A few days ago I received the most generous gift from my friend Terisa in California. A box filled with infinite varieties of citrus, guava and persimmons, which grow right on her property. See the array on my last post. Quite remarkable. Also quite hard to visualize given the lack of sunshine in the Pacific Northwest this time of the year. And my days in Florida feel like a dream these days.
I hope you had a great holiday and new year. I welcomed 2015 in Seattle. It has been definitely a time of hibernation with haze, rain and all the elements one imagines when thinking of Seattle. There is a reason winter exists, I remind myself. To gather strength and ideas. I thoroughly love a time when I feel no obligations or the urge to fill my time with doing. We are such a society of busy-ness, always the need to prove our worth through how busy we are – me included. Winters here are about gathering quietly and embracing the darkness in a strange way.
Having said this, there are many things I would like to get accomplished this year.
Two weeks ago, I was invited by the Andaz Liverpool hotel in London to come experience the hotel and everything its neighborhood had to offer during the holiday season. It had been ten years since I had spent time in London and I had been eager to visit during Christmastime. The lights, the holiday markets, the hearty eats, mistletoe and wreaths in every corner… I loved the darkness too. Something so cozy about it although it did make it difficult to photograph some food and interiors. Such a magical time of year.
I love winter for its silence.
I have this need to regenerate, so I hibernate. Partly due to exhaustion, but mostly because of darkness. I feel a lack of words lately and I mostly show the world around me through images. So I leave you with them. The images of snow and these brown-butter, spiced-pumpkin cakes.
And mostly, I hope you are enjoying the holiday season with all its bustle, peace and lights. xo
This year I had so many wonderful people come through the studio to teach and to learn. The collaborate spirit fuels me. Now I am very excited to announce that award-winning duo Sara and Hugh Forte of Sprouted KItchen will be teaching a 2-day food styling and photography workshop in my studio in Seattle on April 11 and 12.
They write and photograph one of the most respected food blogs. Their first book has the perfect combination of healthful, delicious and texture-filled recipes with photography that is warm, emotional, full of movement. And now their second book will be launching in March 2015. Hope you can join us!