gathered together

one of my favorite things about making these big assemblages is that the whole family gets together to put them slowly and painstakingly in place, with much adjusting and disagreeing and opinion giving. it is a double gathering. a gathering of materials from a particular era of collecting, and a gathering of family to help express what the collection wants to say. this one happens to be the culmination of 4 months of gathering in southern France, since our arrival in mid-august. in that time we have sent our daughter off to college and seen her return. i have taken up collage as a new path to wander down for a while. our son has found his footing in a french middle school. and we have taken several steps deeper into the world of this region we love. the objects in this photo have been littering our floors and most other horizontal surfaces in the house for months, and photographing them and returning them to nature is like saying goodbye to a group of good friends. and, as a matter of fact, like saying goodbye to a year that has just passed. or like saying goodbye to 5 years of still blog. the end of an era. the beginning of a new one.

four months of collecting

autignac, france

  • papelhilo says:

    beautiful photo !
    and I can’t help but being sad to ear the news …. hoping to see you soon somewhere else, then !
    “bon bout d’an !”

    reply
    • Oh, don’t worry. There will be more STILL! I just plan to change it up a bit so I can continue to grow creatively. Please continue to come me here!

      reply
  • Gin says:

    How I love it when you do these large assemblages of beautiful bits of nature! Happy 2017. Always look forward to your art.

    reply
  • Dede says:

    Love these assemblies! looking forward to your next adventure into creativity.Happy New Year and thank you mary jo for all the inspiration.

    reply
  • Carol says:

    Love this and what it expresses – makes me think of Tibetan monks and their beautiful sand paintings that are workd so patiently on and then swept away to make room for what is next. Thanks for all the pleasure over the years.

    reply
  • Laura says:

    A wonderful beautiful tribute to 2016!
    Happy New Year, my friend.. may 2017 bring peace and love, and more of your beautiful art pieces!

    reply
  • Heather H says:

    Beautiful! Now I wish this were a jigsaw puzzle that MY family could gather round and put slowly and painstakingly into place. Looking forward to your future creative endeavours!

    reply

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half moon

i could try to understand why these mediterranean shells appear to break so consistently in a half-moon shape just inside their outer rim. or i could decide that shells break in every conceivable fashion and my focus happened to land on 13 half moons one evening. the universe is planned? the universe is random? my 80 year old mom happens to be visiting us right now. she’d say, “oh honey, who cares? i’m making a coffee and go have a cigarette on the deck, if you want to join me.”

beach shells

sète, france

  • Dede says:

    love your mom!

    reply
  • lindsey says:

    also random: these shells looks like a festive can of pringles

    reply

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chocolate and caramel

a shapely chocolate swirl on a placid pond of caramel. looks good enough to eat.

magnolia and eucalyptus

languedoc, france

  • Laura says:

    Beautiful still-life!

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bones of the fallen

some tree bones, polished by the orb river during the spring crest, and left on shore during the summer ebb, for any passing american gatherers who might be interested.

driftwood

orb river, languedoc, france

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excess and its opposite

once a year, i don’t mind the abundance and excess of the holidays. but now i’m ready for the other 350 days of the year, and their relative calm and order and restraint. bring it on, 2017.

driftwood and beach rock

languedoc, france

  • Laura says:

    I like your quiet image
    and your quieting thoughts.
    Happy New Year, my friend.

    reply

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