Tomato Day Dream

The rain and chill of February in San Francisco has left me feeling cozy and daydreaming about warmer months ahead. As I embrace hibernation, I’m now able to edit seasons-old photographs that have been accumulating dust on memory cards since August. Today, I’m editing and remembering when I went tomato canning this summer with good friends up in Dixon, California. A straight shot northeast of the city, Dixon sits in the middle of a hot, dry, mosquito-filled desert. Aside from the mosquito bites, I remember it very fondly. Eat Well Farm is plentiful in the summer – thousands and thousands of tomatoes are piled into crates, ready to be canned and stored for the months ahead.

With a group of 10 or so friends, we spent all of our waking hours (12, to be exact!) coring, boiling, chopping and cooking down our vibrant red heirlooms and San Marzanos. At the end of it all, after much snacking and beer-drinking, we were canning tomatoes by candlelight. The next morning was when we were truly able to recognize the fruits of our labor…. over 100 jars of all shapes and sizes, brimming with punchy red tomato sauce.

My share of 12 jars has lasted me from then till now, and I still have 7 left, which I dole out only for the most special occasions and guests.  I eagerly await the next tomato harvest, excited for the long and sweaty hours of laboring over scalding pots, mosquitoes and all, knowing that the satisfaction that comes from creating something from scratch, with friends, is what makes it all worthwhile. 

For the Love of Plants, Vol. 2

I'm tellin' ya, I just love 'em!

These photos were taken in 2016 in San Francisco, Connecticut, Portugal, Copenhagen, Amsterdam & Barcelona.

For the Love of Plants, Vol. 1

As 2016 comes to a close, I've spent a lot of time looking at photos taken throughout the year. A recurring thread in my work is plants - the shapes, patterns and architectures that they create. Plants are about life and green, but they are also about death and brown. Buds, growth, bountiful color - but also shadows, twigs, fallen leaves. I feel equally inspired by both. Many cheers to the plant kingdom in 2016 in beyond.

These photos were taken in Northern California (San Francisco, Ukiah, Berkeley, Napa Valley, Yosemite) and around the globe in Copenhagen & Berlin. 

Purple Mountains Majesty

It's criminal to think that I've lived in California for the better part of a decade and am just now making it to Yosemite. Though wildly different from New York City, it is also a place that reminds me of how small I am - dwarfed by objects so grand and powerful and mythic you can hardly describe them. That's what we have pictures for, eh?

 

 

For the Love of Friends, Plants and Making Things

A good deal of thanks to my dear friend Mina, for letting me style her, pose her, play with her hair, and steal a large portion of her Sunday...just to model my jewelry. Hooray for botanical gardens and the outdoors and plants and making things and lovely friends.

Salt Point State Park

Salt Point State Park | Jenner, CA | Amongst friends that feel like family