close parenthesis

i could have oriented this semicircle to either the left or right. it seemed fitting to turn it left, like a close parenthesis, since we are steadily making our way toward the period at the end of the sentence of this latest stay in the languedoc. the first round of goodbyes started yesterday, and will take on increasing momentum until our departure in 10 days. some of our friends will insist on multiple goodbye apéros. just like the three-cheek greetings, it seems our departure calls for three-apéro goodbyes.  this is our fourth visit to this tiny, rural village. and it was during our second trip that the villagers very subtly switched from saying “will you come back?” to “when will you come back?”. there is no real doubt in anyone’s mind that we will come back someday, likely sooner than later. so, the close-parenthesis may be a little melodramatic. but given how emotional i’m feeling about leaving this sane and quiet place, and returning to post-obama america, i think you should congratulate me on my restraint.

succulents from our terrace

autignac, france

  • cecelia says:

    i love this!! it reminds me of a squash blossom turquoise necklace. just lovely.

    reply
  • cecelia says:

    I love this! it reminds me of a squash blossom turquoise necklace. just lovely.

    reply
  • sara says:

    I have enjoyed STILL for quite some time. It is one of the ways I begin my day–sort of a visual centering. But I am truly enjoying this new side of it. These images set against a dark background are just as visually moving, but they hit me in an entirely different way. I particularly love this one, but all have been beautiful. Thanks, too, for sharing stories and images of your time in France. It’s made this Midwestern girl’s winter far less dreary.

    reply
    • Aww, Sara, you make me blush. Those are such kind words. Thank you so much.

      reply

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scurrying to prepare for winter

we are starting to prepare for our return home. we have two weeks left. i know for most people, that sounds like a nice long vacation. but, i am feeling nothing but time running out. i have a house full of nature finds, and enough paper scraps from my collage work that i may need to hire a dumpster. i am heading back to sub-zero (fahrenheit mind you) weather, and a landscape covered in two feet of snow. i have done five winters of STILL images, so i shouldn’t be anxious. but, let’s face it, bare winter stems on a white background looks minimal and artsy. on a black background, it will be tricky. very tricky. so, like a squirrel preparing for winter, i am scurrying around and photographing everything i see on my new black tagboard. these geraniums grow in pots that line our terrace here in autignac. they are still blooming in january. which is a reason to be joyful about living here right now. and another reason to feel panicky about the approach of our departure date. there are no geraniums in minnesota right now.

geraniums

autignac, france

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these are a few of my favorite things

whew. launch days, or in this case, re-launch days, always make me a little nervous. so many last minute loose ends and last minute tweaks. i always end up with a lot of nervous energy, and not a lot to do but monitor for hiccups.  all in all, yesterday went pretty smoothly. just one little glitch with pinterest that i am hopeful we will shortly smooth out. otherwise, a successful relaunch day. you all were so loving and encouraging. i really appreciate it more than you can possibly know. i did get a few mourners who will miss the white, but even that was a tribute of sorts to five years of dedicated work. so, one great big huge mediterranean three-cheek kiss (the special-occasion kind) to all of you! you make this labor of love so much about love and so little about labor. thank you.

an assemblage of some of my favorite languedocien collections

autignac, france

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muted flowers

i am expecting a range of reactions to this post, from “oh, yes!” to “oh, no!” but, yes or no, this is the new STILL blog. after five straight years of daily photographs in the same format on the same white background, i needed to make some kind of change. but i couldn’t bear the thought of leaving behind the exhilarating daily practice of STILL blog, nor the way it required me to be present and observant in nature, nor the way it brought me in contact with a world of creative, supportive, inspiring, and affirming colleagues, followers, and friends. i have spent the better part of the last couple of years trying to figure out what STILL 2.0 should look like. one obvious solution was simply to switch the background from white to black, which seemed too obvious for a while, until I took my first actual photo on a black background (this breathtaking queen anne’s lace), and suddenly several years of new possibilities opened up. the new black background will lend itself to new subjects, new colors (it was nearly impossible to photograph white objects on a white background), and new, more emotionally nuanced compositions. the new format will be divided into three galleries or realms: the realm of “day” of “night” and of “dawn.”  all of my prior five years of white images will be available and archived in the “day” gallery. all of my new images on a black background will accumulate in the “night” gallery. and my new project, a collage-a-day challenge, will be featured in the “dawn” gallery (as in “dawn of a new era”). there is more information about this new project in the gallery itself. i think this new format is gorgeous, and will lend itself to a newly expansive vision of what STILL blog can be, while hewing to its original vision of pared-down minimalism that encourages everyone to be still for a part of every day, and look at one thing at a time.  i hope you love it, and if you don’t love it yet, i hope you will give yourself time to fall in love. whatever you think, I’d love to hear from you, whether in the comments section, or by email. thank you all for spending these last five years with me, and adding kindness and magic to my days. 

  • Candy says:

    Wow! This is fantastic!!!! A whole nother way of seeing, what a great way to branch out!

    reply
  • Christjann says:

    Ma-gni-fique! Just blown away from the black background photos, and I am looking forward to the shop! THANK YOU!

    reply
  • krissy says:

    oh YES!

    reply
  • Stefanie lindeman says:

    I love the moody new look! The whites were sometimes a little stark for my taste, but these have a new level of warmth while honoring your minimalist vision. Bravo!

    reply
    • Stephanie! Thank you so much for checking in. Your aesthetic vision is something I respect a lot, and so it means quite a bit to me that you are responding to the new look. Looking forward to seeing you in 2017.

      reply
  • Nancy B says:

    Every morning when I open my computer, there you are. Awe!! I am so pleased for you to be moving forward with NIGHT and DAWN. I am so sorry that my eyes are unable to now see clearly the small print font of the details when on the black.Your work is wonderful! Your collage is always outstanding When Target took your designs to heart, I immediately bought a pillow of my most favorite of all your work. THE THISTLE. It greets me every morning as I enter my workroom. Would it be possible to have the blog on white, or in a larger font?

    reply
    • Hi Nancy, Glad to hear you like the new site. You are the second person to say they are having a hard time reading the white text on the black background. A quick and easy work around is to hit “Cmd +” on a Mac, or “Ctrl +” on a pc, and the text will expand for you. You can hit it as many times as you like to get the size font you want. I hope this helps. Let me know if it works. Thanks again for your words of encouragement. Warmly, Mary Jo

      reply
  • Dede says:

    My response was WOW! I love to follow your journey and see where it has taken you. The experiences with the artists of this region have had such an impact on you and then on the rest of us who are lucky to see the inner inspirations of an artist and creative genius as yourself!

    reply
  • Karenthips says:

    example essay proposal

    http://brainfish.us

    reply
  • marianne Lapadat says:

    Love it, love it. Could see you were on to something big while looking at your pictures in France. Looking forward to the collages also. It’s genetic you know! Your mom Marianne

    reply
  • Your are truly an artist. Your work speaks to my soul as a florist and amateur photographer.
    Please keep doing whatever comes to you. I love it all.
    Sheri at Apropos Flowers.

    reply
  • Pauline says:

    I love it!

    reply
  • Your inspiring captures; along with the poetic descriptions, remind me of what is important and what is not.
    Thank you for sharing yourself thru the art of nature.

    reply

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jet flower

i am expecting a range of reactions to this post, from “oh, yes!” to “oh, no!” but, yes or no, this is the new STILL blog. after five straight years of daily photographs in the same format on the same white background, i needed to make some kind of change. but i couldn’t bear the thought of leaving behind the exhilarating daily practice of STILL blog, nor the way it required me to be present and observant in nature, nor the way it brought me in contact with a world of creative, supportive, inspiring, and affirming colleagues, followers, and friends. i have spent the better part of the last couple of years trying to figure out what STILL 2.0 should look like. one obvious solution was simply to switch the background from white to black, which seemed too obvious for a while, until I took my first actual photo on a black background (this breathtaking queen anne’s lace), and suddenly several years of new possibilities opened up. the new black background will lend itself to new subjects, new colors (it was nearly impossible to photograph white objects on a white background), and new, more emotionally nuanced compositions. the new format will be divided into three galleries or realms: the realm of “day” of “night” and of “dawn.”  all of my prior five years of white images will be available and archived in the “day” gallery. all of my new images on a black background will accumulate in the “night” gallery. and my new project, a collage-a-day challenge, will be featured in the “dawn” gallery (as in “dawn of a new era”). there is more information about this new project in the gallery itself. i think this new format is gorgeous, and will lend itself to a newly expansive vision of what STILL blog can be, while hewing to its original vision of pared-down minimalism that encourages everyone to be still for a part of every day, and look at one thing at a time.  i hope you love it, and if you don’t love it yet, i hope you will give yourself time to fall in love. whatever you think, I’d love to hear from you, whether in the comments section, or by email. thank you all for spending these last five years with me, and adding kindness and magic to my days. 

  • Steve says:

    Gorgeousness and gorgeosity.

    reply
  • TAC says:

    Interesting new angle. I’m looking forward to exploring it along with you.

    reply

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