Spring Greening

May 9, 2011 by 5 Comments
Spring Greening, University of Wisconsin - Madison Arboretum

Spring Greening © 2011 Bo Mackison

The material of the artist lies not within himself nor in the fabrications of his imagination, but in the world around him . . . The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.” ~ Paul Strand

Year after year, spring returns. Perhaps in a given year we say “Spring is early,” or “Spring is late this year,” or “It was a cold, dreary Spring.” But never once have we said, “Spring didn’t come this year.”

When I returned to Wisconsin from my long Arizona visit, I was anxious for spring to show its pretty face. Instead I arrived in the middle of one of the cloudiest, grayest Aprils on record. Not since the late 1800s had there been a spring with less sunlight.

I found the transition difficult, moving from a desert clime where the sun shines brightly nearly every day with only a bit of cloud cover to Wisconsin where day after day was gray.

I was cranky. I was restless. I was depressed.

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and without a certain amount of sunshine, I can easily slip into a low mood. And so, I slipped right into the person I gave myself permission to be — crabby, impatient, moody. (Hey, I had an excuse, right?) And then I took it a step farther, and convinced myself that whenever  the weather prediction was sunny, I would have a good day. Conversely, when it was cloudy, cool, and gray, I just knew my day was going to be a downer.

It didn’t take me long to realize that this was not a good game plan–giving myself permission to be “less than my best” on cloudy days–especially when Madison statistically has 89 sunny days a year (0% to 30% cloud cover during daylight areas) and 96 partly sunny days (clouds cover from 40% to 70% of the sky during the day). That is a grand total of 185 days with some sun visible or, said another way, the sun shines 54% of our daylight time.

No, that is not a good plan at all. I am NOT giving myself permission to expect that almost half of my days will be sub-par because of cloudy weather.

I needed a new plan. Quickly!

I borrowed some inspiration from Robin who posts at Life in the Bogs. She committed to spending time outside each day, and she began this winter. She has explored her outside environment in all sorts of weather–sunny, windy, snowy, sleety, rainy. And has lived to blog about it–in a positive way, too.

And as I read about Robin on her adventures, I considered what she was doing. And I realized that when I connect with nature, I too experience a boost in my mood, and that this happens in almost any kind of weather. (Not so much when it’s below zero and the wind chill is frigid, but I don’t have to worry about those conditions until December!)

So I have no good reason to stay indoors when it is cloudy or rainy, no reason to give myself permission to feel cranky or low, and blame it on cloud cover. When I go outside and explore my natural settings, I feel more positive, no matter the weather. So, time outdoors is now on the top of my to-do list–every day!

This is my first step. The next part of my new plan will be in my next post.

—————–

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo is thankful that spring has arrived. But she is working on a new adventure at home–one where she embarks on a daily outdoor experience, no matter the weather or season.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Nature Explorations, Photography, Writing Practices

Red in the Rock Garden

May 6, 2011 by 3 Comments
Red in the Rock Garden

Red in the Rock Garden © 2011 Bo Mackison

A visit to one of my favorite urban gardens, Allen Centennial Garden in the heart of the University of Wisconsin campus, not only gives me the opportunity to photograph lovely spring flowers and blossoming trees, but also the gift of getting close to the earth and discovering small delights in an intricate series of rock gardens.

This is an example of hens and chicks in its red variety. One of my favorite (and most popular photographs at the art fairs I attend) is another photo I took of hens and chicks, the green variety.  I love both versions–they seem to play off each other. This red one has more composition, the red succulents playing off the light background of small pastel pebbles and large white rocks. The older photo has an overall pattern of the hens and chicks in varying sizes, and the rocky background has more blue tones. Together I think they make an attractive display.

I love the different stories associated with hens and chicks. I heard the first, a passed down family tale, from my great-grandmother, my Grandma Prudie. She was in her eighties when I was nearing ten and given the job of garden assistant by my grandfather. Prudie would often drag a yard chair out onto the lawn near the long strip of garden on the far side of the property and chat about a variety of topics as I hand pulled the weeds.

One day she told me the story of the hens and chicks plant, her version. The story made a big impression on me. I wrote the story in a black and white composition notebook–my diary–but that notebook long ago disappeared. This is the version that my memory remembers:

“Now these plants, the hens and chicks, these are a “sucky-lent” plant. The little plants “suck” all the life from the mother plants–those are the big center plants. The mothers send out roots and then the little chicks grow. The chicks grow and eventually take over the plant. Then eventually the mother plant dies and the chicks become the mothers. And the growing pattern gets repeated over and over, until the hens and chicks spread throughout the  rock garden.” ~Prudence Mackison Willliams

My great-grandmother wasn’t afraid to talk about any topic. I remember conversations about war, jealousy between siblings, religion, marriage and divorce, life and death. She wasn’t a judgmental woman. She thought people did the best they could with what life offered them, and often defended the under dogs of the world.

Grandma Prudie had a hard life, she did many things in her day that weren’t considered womanly things to do, but she was kind-hearted and she was giving; she was an optimist and she lived her life fully. She also loved flowers, and her favorite time of year was when it was flower blooming season.

———————–

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo is thankful to see the spring flowers blooming and the sun shining. She is also recalling the many garden talks she had with her grandparents when she was a child.

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Journal Writing at Seth’s Cottage

May 3, 2011 by 10 Comments
Wright Inspired Accessories at Seth Peterson Cottage on Mirror Lake, Wisconsin

Writing by Lamp Light © 2011 Bo Mackison

I spent several hours writing by the light cast from this small lamp while I was staying at the Seth Peterson Cottage. Whenever I paused, I could look out the many windows and gaze at Mirror Lake, which wasn’t much of a “mirror” while I was there. It had a slate gray appearance that evening, no resemblance to a reflective mirror.

While I was there, I photographed some of the details of the interior. These particular photos do not show the rooms so much as the accessories in the rooms. (In the next and final post on Seth’s Cottage I’ll include photographs from the individual rooms.)

I also wrote and sketched in my journals while I was there. A few excerpts follow:

Flickering Fire, Fireplace designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Seth Peterson Cottage

Flickering Fire © 2011 Bo Mackison

A lesson learned from lighting the fire. When lighting a fire with a full box of matches at your disposal, one doesn’t pay much attention to the number of matches it takes. If the fire doesn’t start with the first two or three matches, just keep trying until the fire catches. But when there are only six matches in the only box of matches, one plans carefully for the lighting of the logs. The kindling is laid just so, I stuff a bit of paper between the twigs for a bit of insurance, choose the smaller logs from the woodpile outside. Lots of planning goes on before I strike the first match.

I think of an analogy, comparing the starting a fireplace fire to caring for the earth. While the natural resources of the earth seem inexhaustible, there seems little need to use the resources wisely–lots of matches in the box to start the warming fire. But when the resources become threatened, endangered, the prudent thing to do would be to use them wisely, carefully, with great planning–don’t want to run out of matches before the logs are burning.

Star Floor, Radiant Floor Heating System, Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Seth Peterson Cottage

Radiant Star Floor © 2011 Bo Mackison

I spent way too much time trying to find patterns and pictures in the random lines of the flagstone floor. Above is my interpretation of a “radiant” star — radiant because underneath these flagstone slabs are hot water pipes that provide floor heating. There were also pennies embedded in several cracks. I fully intended to get down on my hands and knees and check out the dates on the coins, but I never did find a flashlight and the areas were rather dimly lit.

From my journal:

I am quite loving this hard stone floor. Not because it is a comfy surface to stand upon in stocking feet, but because it is toasty warm. Even though it has dropped to the low 40s and will probably hit 35˚F by early morning, the warm floor is quite special in that it is so unexpected. There are no rugs, only this unending expanse of carefully matched stone slabs.

It is so quiet. Now, nearly six in the evening, and the skies are dark with heavy, threatening rain clouds. I expected to see and hear birds, but the birds are silent. There is no radio, no television, no neighbors, no motor boats on the “no motor” lake, no internet. It is quiet, except for the popping of the fire and the occasional  cloud burst.

One gets lulled by the quiet. I intend to write, but instead I find myself passing long periods of time watching the logs burn, watching the raindrops plop in the puddles on the back stone patio, listening for sounds that don’t exist. We have learned to live in a noisy world, and often pay little attention to the constant background noises that surround us. But when there are no sounds, only silence, then I notice the silence.

I hear the silence.

——————–

This is the second part of a three-part series written and photographed while I stayed at the Seth Peterson Cottage.

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Seth’s Cottage

April 30, 2011 by 13 Comments
Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Seth Peterson Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

I have visited the Seth Peterson Cottage, the last commission that Frank Lloyd Wright did before his death in 1958. (There are tours of the small cottage every second Sunday of the month in the afternoon.)

And ever since I went and toured this cozy, secluded cottage that stands on the bluffs overlooking Mirror Lake, I’ve had a deep desire to spend the night there. (The cottage is one of only a handful of Wright designed buildings available for public rental.)

Last week I listened to a show on Wisconsin Public Radio regarding the activities planned for this year in honor of Wright’s home in Wisconsin. Taliesin is reaching the century mark. And the conversation about Wright’s houses rekindled my dream of staying in Seth’s Cottage. What better way to commemorate this Wright year? But when I went to the site to check on availability, there was only one night available – the next evening — or the cottage wasn’t available until mid-November.

I made some hasty arrangements and then made my reservation.

I was going to spend a whole day and night at the Seth Peterson Cottage. A mini-Wright retreat in the woods, on a bluff, above a lake–in a Wright designed cottage. Yes!

Entrance to Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Seth’s Cottage Entrance © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m sharing the photos I took of the cottage when it was nearly dark because these are the kinds of photographs you can only get if you spend the night. I have taken many of the cottage’s exterior and interior during daylight hours while I’ve been on the tours. Those were taken a few years ago when I was a true novice with the camera. This time I spent quite a few hours photographing the cottage, both the inside and outside, in daylight and at night. I had the huge advantage of being able to set up my shots, and I was able to use a tripod and long shutter speeds without interfering with a tour in progress.

What a dream come true!

Interior, Dining Area of Seth Peterson Cottage, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Dining in the Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

The cottage was designed to include much in a very small space. The bedroom is small but very functional with built ins and closets. The dining and living area is almost spacious. When dining, one can gaze out at Mirror Lake and watch the water fowl. In better weather–it was drizzly and in the 40s–the lake is popular with canoeists and kayakers, too. There is an outside porch for relaxing and outdoor eating. The flagstone floor has a radiant heating system underneath the surface and the floor is toasty warm for bare feet. Nice touch!

View from Entrance, Seth Peterson Cottage, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

From the Front Door to the Back Door – A View © 2011 Bo Mackison

Wright knew how to make the most of lighting and windows, and the cottage has plenty of both. The western exposure is a wall of windows set on a short stone base. The rear wall also has windows and insures a great view of the lake and the wildlife.

Central Fireplace at Seth Peterson Cottage, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Central Fireplace at Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

He also employed stone in his exterior design and in the mammoth, central fireplace. The kitchen walls, located immediately behind the fireplace, are also entirely of stone. Modern appliances complement the warmth of the small alcove.

Seth Peterson never lived in the cottage he talked Frank Lloyd Wright into designing for him when Wright was 90 years old. Seth committed suicide before its completion, and the home was sold and finished by another party. In 1966 the state of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources acquired the building and property as a part of the adjoining Mirror Lake State Park, but due to its remote location, the building fell into disrepair.

In 1989 a non-profit group formed to save the building which was in near ruins. After much fund-raising, the cottage was fully restored. It has received numerous architectural awards and recommendations for the stunning rehabilitation. The mission of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy is one of preservation and education. But even more, it is one of opportunity, for it provides the opportunity to experience this unique building in an intimate setting, perhaps the exact setting Mr. Wright himself envisioned.

As I sat in front of the fire on my first afternoon there, I wrote and sketched in my journal. It was a serene experience. Silent, except for the pop and sizzle of the wood fire, the scratching of my pen upon my journal pages, and occasional chatter from the squirrels and birds nearby.

I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to hear a quiet voice whisper in my ear — “Welcome to Seth’s Cottage, Bo.”

And I might just have replied, “Why, thank you, Mr. Wright.”

~~~ I’ll share a few daylight photos and some journal entries written while staying there in a future post. I am back home after spending the first part of 2011 in Arizona. This is my first “explore” since returning to the Midwest.

Filed Under: Photography, Writing Practices Tagged With: , , , ,

Narcissus, In Hiding

April 21, 2011 by 4 Comments
Narcissus, Spring Flower in Madison Wisconsin Garden

Narcissus, In Hiding © 2011 Bo Mackison

Usually these are perky spring flowers, eager and willing to stand erect, raise their faces towards the sun. But the daffodils are feeling a need for some protection, so they are bent low to the ground, staying closer to the warmer earth, staying out of the wind gusts.

Nature is filled with wisdom. When the wind dies down and the sun pops out of the clouds, these daffodils will pop right up too. Undefeated by a little fickle weather.

A good lesson to learn. When faced with blustery conditions, keep your head protected and weather the storm. When the wind shifts, and the skies show blue, you’ll be in position to take on the day with a smile and renewed determination.

 

Filed Under: Nature Explorations, Writing Practices Tagged With: , ,
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