them all, but I lean towards the invasive species ensemble. Invasive species ensemble?

Invasive Species

You heard right. Multi-media artist, Nicole Dextras, from Vancouver, BC, has managed to create some of the worlds most beautiful and natural garments made entirely out of plants and flowers. Invasive weeds included. She calls them Weedrobes.

Camellia Countessa

The idea for came out of Dextras's passion for environmental art and her work in the theater as a clothes designer.

Hydrangea Dubutante

She began her Weedrobes series in 2005 as an experiment. Her objective was to create art that in turn created a dialogue for people to become interested in the environment, while being made aware of the impact of consumerism.

Eco-Man

Her wearable sculptures are literally green--they are made from local, sustainable plant materials she finds in her garden and community. She then photographs her models in their organic outfits in urban landscapes to illustrate the interaction between humans and the plant world.

Weedrobes Accessories

After the photo shoot, Dextras places her living sculpture in a garden or park setting and allows it to decompose over time.

Aside from her blooming frocks, Dextras is an accomplished artist, writer and photographer. A visit to her website may make you swoon, but will also most assuredly make you think about the wonders of our environment.

Balancing beauty: Herbalist Doug Simons

2011-10-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

New Mexico may be famous for its vast desert and mountain ranges, but there is an underworld of beauty waiting to sprout. In reality, most of us would be surprised at the abundance of vegetation that flourishes in many parts of this arid state.

Doug Simons knows this fact better than anyone. Owner of Chanchka Remedios in Gila, NM for more than 20 years, Simons combines his passion for healing plants and people through herbal remedies. Chanchka is a Lakota word meaning “red-tailed hawk,” a sacred bird in many Native American cultures that can acclimate to all the biomes in his region. Remedios is a Spanish word for remedies or cures. As Simons states, “An imbalance in people can be healed or cured when they learn to harmonize their relationships within the plant kingdom.” http://www.blohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifgger.com/img/blank.gif

After taking an humblecha, a ceremonial vision quest, at the age of 17, Simons knew he had a calling--to help connect people with the earth through the healing potential of plants.

Growing up in Colorado, Simon spent most of his childhood discovering and identifying plants with his mother and sister, who is also an herbalist. Years later, he moved to Gila, where he found an enormous selection of plants and herbs to use for his work, such as pinon, sage brush (along with other artemesias), juniper, and chaparral. It may come as a surprise that the majority of the plants Simon uses come from this southwestern region of the state, or as Simons refers to, “his backyard.”

Simons’ priority when working with plants is to leave them intact, using only what he needs, which is typically about 10%. In his workshops, he emphasizes this and educates his students to always ask the plants’ permission before taking them apart. This spirituality, coupled by a strong botanical knowledge, has made Simons a popular lecturer on the subject of plants.

Most of his clients come to him due to health and lifestyle concerns. Simons’ objective is not to replace Western medicine through his remedios, but rather to gently integrate components of plants into their daily routine. Simons believes that his clients can achieve balance once the healing power has shifted into a state of equilibrium.

Simons is available for consultations and gives workshops within the state and throughout the southwest. You may contact him at his website, Chanchka Remedios.

Illuminated beauty: The electric world of David Wiles

2011-10-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a party at the home of David Wiles, a local Santa Fe artist known for his fetes of fantasy and fun. To find his place, you don’t really need a house number, you just turn onto his street and follow the path of neon and LED lights. Pass through a lush garden brimming with cactus, snapdragons and waterfalls, and you have entered a Southwest version of A Garden of Earthly Delights, also known as David Wiles’s world.

Step inside, and you are instantly immersed into a multi-sensory experience... your eyes immediately zoom in on cow skulls with blazing neon eyes and guests that are bathed in a phosphorescent green glow. Smells of Asian delicacies mixed with cinnamon and incense lead you into the kitchen where more light installations frame the walls and corners.

It’s almost a sensory overload, and if you aren’t careful, you may miss something. While illuminating and fantastical, Wiles’s house also has a very relaxing, Zen-like effect. Wiles says he likes to design and create vignettes that also serve as shrines, which have symbolic importance. A world traveler, Wiles claims influence by recent treks to India and to Burning Man, an annual arts event held in Nevada. “There is nothing is better to find then a place for something that’s been out of place,” says Wiles.

A classically trained, well-respected timpanist who has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and symphonies around the world, Wiles discovered two decades ago that he had a passion for light structures and neon. He became a licensed electrician and started creating illuminated pieces (his neon cow skulls were a big hit in Santa Fe galleries) that he also uses to decorate his home.

Wiles calls his place a three-dimensional Garden of Eden, while many party-goers refer to it as “Club Oasis.” Planted in his backyard, much of his entertaining set-up is surrounded by trees and gardens, reminiscent of World Party’s 1986 album Private Revolution, where a living room scene thrives beneath shaggy branches in the woods.

There is a converted separate garage that serves as his bedroom, and is adorned with hanging gongs, Asian inspired linens and, of course, more techno-colored neon. Wiles continues his inside-outside theme with additional comfortable seating, like the bedlike section complete with big cushions, pillows and blankets. Planters of cacti dot the corners as he “never met a cactus that didn’t become a friend.”

Adjacent to the garage is his office space and hallway which both have custom made light structures and an impressive blown glass collection. Sprinkled throughout are framed pictures of Burning Man highlights, an event Wiles has attended for the past nine years.

It's clear Wiles's design sensibility is heavily influenced by music and light with the numerous drums and percussion instruments he has strategically placed around his house. "Hearing and seeing are really the same thing, but in different languages," says Wiles.

By the time you are ready to leave, your senses should be in tip top shape. But don’t forget to look down--Wiles’s final surprise is an array of illuminated glass blocks that he created with LED lights.

Thank you David, for your vision and willingness to share your “electrifying vision” with the world.

Roadside beauty: Embudo, NM Gas Station Museum

2011-10-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you take the low road to Taos, NM you'll discover all sorts of unusual of things you usually only read about or see in movies. Sure the views are spectacular (and often overwhelming), but there are actually people and businesses who live in these lush and untamed parts. Take the gas station in Embudo we found last week. We stopped when we saw they sold Nehi's.

We bumped into the owner and asked if we could take some pictures. Well, hell yeah, he said, so we did.

The first thing you notice is the extensive collection of gasoline memorabilia, from pumps to oil cans to well preserved vintage signage, he had it all. Only thing is, it's a museum, not an actual gas station.

Looking at a row of rusted pumps reminded us of another lifetime when odd and even license plates dictated how long we waited in our parent's station wagons for gas.

We never did catch the museum/collector's name, but he was nice enough to let us roam free around the property. After spying around back, we discovered he was also an outsider artist.

We're not sure if which made us smile more...the vintage sewing machines lined up on top of weird old metal signs or the tin can robot riding the John Deere mini tractor.

In any case, stopping off to see this road side attraction is highly recommended.

Make sure you thank the nice man who created all this beautiful madness. The dog is friendly, by the way.

If you're in the 'hood, check them out:
1819 Highway 68
Embudo, NM 87531
505.852.2995

Bull beauty

2011-09-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

After I grabbed a copy of the Santa Fe Reporter today, I immediately turned to Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology horoscopes (I have my priorities straight, ok?) and although I sometimes get disappointed by the fact that the Taurus 'scope is often smaller in content than the other ones, this time it didn't matter. The reason is simple, while Mr. Brezsny is usually spot on with his magical metaphorical messages (regardless of the size his predictions), this week it really hit the mark.

Taurus, Week of September 22:
A guy on Reddit.com posted a photo that made me think of you. He had been out walking in the wilds of Ontario, and found a single ripe peach growing on a scraggly, skinny tree in the middle of an abandoned quarry. There were no other peach trees in sight, let alone peaches. I suspect that when you find beauty and sustenance in the coming days, Taurus, they will be in similar situations: unexpected and unlikely. That doesn't mean they'll be any less sweet.

I clicked onto that little peach tree pic, and all I can say is this week is indeed a Neglected Beauty week, so go out and find some.

Oh, and I hope that guy didn't pick it. You hit the bulls eye again, Mr. Brezsny, well done.

Environmental beauty: Earth Now, American Photographers and the Environment

2011-07-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ansel Adams

If you haven’t visited the New Mexico Museum of Art in Sante Fe lately, now would be the time as there’s an exhibit you won’t want to miss: EARTH NOW.

Bill Owens

Inspired by Ansel Adams; and Eliot Porter’s landscape photography, Earth Now is a collection of important works by American photographers that tell the story of Mother Earth, from man’s less than gentle influence, to his attempt to repair the damages. The pictures stimulate visitors to think about their personal relationship to the environment and to consider the impact of the choices we make as a society and as individuals.

Bremner Benedict

With a growing concern for the environment in this country, the idealized, unpopulated landscapes of both Adams and Porter set the standard for twentieth-century nature photography. Earth Now begins with a collection of works by these two artists and moves on to a group of landscape photographers who came of age in the 1970s.

Greg Mac Gregor

The exhibition’s primary concentration is on work made after the millennium. The pictures stimulate visitors to think about their personal relationship to the environment and to consider the impact of the choices we make as a society and as individuals.

Brad Moore

The second section of the exhibition presents several emerging artists, while others are more established artists doing new bodies of work, some of which have never been exhibited.

Exhibit Information:

New Mexico Museum of Art
107 West Palace Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-476-5072

Earth Now Exhibit

Richard Misrach

Seedy beauty: The environmental art of Richard Solomon

2011-07-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Tucked away, far from the beaten track, grows a wild seed. It’s found in a secluded spot near an 8,000 foot mesa, shielded by its natural habitat, invisible to most passersby. Unless you are Richard Solomon, a man who lives to find seeds and plant material.

Also known as the “Seed Shaman,” (www.seedshaman.com), Solomon is a man with a passion for discovering, collecting and working with a variety of plant material including goat’s beard, milkweed, desert marigold and wild sunflowers he uncovers on nature walks near his home in Ilfeld, New Mexico.

Solomon has been collecting and creating seed art for almost two and a half decades. After a successful career as CEO/Founder of a marketing and product development company for Fortune 500 companies and non-profits, including the World Wildlife Fund, he was ready for more natural pursuits. While a resident of upstate New York, he was taking a walk one day and came across an unusual clump of grass. Pulling it up from the ground, he examined the dangling roots and asked the Universe, “How can I make my way in this world with this beauty?”

With that vision, Richard embarked upon a new life making his living as an environmental artist. He believes he may be the first with his particular style of art and hopes his work will spread globally as a part of an emerging environmental arts movement.

Like Solomon himself, his work is multi-dimensional. He creates large Giclee fine art prints, set against a black background which he believes best accentuate the details of the seeds and petals. He also creates smaller, flat-pressed pieces that are multi-layered, usually containing flower petals, grasses, seeds and roots. Each composition tells a story; as Solomon says, it’s like he was on a journey without a map when he designed them.

Aside from his originals and prints, Solomon creates botanical sculptures using branches, twigs, pods, grasses and bark. Each sculpture is sewed and bound with the natural fibers of the yucca plant as he eschews using any unnatural elements such as glue, string or wire. They are completely organic pieces of art that can be hung on walls or doorways. However, like most fine art, they should be kept away from direct sunlight. This goes for all of his work, as the elements are in a natural, dried state.

His current “Seed Orb” project involves creating and marketing glass orbs filled with goat’s beard heads which looks like large, luminous dandelions. The pieces make lovely interior accents that can be used together in clusters or simply by themselves.

Solomon is also in the process of marketing a new global environmental venture called EarthWords™ to be introduced in the spring of 2012. EarthWords™ is a kit containing rye grass seeds, a dispenser and a guide book. The purpose of the kit to write a word in the earth that will grow into a ‘green’ social statement within 10 days. It is a project suited for everyone: consumers, corporate sponsors, nonprofits and schools. Solomon believes EarthWords™ will help bring awareness to global warming by allowing individuals to literally write a “green footprint” on the earth and develop a new sense of reverence for the world around us.

Richard Solomon’s art may be purchased on his web-site, www.seedshaman.com, by email: seedshaman1@aol.com, or by contacting him directly at 575.421.2855.

PHOTOS: C. LANGRALL, RICHARD SOLOMON AND ERIC SANDERS

R.I.P. beauty: Los descansos de Santa Fe, NM

2011-05-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

Santa Fe Trail

Un descanso is a Spanish word that translates into "rest" or "place of rest." Another interpretation involves a meaning that is more macabre in nature-- a memorial marker that is placed at the spot of one's death, usually by the side of a road.

Alameda and Palace

Descansos have been around a long time, from Greece and Europe to the Americas. While it is not certain exactly when or where they originated, the practice became common during the European Crusades for soldiers who died in battle. They were typically buried at the site of their death with a cross placed on top. The tradition continued when the Spanish Conquistadors came to America, making New Mexico the first state to be known for erecting descansos, due to the many battles that took place from Las Cruces to Espanola.

A rare Star of David marks a descanso on Old Las Vegas Highway where four teens died tragically in 2009

Note from friend of teen in the above mentioned accident

In more recent times, especially in Santa Fe, descansos have taken on more of an artistic interpretation rather than just a religious oriented tribute (crucifixes are the norm). The simple crosses of decades gone by have been replaced with ornate shrines of religious and non-religious icons, including poetry and handwritten letters; stuffed animals and toys; holiday décor and painted stones; even alcoholic containers that serve as vessels for flower arrangements.

Descanso near El Dorado

Rodeo Rd.

While descansos may be subject to ravages of the elements of nature and time, the memories never fade.

Cerrillos Rd.

They are beautiful, colorful celebrations of the loved ones we lost all too soon. Next time you pass one, stop and look at the neglectedly beautiful details on the ground.

Rodeo Rd.

To learn more about descansos in New Mexico, read "Descansos: An Interrupted Journey" by Rudolfo Anaya, & Juan Estevan Arellano and Denise Chavez, or visit their blog

All photos taken and are property of C.A. Langrall

Radioactive beauty: The Black Hole, Los Alamos, NM

2011-04-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

There is a place in New Mexico that isn't known for its art scene or landscape. Hard to believe, but this place has something no other can offer: recycled military lab equipment. Maybe not so beautiful, but certainly neglected and very, very interesting.

The Black Hole, home to long forgotten “nuclear waste,” has the world’s largest and most diverse selection of scientific and lab equipment, such as CRT oscilloscopes and X-ray converters. It is located just outside the lab buildings, and sits adjacent to a triangular church called the Omega Peace Institute. Once you pass the sign of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Sir Joseph Rotblat, you’ve entered The Black Hole zone.

It's a little like "Lost in Space" meets the Pentagon-- but the stoic landscape of burnt aspens create a more sci-fi than military feel.

Step inside the 17,000 square foot warehouse and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the endless rows of shelves overflowing with gages, valves and machinery. Some items are identifiable; however, many are simply mysterious reminders of past wars, both hot and Cold.

There’s even a library with books ranging from lab manuals to vintage collectors item magazines.

The salvage museum was the brainchild of Ed Grothus, a.k.a. "Atomic Ed," who started out as a machinist and then became a weapons expert working on atomic bombs during WWII. He quit working in the labs 1969 when his conscience could no longer tolerate his role in nuclear bomb development. He became an outspoken anti-nuclear protester and later a solar power advocate.

If you are looking for something unusual, this is the place to go. The Black Hole has provided materials to over 500 Universities and Research Institutions around the world as well as technical props for 4 major motion pictures. There was even a documentary made about Ed’s endeavors called, “Atomic Ed and the Black Hole,” which was released in 2002, complete with a Laurie Anderson’s “Big Science” soundtrack.

Ed passed away in 2009, but his legacy lives on with another Ed (a close friend of the family) who will give you a tour while assuring you the radiation has been removed from all items. I don’t know if I believe that, but it sure didn’t stop me from buying a Department of Defense water container that can also be used as a commode.

Click here to visit the site of: Atomic Ed and the Black Hole Documentary.

Southwest spring beauty: Early signs in Santa Fe

2011-03-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Muscari and leaves

It's spring in Santa Fe, NM and despite the lack of precipitation, Mother Nature has once again found a way to survive, even in the smallest, driest spaces.

Euphorbia rigida

The Santa Fe River is a mere trickle from the scant snowfall we received this past winter. Signs of water are sparse, but hearty fighters like dandelions, euphorbia rigida and miniature sedums are poking up from underneath rocks and unraked leaves from last year's blustery fall.

Friend or foe?... the dandelion

Sedum

It may still be a little bit before the fruit tree blossoms blanket the dried chamisa and adobe landscape, but there are a few early bloomers in town.

Apricot blossom

White cherry blossom

Blooming vinca vine

Bearded Iris are getting ready...

Vanished beauty: Pine Point, by the Goggles

2011-03-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Very Short List is a very cool website with excellent new (and sometimes vintage) entertainment and media that haven’t been hyped to within an inch of their lives. Each weekday, the site recommends a single gem from the vast mass of films, TV shows, books, websites, music, and more. The focus is on products that deserve attention but haven’t already been subject to giant media pile-ons. If you like neglected beauty, you will love this site.

I caught a recent post called Pine Point, which was an almost book that got converted into an interactive part on-line film, part website. It's spans the last years of a Canadian mining town named Pine Point, that vanished from site in 1987. The film is done in a scrap-book format and takes at least 20 minutes to view. To absorb the story in full, complete with very cool, retro graphics, take your time when reading so as not to miss the incredible narrative. Accompanied by a somewhat hauntingly sweet soundtrack, it's time travel back to the days of where hanging out and just being a teenager in the 70's was as good as it gets.

The concept was based on a website designed by former Pine Point resident, Richard Cloutier, and created by the Goggles, a company formed by Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge, the award-winning creative team behind Adbusters Magazine. The film is produced by the National Film Board of Canada .

Pine Point is a video/film/website you don't want to miss, so check it out.

Glass covered beauty: The Slug and the Squirrel

2011-02-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

After signing up for Google Alerts for my floral design studio, A Garden of Earthly Delights, I have discovered some pretty amazing forms of earthly beauty from those with similar names. Sometimes I find people or companies creating outrageous floral replicas of Hieronymus Bosch's famous triptych, or beautiful paintings of floral et fauna in exotic locales. Today, I found a smaller version of earthly delights when I was re-routed to a New York Times article about miniature terrariums.

The living designs of Jose Agatep and his company, The Slug and the Squirrel, were featured, highlighting adorable, hand-made glass displays filled with unusual plants. They are sold on his web-site and now at Anthropologie. The terrariums come in a variety of sizes and shapes and offer an eclectic assortment of plants.

The concept of terrariums has been around for centuries, but Agatep's botanical creations are unique in that he uses found containers from flea markets and vintage shops and adds interesting combinations of plants, such as succulents and mosses. The spot-light on his terrariums is well-timed with an on-going exhibit similar in nature at the MoMa by artist and landscape designer Paula Hayes, who uses much larger vessels that encapsulate flora.

For more information, visit: The Slug and the Squirrel

Winter garden beauty: Piet Oudolf, landscape architect

2011-02-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

It's winter and as much as we gardeners pray for warmer, more colorful days, there are still opportunities to find beauty in the dormant beds of our gardens. Dutch landscape architect, Piet Oudolph, knows this better than anyone as he designs four season landscapes that continue to awe, well after the final blooms of fall's Japanese anemones perish.

Oudolph, who is a leader in the New Perennials Landscape Movement, suggests choosing (perennial) plants for their texture and long-lasting shapes as opposed to simply their color. He has practiced this philosophy in his international acclaimed gardens for years. Oudolf was recently asked to partake in a Q&A segment in the New York Times last week to discuss the merits of winter gardens.

Included in the interview is a spectacular slide show (I could not download, you must click on link to see), demonstrating Oudolf's passion for all season gardens, which has been a favorite Neglected Beauty topic for years. While many people still believe their gardens are unappealing during the winter months, they may change their minds when they look at his incredible images. Skeletal remains of echinacea and dried ornamental grass reeds seem every bit as beautiful as when they were alive, but now they are caste in haunting, sepia tones that pull the viewer in a new direction. All you have to do is adjust your perspective a bit, and you will see Oudolph's message: while everything must have a season, beauty still continues to bloom in death as it once did in life.

To learn more about Piet Oudolph, visit his website.

All photos property of Piet Oudolf.

Trashy beauty: The Beach Garbage Hotel, Madrid

2011-01-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

What would it look like if we took all the trash in the world and made art out of it? It may look like this:

When German artist, Ha Schult, got fed up with the ocean’s polluted waters, he decided to make a statement and in this case, a hotel, out of debris he collected from waste dumps and flea markets in Europe. His latest piece entitled, the Corona Save the Beach Garbage Hotel, is located in Madrid, Spain and is currently on exhibit and open for business until January 23rd.

According to Schult, roughly 30% to 40% of the objects used were found on beaches in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The hotel has five double rooms which have been booked up since it opened, and all of the trash has been disinfected. The hotel has attracted environmentalists and famous faces like model, Helena Christensen and jewelry designer, Jade Jagger.

Photograph by LIFE magazine

The idea of recycling waste is not only brilliant, it may be the future. Through his art, Schult manages to open the world’s eyes to the fact that ocean pollution is very real. This is one of many “trashy” installations of Schult’s. For more information on his art, visit his uber-cool website at Ha Schult Online.

Ravenous beauty

2011-01-07T16:44:00.001-08:00

Sculptures by Peter Woytuk, Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM. Photos by C. Langrall

When I think of ravens, I get a slight chill thinking about Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem. The bird is like a death messenger of love to me, and each time I see one, I start worrying about what break-ups and bad fortune might befall me or my family. It doesn't help that their crow cousins received the malicious moniker of "murder." Yes, a murder of crows fits right in with Poe's cruel raven spewing "nevermore" as he pines for his dearest Lenore.

But I am a neglected beauty hunter not a poet, and after spotting ravens in both Baltimore and now Santa Fe, (trying hard not to be paranoid), I thought there's got to be more to this big black bird than his bad rap sheet. Lucky for me when I moved out west, I discovered exactly that.

Local Native Americans have maintained for centuries that the raven is nothing like Poe's depressing depiction (or the east coast's opinion in general). Instead, he is a spiritual creature rich in positive symbolism, worthy of honor and respect. This is apparent in the many forms of raven worship in art and literature all over the Southwest.

After doing some more digging, I discovered some raven facts that were surprising. For starters, ravens are the largest birds in the crow family and the most intelligent in the bird kingdom, according to John James Audubon's Birds of America. They can live for more than thirty years and can even be taught to speak as they have a wide range of complex sounds and communication skills. When they breed they stay with their fledglings for six months (so there is a soft side after all). Even though some farmers may disagree, ravens can be more helpful than harmful, cleaning up remains of dead animals and taking care of agricultural pests such as caterpillars, grub and worms. You could say the raven is a "green" bird that helps the environment clean up after itself.

In terms of his role in Native American folklore, I spoke with several local tribal representatives who shared some stories. The Hopi, Zuni and Navajo tribes believe that the raven is one of the good guys...a messenger spirit that shamans use to project magic over great distances. It flew from the darkness of the cosmos to bring light to the earth. They consider it a magical bird that carries messages from our ancestors to help and protect us. As the keeper of secrets, native tribes believed the raven assists us in finding answers to our own hidden thoughts and ideas that we are unwilling to face. He delivers truth and restores us to health and harmony through metamorphosis and inner change.

All positive stuff there.

It seems the bird takes on a darker role as it flies north. Natives of both the Pacific Northwest and Northeast consider the raven a trickster when observing it steal food from under the noses of other animals, often working in pairs. According to some folklore, he is associated with death and could become a shape-shifter for witches and the devil.

Sounds more like more doom and gloom than magic. But, perhaps the raven is both dark and light. He is menacing but his intelligence and communication abilities may outweigh his bad habits. And maybe we could put these talents to good use. Joshua Klein came up with a rather brilliant idea to use ravens and crows to help clean up the environment:http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html

Talk about neglected beauty.

Seeing the raven revered in the Southwest, I no longer look at him as a love-killer or bad-omen. After all, I am surrounded by his presence even in my own front yard. Each morning, the same raven cruises down past my adobe, squawking and cawing. Maybe he's sending me a message from my dead relatives or just complaining about the lack of food. Or maybe he’s making fun of my hometown football team's latest defeat, the Ravens (surprised?). In any case, instead of taking cover and ruminating about death for hours, I now welcome this chatty, ravenous beauty as a bearer of more light than dark. And that makes me very happy.

Raven Sculptures by:

at Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe, NM

References:
Susa Morgan Black

All photos taken and property of: C. Langrall

Organic holiday beauty: The floral art of James Lutke

2010-12-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

Peacock made from all natural materials, James Lutke

There is a new look in the White House for Christmas this year and it's not covered in glitter or spray painted, in fact it's completely green. This year's theme, "Simple Gifts" focused on the natural aspects of design, influenced in part by the White House's new organic garden. Wreaths constructed out of flower bulbs, decorative trees created from seed pods and fresh trees adorned with recycled magazines replaced the traditional themes of Christmas past, giving the First Family a holiday inspired by the bounty of Mother Nature.

White House wreaths constructed from flower bulbs

White House organic arrangements

To finish the look, West Michigan floral artist, James Lutke, was hired to create nine birds that would be placed at the top of the Christmas trees-eight peacocks and one white dove. Using all natural materials like flowers and feathers, Lutke fashioned the birds' beaks from driftwood found at a nearby lake.

James Lutke with floral creation

White dove made from feathers, flowers and dried greenery, James Lutke

A resident of Spring Lake, Michigan, Lutke works as a painter and floral artist. All of his floral creations are made with 100% organic materials. He has been a featured speaker and designer at the 2008 American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) National Symposium. HGTV highlighted Lutke's organic designs in a segment exploring the background decoration at this year's White House Christmas. The show aired December 16 and 24 and can be seen on HGTV's website.

Lutke, along with local floral designers and 90 plus volunteers, gave the first family a memorable winter wonderland, demonstrating nature's 'simple gifts' are not only green, they are beautiful.

For a virtual tour of The White House 2010 Christmas, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/holidays

Visit HGTV to learn more about the behind the scenes designing.

Photos provided by HGTV

A New Earthly beauty

2010-11-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Eckhart Tolle-- revere him or disregard him, his 2005 publication, A New Earth, circulated around the world as fast as Bush's embarrassing political gaffes. Ok, yes he's one of Oprah's book club favs, a big what-ev there, she's dropped the bomb before with that A Million Little Pieces fiasco. But on my last visit to my favorite flower wholesaler, a sales rep handed me a copy of something he wrote, and I just stopped in my tracks-- I had to re-read because it was just that lovely. And now I share my little neglected beauty find with you.

The following is an excerpt from a chapter about the role flowers play in our lives and spirits. While I have not read this book in entirety, I found this passage to be not only profoundly beautiful, but incredibly relevant, offering an accurate depiction of our own collective awakening.

Long live the believers of the floral universe.

A New Earth, 58

Those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another species.

Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them. As the consciousness of human beings developed, the flowers were most likely the first thing they came to value which had no utilitarian purpose for them, that is to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells us to contemplate the flowers and learn from them how to live. The Buddha is said to have given a 'silent sermon' once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it. After a while, one of those present, a monk called Mahakasyapa, began to smile. He is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twenty-eight successive masters and much later became the origin of Zen.

Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit. Using the word 'enlightenment' in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants.

Photos provided by Le Web

Fells Point beauty-The Palace on Dallas

2010-09-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Garden Statuary

There is a secret garden in Fells Point that's so hidden it can take a few wrong turns down a small alley just to find it. You'll need an invitation and some landmarks, like the Baltimore Tattoo Museum. Once you spot the multi-cluster of brick row homes that sit on the dead-end alley, you've arrived. Welcome to the "Palace on Dallas."

This is not their front door... it's the neighbors (I liked the way the ivy wrapped around the frame)

Don't let the mundane exterior fool you, there is magic behind those old ivy covered walls. All you have to do is take a quick scurry down a thin, mossy tunnel and soon you'll be immersed into an enchanted garden brimming with exotic palms, antique statuary and a loggia that would make any Italian proud.

Entrance to garden

This is certainly not the stuff of neglected beauty, as this extreme home has appeared in everything from HGTV T.V. Bizarre Homes, to the former NEST magazine and even a coffee table book, Restoring a House in the City, by Ingrid Abramovitch. However, since this is a blog about finding beauty in places you might not expect, I can assure you there is much to discover in the palacial garden, like bountiful boxwood mazes and an over-sized birdcage from the set of "Female Trouble", starring that wonderful Divine. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Loggia and volunteer rudebekia

The name Palace on Dallas came from Baltimore filmmaker, John Waters, one day when he commented on the extreme abundance that was all around a tiny little alley called Dallas St. The name fit and is used to promote events that are held here regularly. So who is responsible for this over-the-top psychedelic designed home? That would be legendary art director (for all of John Waters films), set-designer, and artist, Vincent Peranio, and his designer wife, Dolores Deluxe, who share the space with their five cats and beloved Pomeranian fuzz-ball, named Bella.

Fluffy ferns and palms greet you as you enter the garden

They have lived here since 1976 when Fells Point was considered fringy and a little dangerous. Today, the neighborhood has cleaned up its act and yuppies now live where half abandoned projects once stood and you can walk to Canton or the Inner Harbor, making it the perfect inner-city location. Vince and Dolores bought their first home on this little street and realized they needed more space, so they continued buying more homes as they became available. Each unit was gutted, re-built and re-designed to create their vision of a European style courtyard filled with eclectic statuary, antiques and unusual plants and flowers.

Boston ivy covers loggia ceiling

Forty years later, the gardens are so lush perennials burst out of the brick-lined walkways. Beautiful mosses cover several areas of the far back quadrant and succulents spill in onto broken pieces of columns. It's shabby chic with a twist when you bump into a circle of faded pink flamingo's surrounding the infamous human sized bird cage.

Pink Flamingo's graze next to Divine's vine-covered birdcage

The loggia is used all year round and the large table is perfect for entertaining, which Vince and Dolores love to do. As members of the Fells Point Historical and Preservation Society, they give tours of their home every spring and fall.

Moss and 'Aurea', or creeping Jenny, getting down with some bricks

If you get a chance to go, make sure you circle the gardens at least three or four times...there is so much to see and you won't want to miss a thing.

Man face hides in cherry tree

Pretty lady statues are abundant in the garden

The Palace on Dallas is available to rent for parties for 75 guests or less. (contact information is below), with seating for about 30-35 people. There is much to see inside (sorry, no interior shots this blog), including Vince's extensive artwork, a killer vintage insect collection and antiques, antiques, and you guessed it, more antiques. Scattered throughout are many props and items from the television and movie sets Vince and Dolores have worked on. The venue is elaborate, eclectic and explosive... the perfect place to bring a guests from out of town or downtown for an authentic artist's space feel. The "more is more" decor is not for the meek, however, so if your guests are boring, don't bring them here.

A happy rescue cat lounges in garden

Dolores is also a talented floral designer, (she has worked for me at A Garden of Earthly Delights for 10 years). She can provide and include flowers with the cost. Rental prices vary depending on the event, contact Dolores for more information. The web site is under construction.

The Palace on Dallas Contact Information:

Contact: Dolores Deluxe, 410.732.7195-home, 443.468.1627-cell
She doesn't do email, she proudly lives in a low-tech world.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND ARE PROPERTY OF C. LANGRALL

Neglected beautification-- Preston Gardens, Baltimore

2010-08-31T19:50:00.001-07:00

Early design plans for Preston Gardens

Baltimore City once held a garden in its heart…a garden so beautiful, people from all over town would visit to just lounge on the grass or enjoy a picnic or to just bask in the unending rainbow of nature’s colors.

Today, that garden still exists along a brief stretch of St. Paul Place, but its magic is fading. Established in 1919, Preston Gardens is in need of grant money to repair and replace benches and tables, fix foundation cracks, re-plant trees and fill empty flowers beds. The only repairs to take place this year will be likely be foundation improvements and lighting.

Instead of blooming chrysanthemums this fall, it’s mostly grass you’ll find covering the garden grounds. The wildflower patch across from Mercy’s Weinberg Center contains a few native grasses and perennial plants, but weeds have usurped the soil where colorful summer flowers were once rooted. Workers who used to enjoy an outdoor lunch the park have no where else to sit but on the ground or steps, which can block the path of other pedestrians.

The grass is cut, there are still some pretty trees that line the streets, but the empty flower beds and fountains gone dry make this patch look like just another neglected city garden. Even the graffiti sprayed on the balustrade asking, “Why?” makes you wonder what happened to such a beautiful park.

As discouraging as it is to watch this living green space fill up with volunteers and weeds, garden neglect is nothing new, and certainly not to Preston Gardens. New plantings and maintenance were scaled back or even halted during the Great Depression, World War II, and during the tough economic times in the 70s and 90s. Ninety years after its founding, grant funding is needed to restore the legacy of this park.

But why spend money on flowers when you’ve got crime to bust, potholes to fix and streets to repave? Because communities need a place to congregate, reflect and admire beauty--so said James H. Preston, Mayor of the City of Baltimore, in 1904. Back then, the rise of the automobile began taking its toll on the gardens as a battle ensued to turn the strip of land between St. Paul’s and Calvert Street into a garage. It became garden vs. garage.

Mayor James H. Preston

Fortunately, Mayor Preston believed that Preston Gardens would mean more to Baltimore than any parking lot. The Mayor’s aesthetic vision won out when he craftily secured a harbor loan to pay for the project. He contacted landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of New York’s Central Park and the U.S. Capitol grounds to help design the park, which would extend from east Mt. Vernon to the Courthouse. In 1914, Olmsted was replaced by architect, Thomas Hastings, and within four years, fresh grass, flower beds and fountains replaced the drab, slum-like residences on St. Paul that Mayor Preston had come to loathe.

It seems few Baltimore mayors are without controversy; in 1919, Mayor Preston’s “shifting of loans” to pay for the project became known as “Preston’s Folley.” But he got the last laugh when his green vision gained notoriety as the city’s first urban renewal project. Preston Gardens would flourish for years with annual and perennial plantings of rare tulips, thousands of spring bulb flowers and the famed fall mums.

The best thing about an empty or neglected garden is it can be re-planted. Back in 2000, Preston Gardens fell on hard times again and received some help from a Sister of Mercy-- Sister Helen Amos, R.S.M. of Mercy Medical Center, who joined forces with the Downtown Partnership and Baltimore City Bureau of Parks to spruce up Preston Gardens. On May 16, 2000, Mayor O’Malley headed a re-dedication ceremony in Mayor Preston’s honor.

It’s a decade later and the gardens still need TLC. But unless volunteers help organize this, the volunteer weeds will take over where flowering plants should be brimming. With the bulk of Baltimore City’s 2011 budget being focused on the police and fire departments as well as crucial sanitation projects, greening efforts too often take a back seat. How can city budgets provide for both? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for this.

Sister Helen Amos

Beautification projects may now be in the hands of individuals like Sister Helen who connect directly with local businesses and the community. There’s more evidence than ever before that gardens are more than just “pretty things;” they not only create an attractive setting for businesses, they also entice people to want to live and work downtown. That means dollars to the City’s coffers…and that’s just good business sense. We need the green.

CURRENT PHOTOS BY C.LANGRALL

Roadtrippin' beauty: Ventnor, NJ, part 2

2010-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is my second blog about the sleepy beach town known as Ventnor, NJ. To me it is the true definition of neglected beauty-- it has a forgotten feel to it with some surprising finds of deco style architecture and beautiful English inspired gardens. What I like about this relatively unknown resort is its loyal, local community that takes impeccable care of beach front and side-street properties. But I also like the "other" parts that many residents try and hide from visitors like me.

Ventnor is an appendage of Atlantic City in many ways with pockets of vacant properties popping up in between sand dunes and cattails. It has a slightly abandoned feel, reminiscent of Atlantic City of the seventies and early eighties. Sometimes it makes me sad walking the boardwalk but it always gives me something to focus on. Neglected beauty is all over this place.

Most people know very little about Ventnor other than its role as a sale property from the board game, Monopoly. I was one of the misinformed until I met some friends that found a charming four story bungalow off Atlantic Ave. (another property of Monopoly) and decided to make it their summer/work home. This weekend marked my fourth visit.

While I normally focus on my destination, this trip I decided to document the journey home. Leaving Ventnor brought me and a friend much joy with some pretty, though intense scenery. Loud attractions like Pistol Pete's Steakhouse and Story Book Land screamed "Look at me!", but we were quickly relieved when we spied out a few cool, vintage deco buildings. Nice to get some order to the drive-by chaos. It can be hard to concentrate on the wheel in this place.

The trip back is a straight shot on Rt. 40 West, and where the retail madness ends, small town Americana begins. Mark and I stopped at least six times for picture taking. The nicest part was that we left at sunset. Even the sprinklers we saw in Egg Harbor Township glowed in gold.

After passing by the second abandoned flower farm, I was forced to stop and take some close up's. Even past their prime, these allium blooms held up, but the vision of vibrant purples and whites from two months ago remained only in my mind. It kills me that no one cut them for local florists use. Forgotten, un-used flower farms are a complete tragedy to a flower spy.

Despite their neglect, they were still so beautiful.

Next township, or Twp, (which I kept calling "twerp", it seemed reasonable...) was a small one and in the center it had an incredible abandoned looking mill and silo. Despite the rusty metal and overgrown mossed roof, the structure seemed so alive in the dimming light.

A quick peek across the street yielded this lovely church steeple and bell. By then we were in the gloaming which cast a creepy but alluring tint on the church. All I kept thinking was I was glad I didn't live here, but weirdly I could have stayed here longer to find other examples of neglected beauty...I just knew there was more.

On the last stretch towards the Delaware Memorial bridge, we rode past acres of corn fields. We stopped just in time for a perfect sunset. It happened literally within seconds, just in time for me to adjust my gaze onto the boring stretch of the drive home-- 95 South toward Baltimore.

What would we do without neglected beauty?

Thanks to Mark for accompanying our finds with his 80's new-wave ipod tracks. All of our senses were engaged... that is until the "Glee" soundtrack started...(deep sigh).

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND ARE PROPERTY OF C. LANGRALL

Neutralizing beauty: The Magic house

2010-07-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

I live in the magic house. That's what my friends call it. So do all the children in the neighborhood, lots of flower clients and two old boyfriends.

I bought this beautiful bungalow 16 years ago that was purchased 95 years ago from someone who picked it out of a Sears's catalog. It was special then and even more so now. The magic house has experienced a lot... thousands of beautiful designs created inside its walls, countless holiday and New Year's Eve parties, two infamous backyard theatrical productions/blow-out parties, the famous Mermaid Soiree, and four photo shoots: Baltimore Magazine, Style Magazine, the Catholic Review and the Jewish Times. Even its garden is magical-- it was featured in Baltimore Magazine's Secret garden issue in 2004.

Ever since I bought the magic house, I have wanted to paint it the colors of the sea and citrus fruit, decorate it with layers and layers of texture and adorn it with things that make me happy and feel soft against my skin. That's what you get to do when you own your own home, you get to decorate and paint it any way you desire because it's yours, right?

Not so fast. The magic house is on the market and has been for six months now. That 16 years of living and loving shell-beaded mirrors, silk hanging lanterns, and insect-covered switch plates has come to an abrupt end. Why? Because it seems people need gray, beige, or white in order to see what color their new life's chapter will bring. People want a clean slate, a clear palette, upon which they can imagine the home of their dreams.

Lime green and "Raspberry peony" walls are being converted into eggshell and light gray. Patina and moss covered urns, shell-filled apothecary jars and collections of bird's nests continue to get packed up. And then there's the vintage persimmon Art Deco bark-cloth curtains that got replaced by beige Pier One damask panels. Is this what will sell the magic house?

Maybe, according to my realtor. But what about the flat white chalk covered walls and Rent-A-Center furniture I had to erase in my mind in order to see my world settled inside such a lifeless interior? Why do we have to strip the color and personality from our homes in order to sell them? Does it really make a that big a difference?

That's what they tell me. Funny how none of my friends have neutral houses. What ever will they do?

Until that sea-worshiping, citrus-fruit loving buyer discovers the magic house, I will just have to continue un-coloring, un-gluing and un-adorning the walls and rooms of a home that provided me and my family more life than I ever could have dreamed. Talk about neglected beauty.

All photos by C. Langrall

Patapsco beauty

2010-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.
~John Muir

Ain't that the truth. If you live in Maryland you have probably been to at least one park, we are literally surrounded by them based on our state's topography. There are over 100 recreational parks located in the mountains to the beaches.

I happen to be one of the lucky residents to have a park right in my backyard, the Patapsco Valley State Park. It extends along 32 miles of the Patapsco River, encompassing 16,000 acres and has five large recreational areas. Patapsco State Park pretty much has it all if you are interested in any kind of outdoor activity: hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, horseback riding trails, nature and history study, as well as picnicking.

I ventured over to the Daniels Road entrance last week when the temperatures became intolerable. As soon as we hit the paths, we felt instantly cooler and although the gnats were out, bug spray took care of them while we walked along the river. We found like-minded people who were enjoying picnics, swimming and kayaking.

I was thrilled to see the park thriving but suggest you take advantage of these wonderful out-door resources while they are still around. After reading about the state parks budget cuts in California and New York, I worry about the future of Maryland's own natural treasures. We could be far from that day, but the thought of losing them makes me want to go hiking and picture-taking as long as my time here lasts (translation: until my house sells).

Support Patapsco Valley State Park by becoming a friend!

References:
State Park budget cuts in New York
State Park budget cuts in California.

All photos taken and are property of C. Langrall

Bello means beauty

2010-06-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Father welcomes son

I've decided this will be my summer to do all the things I've wanted to do but couldn't with my ridiculously busy work schedule. Now that I am winding down the biz and boxing up my life here in Maryland, I am getting involved in new projects, one of which is volunteering. How good it feels to give back!

The ladies enjoying their new t-shirts

I contacted Volunteer Match.org and found some local places I thought may be a good fit for my skills and interests. Bello Machre was one of the organizations I found, which I had not heard of. Bello Machre, which means "home of my heart" in Gaelic, is a non-profit organization in Anne Arundel County, that helps children and adults with developmental disabilities. After speaking to the Director of Volunteer services, Evette Watson, she told me she was looking for someone who could take pictures of the residents and supporters in a compassionate manner. She checked out the Neglected Beauty blog and offered me the position.

Face painted beauty

Some background on this program... Bello Machre offers services that enable the developmentally disabled individuals to work and live in the community as independently as possible. There are four group homes on the property, as well as community and individual family living options. Bello Machre's goal is to nurture, teach, and care for these children and adults and create an atmosphere where they can feel protected, safe and loved. Some participants are as young as three months old, while others are seniors, they come from all races and backgrounds.

Crossing the finish line feels good!

I considered this volunteer position a bit of a challenge as the majority of my photographs involve nature, and/or flowers. Nonetheless, I was excited to help and came out this weekend to their bike and walk-a-thon called "Every Step Counts," to raise money. Evette asked me to focus on photographing the volunteers for their summer newsletter, but as you can see, I was captivated by so much more.

Yvette at her check-in table

Many of the residents were there with their families and supporters to enjoy a nice, rainless day. Activities such as a rock wall climb and face painting were available, and food and snacks were plentiful, including delicious grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Everyone had fun and for three hours straight, I did not put my camera down once except to adjust the settings (ok-- and scarf down a hot dog). Although the sun made it hard to focus at times, I think I captured some of the beauty of the day.

A baby gets some love from a resident

If you'd like to volunteer or get involved with Bello Machre, you can contact Yvette Watson at:
Bello Machre, Inc.
7765 Freetown Road
Glen Burnie, MD 21060
410.255.3805

A little boy who avoided my lens all day did not escape this great shot

All photos taken and are property of C. Langrall

"I do" beauty: A green wedding

2010-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been a floral designer in Baltimore for thirteen years. I have met thousands of brides and families, visited numerous reception sites and experienced too many behind the scene situations that are better left unmentioned.

The wedding business here is huge-- brides come from all over to take advantage of the many reasonably priced venues and highly experienced vendors. If I had to rate Baltimore on a scale of one to ten for its professionalism and talent in this industry, I would give it a twelve. But the stress we encounter is off the chart. Weddings are supposed to be wonderful events, but something has changed in the past five years that worries me couples have lost sight of what it really means to say “I do.” Talk about neglected beauty.

My dear friend, Hope, asked me to help with her wedding in Vermont. I was elated with the prospect, I needed a break from the house sale woes (which is fast becoming a joke) and the dizzying local wedding season in my own town. Little did I know this jaunt up north would change the way I look at all of this.

Hope came to Baltimore to look for a dress. She was going for a vintage look and needed help. She really lucked out when I took her to Retropolitan, a vintage store in Ellicott City, it was also our first stop. Cindy, the owner, brought out a beautiful dress from the 1920's that fit her like a glove. It didn't end there; she also found lovely shoes, a purse and lace gloves, giving her three era's worth of gorgeous style. Her purchases were not local to Vermont, but they were recycled, so she earned herself some “green” points.

When I arrived in Burlington to find Hope and Charles (the groom) relaxed and accepting of whatever came their way, I knew it was going to be a nice experience for me. Both bride and groom acted like adults the entire time; they focused on the positive contributions of guest and vendor, rather than worry about unexpected details and delays that were bound to pop up, like cake filling and inclimate weather.

Hope wanted locally grown flowers in her bouquet, so I took her mother in law for an adventure to Fox Run Flower Farm where we found more than we expected with the help of cool owner, Chris. When I needed some greens for a garland which she did not have, she suggested some cascading tendrils from her curly willow tree. The cost: $1.25 per stem, per very, very long stem. And the greatest part? I never went to the wholesaler, I got every single flower blossom from her farm.

If frolicking through fields of flowers wasn’t enough of a treat, designing them al fresco would have to be one of the best experiences of my life. On a broken, little table under a shady tree in Hope’s backyard, I created her perfect bouquet in near perfect temperatures. And I recycled them… immediately putting the conditioned flowers into her personal vases for that night’s backyard cook out/rehearsal dinner, then transporting them in boxes for the wedding the next day.

The location of the ceremony was in a rented beach house in Shelburne, VT, across from Lake Champlain. Hope and Charles picked the backyard for the ceremony. A work colleague performed the ceremony in a story telling format—it was intimate and very telling of both Hope and Charles’ personality. Theirs was a journey with many special stops, and all of us listened with love from a tight circle of garden chairs.

As for the rest of the reception, the organic theme continued in the menu and wine selections. Everything served was locally grown and organic. The food was indescribably delicious, all healthy and fresh. And the cost of feeding thirteen people was unthinkable: $345.00. That would be less than $30.00 a person.

The whole wedding from start to finish focused on nature, family and sustainability. We recycled everything we used and composted the rest. Hope's ring was sea-glass, another example of finding beauty in nature.

While not everyone can get married outside, there are other ways of making a wedding green. But that doesn’t include money… the couples who max out their credit cards to pay for a wedding they hope will out-do their best friend’s need to restructure their thinking. More can be great, but it is a terrible way to start a new life. To think of beginning with less after spending more seems like a dreadful start. Or is it end?

After this weekend, I realized organic, locally grown weddings are where it’s at for me. This is my fourth all green wedding and I am hoping the word will spread to other couples. As far as the flowers go, many of us floral people are ready for a change as we worry weekly about our product shipments not arriving due to natural disasters, like earthquakes and floods.

Kudos to Hope and Charles for returning to nature and doing it right. There is nothing like a backyard to get your green on.

Flowers used:
Solomon's Seal
Forget me Nots
Lilies of the Valley
Hellebores
Ajuga
Lilac-purple, lavender and white
Crab Apple blossom
Hosta leaves (thank you Luke Skywalker)
Curly Willow

Some Menu samples:
Fresh cucumber with salmon swirled pate
Asparagus wrapped in phyllo with chile paste
Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
Mixed green salad with pistachio crusted goat cheese balls
Breaded chicken fillets
Thinly cut sirloin with béarnaise
Mustard greens with sweet potatoes
Strawberry rhubarb crisp
Wedding cake- yellow with strawberry filling, butter cream icing that was the best I’ve EVER had

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND PROPERTY OF C. LANGRALL

Monastic beauty

2010-04-27T19:08:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what I've been doing here for 16 years. I just found yet another wonderful find in my back-yard while waiting for the big move. Living in Catonsville hasn't been so bad, but why it's taken me so long to discover so much is a question I continue to ask myself. Maybe I was just too focused on the flowers and gardens I was creating inside my studio to notice the ones that were blooming outside.

Catonsville is very quaint and hospitable, even though someone stole the "Welcome to Catonsville" sign last year (there is a reward for its return, UMBC students...). It's a small enough town to figure out where all the good restaurants and bars are within a few months--there are three, btw. But for some reason, it took me 14 years to join the Chamber of Commerce even though I've been in business here for that long. There is still a Main St., and a small post office, as well as six music stores, earning our Mayberry-esque little town the name, Music City.

This town is not only a throw-back to simpler times, it's got a pretty religious scene going on, making it even more historic. There are plenty of churches and Catholic schools, but there is another sacred place that happens to sit right next to the Patapsco State Park.

It's called All Saints Convent, and thanks to resident Catonsville factoid/pilates boot-camp expert, Maggie Schorr, I learned a lot about it on a private guided tour on one spring morning when everything was in full bloom.

A walk down a tree lined path produced the first building on the property. I was taken by the setting and with the early mist, it looked more like we were in Europe than in an suburb in Maryland. It was so quiet, even through we saw shadows inside, we heard no voices. Only the sounds of birds signaling love and food could be heard, and I realized I just found my new meditation place.

We keep on walking, veering right and suddenly a wide open field appeared with tall grasses, but just enough mowed paths for us to investigate more garden vignettes. Since the monastery sits next to a state park, deer are a problem for most anything that grows, so fencing covers much of the plants-- creating a 'flowers as hostage' look that made me a little sad.

My spirits didn't get a chance to lull for too long when Maggie pointed across a field at a perfectly shaped circular garden. She told me there was a surprise inside, so I ran over to see just like a child would do. I guess flowers are my version of candy-- so that sort of thing can't really be helped.

There was an angel sign on the fence that greeted us. But the surprise was still waiting. When we unhooked the gate latch and found ourselves under a roof of Kwanzan cherry blossoms, I started to discover a magic world of pink snow--it was ethereal, actually more than ethereal, for when I focused my eyes back down to the ground, I discovered more surprises-- little angel figurines were virtually everywhere. Maggie said they call it the "Angel Garden". I lost count after 25... there were angels of every size and shape, sticking out of forget-me-nots, hostas and miniature rose bushes. It was the wildest, sweetest thing ever.

And if that vision wasn't enough, I started spotted perennials that shouldn't have been there--meaning they should have been out of season. But there they were, hellebores, muscari, narcissus and primroses, looking strong and vibrant, standing next to the forget-me-nots, lilies of the valley and foxgloves. Double bonus was the lilies-of-the-valley being pink! I went a little mental at this point.

The angel garden contained us for a long time, until we headed over to the heart shaped pond. The energy surrounding All Saints Convent is the most tranquil I have yet to experience in Catonsville. You could sit for hours and just pray and meditate, which is exactly what I intend to do when I return.

As we made our way out, I started noticing more trees and shrubs that were non-native and quite established. I'd love to know the history of these as well as the buildings. There is a mystical energy about the property making me wonder who envisioned such a alluring, yet private landscape. But, I am concerned about its future. I pray this sacred property remains as untouched in the future as it is today.

We headed towards the car, and a mother deer with her babies crossed the road, turning around to look at us. I realized this magical place should be left to them and no one else. Neglected beauty such as this is just too special to envision it any other way but in silence, with wildlife grazing under rare trees and a nun working in her garden, tending to angels and pink snow.

A rare red buckeye tree in full bloom

If you'd like to learn more about All Saints Convent, visit their web site. They offer weekend retreats, which I believe may have been attended and written about by an old Baltimore City Paper editor in the early 1990's.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND ARE PROPERTY OF THE FLOWER SPY.