Tea, Sympathy, and Perfume

Black Swan

2011-01-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

Gillian Murphy, the wonderful principle dancer of American Ballet Theater, as Odile in the third Act of Swan Lake, and her dazzling 32 fouettés en tournant. She throws in several double and triple turns.

2011-01-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

As I suspect most of us do, I love many things about all four seasons and I'm fortunate to live in an area of the USA in which I get a taste of everything - from freezing cold to tropical heat waves. Phil and I often talk of moving to Florida when our respective careers end, but how much would I miss the colorful chill of autumn or the cold budding of new spring? Or even the bare trees and the bite of winter? Maybe not at all. Maybe a lot.

Snowshoe hare (Lepus Americanus), summer and winter coats

New Year Inspirations

2011-01-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

Loving this illustration by Maxfield Parrish from The Arabian Nights: The Story of Gulnare of the Sea (1909). "And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated."...

...and the enchanting work of the artist Eyvind Earle. This is Pine Branch (1951)...

...and this beautiful Bluebell cameo glass vase by the great Auguste and Antonin Freres (1890)...

...and depictions of the Angel Gabriel, as here in a detail of The Annunciation by daVinci (c. 1472)...

...and exquisite handmade fans by Duvelleroy, like this half-moon shaped fan in coral satin silk....

I hope 2011 fills you with inspiration!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

Gentle readers, I wish you all good Yuletide blessings and cheer!

Skaters on the Bois de Boulogne (1889), Pierre Auguste Renoir

Macabre

2010-10-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

In honor of Hallowe'en (or Samhain if you prefer), I thought it would be fun to post some examples of art that reflect this season that revels in the dark side. I wish you all a very happy celebration as the border with the Otherworld grows thin!

The American neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat died at the age of 27, his young life ravaged by drugs, alcohol and mental illness. This is one of his last paintings, inspired by a da Vinci drawing, and surely a blatant reflection of his state of mind and a foreboding of the near future.

Riding with Death (1988), Jean-Michel Basquiat

Bocklin is one of my favorite symbolists. His Ruine am Meer is a great example of the extreme eroticism and morbidity of most of his work. Bocklin loved the classical mythology of the Mediterranean, and most of his great works were set in this landscape. The Victorians, who loved a good haunting, must have been very attracted to pictures like this.

Ruins by the Sea (1880), Arnold Bocklin

The avant-garde Belgian artist James Ensor had a thing for skeletons, painting them in colorful tableaux. In fact, the bright, lively colors in this painting seem to me the creepiest thing here, as the main subject of the picture is clearly death. This painting was in fact a re-worked portrait. It started out as a family member, looking through a book of Japanese prints in the family home. Ensor decided that a skeleton was more interesting.

Skeleton Looking at Chinoiseries (c. 1885), James Ensor

The devil is in the details, literally, in Bosch's immortal triptych which warns of the consequences of life's temptations. Here, in one of the picture's hundreds of scenes, a demon inflicts his torments on a man.

The Garden of Earthly Delights, Detail (c. 1500), Hieronymus Bosch

When Fuseli's masterpiece was shown at the Royal Academy in 1782, it became the talk of the town, because it was interpreted to be all about sex. It was said to have influenced later Gothic novels, poems, and centuries later even films. This compelling image is in fact not just sexual, but is a melange of helpless innocence, power, evil, folklore, witchcraft, and the unconscious.

The Nightmare (1781), John Henry Fuseli

I'm just going to say what most of us think: Edvard Munch was weird, or at least his paintings were delightfully so. He always makes us wonder, 'what in the heck is going on here?' This is my favorite of his works. Set in the small Norwegian town of Aasgaardstrand, a group of women appear to be gathered for some purpose. What are they doing? Where is the woman in white going? The depiction of night and mystery and ritual here are so gorgeously realized.

The Storm (1893), Edvard Munch

Rotting jack-o-lanterns, carved while still on the vine, lend a playful sense of eeriness in Jamie Wyeth's painting. Halloween is a favorite subject for Wyeth, featuring rural symbols like scarecrows and especially pumpkins. I love his very effective mastery of light and shadow.

Warm Halloween (1989), Jamie Wyeth

No surprise that my little collection here includes a Goya, for depicting witchcraft and unfettered flight was his way of celebrating the freedom of the Enlightenment against the fantastical fears of the Dark Ages. But I also think that Goya must have had a sense of thrill himself in painting subjects like this. I feel that he was deeply attracted to the dark aspects of imagination. And...I love their fantastic hats.

Witches Flight (1797), Francesco de Goya

2010-10-10T19:08:00.000-04:00

Do you ever write bits and pieces of prose or poetry? I have notebooks full of snippets that come to me in dreams, or daydreams.

When I came across this photo of a wonderful gypsy vardo, an idea came to me for a story. Maybe one day I'll pursue it further.

"Cold iron is like poison to faeries", the gypsy said, her fingers pawing through the small pile of odds and ends on the table. "Ah!", she cried, siezing a tiny silken pouch and shaking it gleefully, making a dull, hard rattle. "Iron taken from Awen, the cauldron of Cerridwen. There's no faerie in all the wide world who will dare come near it! If...", the gypsy peered across the table..."you know how to use it properly".

Autumn

2010-10-08T16:52:00.001-04:00

I believe that the turning of the wheel of the year brings a profound sense of comfort to those of us who care to pay attention. Whether it's the slow, welcome melting of winter into spring; the joyful and heady sparkle of spring into summer; the brilliant transition of summer into autumn; or the abrupt darkening of autumn into winter, we have evidence all around us that change is not only unstoppable, but that it is good, and in fact, it is beautiful.

Autumn is so very welcome in places where the sun burns bright and hot. As the weeks go by, the colors of the leaves become more and more ridiculous in their loveliness. I don't think there are many artists (or poets, or writers, or dancers, or dreamers or anyone else for that matter) who has failed to be moved by this season of mellow, melancholy, decaying gorgeousness.

And on top of all that, we have Hallowe'en! But more on that in an upcoming post. :) Here are some autumn pieces I particularly like.

I like the murkiness of Fantin-Latour's fallen Apples, with just that hint of red on the fruit in the foreground and that deep shadow on the left, suggesting that we're seeing them touched by moonlight. Fantin-Latour was an absolute master of the still-life, and Parisians bought his pictures as quickly as he could paint them.

Apples (1876), Henri Fantin-Latour

Alson Clark was an American impressionist, and for most of his life he lived and painted in the area of Pasadena, California. Who wouldn't want to live in a perfect little white cottage under a stand of quaking aspen trees?

Autumn Blaze (1922), Alson Skinner Clark

This is what surely must be one of Tiffany's greatest masterpieces of leaded favrile glass, commissioned by a wealthy Bostonian and now owned by the Met. The river of life is seen winding it's way through a brilliant forest glade. The Tiffany studio pulled out all the stops, using every known stained glass technique for this piece.

Autumn Landscape (1923), Louis Comfort Tiffany

It was all about the curvilinear forms and the nuances of color for Georgia O'Keeffe. Her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, owned a vacation home at Lake George, New York, where O'Keeffe painted several studies of leaves like this one. I like the sense of moving forward from the bloody deep red in the background to the pale yellow of the leaf on the top. There is a sense of intimacy in her paintings that I enjoy.

Autumn Leaves (1915), Georgia O'Keeffe

I'm convinced that Grimshaw had a sort of fetish for autumnal colors in his palette, because he made quite a few pictures with this theme. He also liked mist and moonlight. I always think of Jane Eyre when I see this one.

Autumn Morning (1864), John Atkinson Grimshaw

Although this painting by Pollock is titled Autumn Rhythm, he probably wasn't thinking of the season in a representational way when he dripped/flung/whipped/drizzled it. Still, I think it brings to mind a sense of autumn in his use of color and the flow of the lines. There is something captivating about it...it makes me think, and not of spring.

Autumn Rhythm, Number 30 (1950), Jackson Pollock

Here is a portrait by Mary Cassatt of her only sister, Lydia. Lydia was Mary's model for many of her paintings, and this is a particular poignant one, as two years later Lydia died of Bright's disease, a kidney ailment. The bright hues of autumn are all centered on the subject, rather than on nature.

Autumn (1880), Mary Cassatt

Birch trees hold special meaning for me, and I've loved them since my childhood. This painting by Klimt reminds me of stories of the sacred groves of birches that stand in the Tir na nOg, the Gaelic land of the faeries, the dead and the immortal.

Birkenwald (Birch Forest) (1903), Gustav Klimt

This amazing photograph is by the American nature photographer, Eliot Porter. There is something unsettling about his photo. In fact, I find it hard to look at it too long, because it's so damn creepy. Nevertheless, I love it.

Frostbitten Apples, Tesuque, New Mexico, November 21 (1966), Eliot Porter

Just for fun, I have to include this hat by the great Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. It makes me smile, and I think that's what she was aiming for.

Hat, Fall/Winter Collection (1939), Elsa Schiaparelli

2010-10-07T17:12:00.000-04:00

My dear readers, thank you all for the lovely emails I've received during Tea, Sympathy and Perfume's hiatus! I will be returning with new content in the next couple of days!

Mary

Histoires de Parfums - Three Reviews

2010-07-18T08:16:00.002-04:00

This weekend, I've had the pleasure of wearing three fragrances by the wonderful house of Histoires de Parfums, two of which are exquisite interpretations of tuberose, and one that is something completely different. It's been such a pleasure for me to test these beautiful scents, which are available through the company's website, Histoires de Parfums, and at select retail locations worldwide. I can't wait to wear more creations from this superb line.

Tuberose 3 - Animale

Despite it's well-known association with lovely Hawaiian wedding leis, for me, the scent of tuberose evokes India, where it is called rat ki rani, The Mistress of the Night. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine believe that tuberose improves ones capacity for emotional depth, opens the crown chakra to improve psychic powers, and amplifies artistic inspiration.

Tuberose - Animale explores the sensual, grounded aspect of the flower. The fragrance opens with a fresh zing of kumquat and neroli - like the last, cool slivers of dawn before the sun begins to rise. As the scent dries, it amps up into candied plum and warm, herbaceous hay that is just this side of weedy, underpinned by the sensuous headiness of the tuberose. I love the heart of this perfume! It's very grounded, earthy and 'real'. The base of the blend centers on the full realization of the tuberose interjected by a hint of fresh tobacco and a warm, woody note of immortelle.

While wearing Tuberose - Animale, I was constantly reminded of the beautiful, sensuously erotic sandstone sculptures of 12th century temples in India, in which the perfection of the human form was so joyously celebrated.

Dancing Devata (c. 12th C), Uttar Pradesh, India

Tuberose 2 - Virginale

While Animale's translation of tuberose is tactile, Virginale for me is more like a dream - a more ethereal but no less captivating tuberose. The topnotes of mandarin and cherry begin the fragrance with a sense of sparkle and exuberance. While the orange dissipates fairly quickly, the cherry lingers into the middle notes, wrapping itself playfully around the tuberose, frangipani, tiare and jasmine. These white florals in the heart are quite tenacious, lasting for several hours on my skin, with the tuberose rising above the other notes like a beautiful white balloon. Virginale's drydown is vanilla and wood, spiked with a breath of patchouli.

Tuberose - Virginale reminded me of this striking image by the great American photographer, Imogen Cunningham who so effectively captured the crisp purity of the tuberose blossom.

Tuberose, (c. 1920), Gelatin silver print, Imogen Cunningham

I believe that mid-summer is the perfect time to wear tuberose perfumes, when the full richness of this floral can be most fully appreciated.

Moulin Rouge

A complete change of pace was Moulin Rouge, a scent which had my nose implanted in the crook of my arm fairly obsessively for a good 30 minutes before I finally forced myself to get on with life. I smell lipstick and face powder, and a glass of absinthe in the hand of a gentleman meeting his mistress, who is wearing a fringed shawl infused with patchouli. I smell the scent of full-blown roses, just at the stage of wilting, and the spiky aura of iris as a woman with a loud laugh walks past. The bartender leans forward and I catch the essence of fern in his cologne.

Moulin Rouge perfectly encapsulates the vision of Gerald Ghislain - a night in Montmartre at the Moulin Rouge. This fragrance smells like somewhere I've never been, but somehow I have.

Jardin De Paris - Design for a Poster (1901), Pablo Picasso

PURPLE

2010-06-12T07:49:00.001-04:00

Since it's discovery, purple is a hue that has been steeped in symbolism and connection with wealth, power and status. This is certainly due to the fact that the dye itself was originally available from one source only in all the world: the secretions of the sea snail Murex Brandaris and so was incredibly rare and costly to produce. Minoans on the island of Crete were likely the first to discover purple. The ancients especially favored the shade known as Tyrian Purple, so called because it was made in the city of Tyre.

We have a pretty good idea what Tyrian Purple looked like, thanks to the brilliant mosaic artists of the time. Here is a famous portrait of the Emporer Justinian I from the Church of Saint Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

Justinian I (6th c., A.D.)

Perhaps the greatest French painter and illuminator of the 15th century, Jean Fouquet, portrayed Mary and Jesus in this simple but powerful image as the fronticepiece of a Book of Hours. Using tempera and gold paint, he conveys the tenderness and youth of the Virgin, clothed in regal, powerful purple. This little jewel of a painting is only about 5 x 4 inches.

The Virgin and Child Enthroned (c. 1450), Jean Fouquet

The Scottish painter and illustrator, Frances MacNair,depicted Shakespeare's doomed heroine, Ophelia, in this ethereal watercolor. MacNair utilized shades of purple to great affect in many of her works. I love the sense of youthful tragedy it conveys in this scene, in which Ophelia drowns.

Ophelia (1898), Frances MacNair

Purple translates an entirely different story in this work by Burne-Jones - it helps to let us know that his subject is respected, authoritative and sober. Burne-Jones loved to juxtapose areas of deep shadows with glowing light in his draperies, and I feel that this example does that so beautifully.

The Sibyl (1877), Edward Burne-Jones

Monet's cool, vaporous purples are used here to show a sense of misty disorientation. The water diffuses into the air which melts into the sky, blurring the definitions of the surrounding trees. For me, this is almost gothic-impressionist in overall feel.

The Seine at Giverny, Morning Mists (1897), Claude Monet

Ever the romantic, Hughes drapes a Valkyrie in a gorgeous shade of indigo as she prepares to choose a warrior for death in the battle below. Unlike most accounts of Valkyrie, Hughes depicts her as a gentle maiden, which isn't quite in keeping with Norse mythology, but we can forgive him because this painting is so beautiful.

The Valkyrie's Vigil (1906), Edward Robert Hughes

Purple is used here by Waterhouse as a symbol of sacred spirituality and enlightenment, as the Angel Gabriel presents the lily of chastity and virtue to Mary. Even his wings are a deep, saturated purple, which I find the most startling and wonderful thing about this work.

The Anunciation (1914), John William Waterhouse

Purple in fashion is a statement color. Here is Jeanne Lanvin's spectacular evening dress from the 30's in bias-cut satin, machine-sewn and made in Paris.

Evening Dress (1935), Jeanne Lanvin

I love Sargent's watercolors, because he captured light in such amazing, interesting, quirky ways. Sargent used purple on the water in this landscape to show a sense of freshness, and also to experiment with the way light affected color. There is also a wonderful hint of Cubism here.

Rushing Brook (1905), John Singer Sargent

It is somewhat impossible to fully appreciate Rothko's work anywhere other than in front of you in a gallery, but I really love how transparent the violet block is in this painting. The red is shimmering below the violet, and his use of green beside this block is just fantastic.

No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) (1951), Mark Rothko

PINK

2010-05-08T11:18:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank all of my readers for your kind patience with this update!

This post introduces a new series on my blog, in which I will focus on specific colors and their use in art. The first color in this series is pink - a color with almost universally positive symbolic connotations. Pink is the passion of red tempered with the purity of white. We consider it a feminine color, although in some cultures like Japan and India, pink has no such gender specificity. Pink was not known or used as a color in art in China until after their contact with Western culture - and pink is still considered a 'foreign' color there. Pink can be both soothing and exciting, and I hope you will enjoy the outstanding examples below of the use of this beautiful color!

In the 50's, Andy Warhol (an avowed cat lover) made 25 delightful watercolor lithographs of cats, in different poses and colors. These were based on photographs by Walter Chandoha, a cat photographer in New York. Here is his pink version, Untitled, but sometimes called Pink Sam.

Untitled (c. 1954), Andy Warhol

Georgia O'Keeffe frequent use of pink in her evocative flower paintings seems to tap into our subconscious (if not organic) association with this color with the Divine Feminine. O'Keeffe was very skilled at using every nuance of a color in her palette. Here she takes pink from hot and vivid on the petal edges to nearly white further down. When viewing her paintings and pastels in a gallery, your eye fully appreciates the incredible opalescence of her colors.

Pink Sweet Peas (1927), Georgia O'Keeffe

Most of us are very familiar with Degas' wonderful Impressionist paintings of dancers and students of the Paris Opera in 19th century Paris. I love that he chose not to romanticize these girls, but to portray them in poses that were real and beyond idealistic. It's as though you're there and witnessing a sudden, unplanned moment. In all of his art, Degas was obsessed with the positioning of the figure, and he used atmospheric color to great effect (although he himself did not identify himself as an Impressionist). I love the pink tulle costumes here, which almost seem to float, and the contrast of the pink flowers with the girls' dark hair.

Ballerina in Pink (1885), Edgar Degas

One of my favorite Picasso's, this painting portrays his young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, gazing into a mirror. The pink firmness of her skin, the brightness of her eyes, the smooth fairness of her hair, all convey her fresh youthfulness. Her reflection (perhaps her self-image? her own future? another aspect of her personality?) gazes back at her in deeper, somehow more experienced, tones. I feel that this painting displays Picasso's deep understanding of and artistic sensitivity to women. I like how the two figures almost seem to be embracing. Picasso's use of pink here helps tell the story.

Girl Before a Mirror (1932), Pablo Picasso

Oh my dear Matisse, you are an artist who's presence I strongly sense when I look at your paintings! His passion for color is evident in all of his Fauvist works, but Matisse also loved quirky structure. The somewhat disorienting tilt of the table makes the apples seem to defy gravity. This was done all to force us to focus on Matisse's primary passions: shape and color. Who cares about reality or proper perspective? Look at the gorgeous shades of pink in the cloth and the tactile yellow of the fruit!

Still Life with Apples on a Pink Tablecloth (1924), Henri Matisse

Throughout most of his creative life, James McNeil Whistler was enamored of Japanese prints, porcelain, costume and aesthetics and this is evident in his beautiful, shimmering 'symphony' of ladies on a beach. The pink sand and sky against the blue water are like something from a dream, with the wind-blown figures punctuated in the scene by their clothing and accessories. I love that the use of pink here is so ethereal. At the time Whistler made this picture, I'm not sure anyone except his pre-Raphaelite friends appreciated it's genius.

Symphony in Blue and Pink (1868), James McNeil Whistler

Pink is not just for girls! Moroni, an Italian Mannerist, very successfully portrays his attractive and masculine subject in a very naturalistic way, while including various symbols around him. This is Gian Girolamo Grumelli, a statesman and nobleman, who must have been a very impressive young man indeed - he was named a Knight of the Golden Spur at age 10. I can only assume that coral-pink was a very stylish color for wealthy men to wear at this time...head to toe!

The Gentleman in Pink (1560), Giovanni Battista Moroni

The very prolific French Academic artist William Bouguereau painted this picture at age 77, three years before his death, and follows his favorite life-long theme of classical figures. Here Bouguereau wants us to appreciate not only the solemn pose of the young priestess, but also his mastery of line, form and color. The pink of her draping helps us to understand the girl's youth and innocence, but also that the artist loved working with this color and wants us to love it too.

Young Priestess (1902), William Adolphe Bouguereau

One of the things I love about this little painting of the Madonna by Raphael is his choice of clothing the Virgin in a shade of pink that is almost red. This tells me that the joy of Mary's motherhood will soon end. Pink is also an important thematic color here, as John the Baptist is handing Jesus a pink, a flower symbolic of Mary's tears.

The Garvagh Madonna, Raphael, 1510

This beautiful little watercolor was made by an artist in the Punjab Hills of India. A girl, finishing her bath, wrings water from her hair. She looks up to see a tiny golden bird perched on top of the tree. I like the way her bluish-pink skirt contrasts so perfectly with the salmon-orange sky in this lovely, intimate scene. Diana Vreeland once said, "Pink is the navy blue of India". It is an indispensable color in Indian life and art.

At Her Bath (c.1700), Indian, Pahari

The great Russian-French artist and designer ERTE personified pink in this lithograph: joy, movement, energy, femininity, innocence, sensuality, nature.

Pink Lady (c. 1980), ERTE

Beltane

2010-05-01T07:59:00.000-04:00

It is Beltane. As I joyously celebrate this day of purification, transition, fertility and the return of abundance to the Earth, I am reminded that Mother Goddess' gifts are so often abused and threatened. At this moment, 200,000 gallons of oil a day are spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the rich and abundant wildlife, and the fragile ecostructure, of the region.

And so today, whether you celebrate the ancient fire festival of Beltane or not, I ask that you send a prayer of healing to Deity for our beautiful planet Earth, and for all of the humans, animals, fish, fowl and plantlife we share it with.

2010-04-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

I'm so sorry for the delay in my next post. Work, home and beautiful weather have kept me from my update. It's coming soon...I promise!

In the meantime, please visit Hasan's marvelous blog here: Three Pipe Problem. You will be as enthralled as I am.

2010-04-22T05:37:00.000-04:00

My dear readers, I'm working on a new art post - should be up by the weekend!

2010-04-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.

She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes

In shape no bigger than an agate-stone...."

Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Act I, scene IV

2010-04-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

Ostara (1901), Johannes Gehrts

Persephone

2010-03-21T14:00:00.002-04:00

"...that fair field

Of Enna where Proserpine gathering flowers,

Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis

Was gathered, which cost Ceres all that pain

To seek her through the world,—.

John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 4

The mythic Greek tale of the search by Demeter (called by the Romans Ceres) of her missing daughter Persephone (Proserpine) after her capture by Pluto (Dis or Hades) sparked a powerful Maiden cult in ancient times, which included mystery rites of regeneration and immortality.

This story is also a beautiful allegorical reference to the eternal cycle of the seasons, the return of light, warmth and happiness followed by darkness, cold and abandonment followed again by the light.

I think this Spring Equinox is an excellent time to share with you some works of art with the theme of Persephone, to celebrate her return to her mother, Demeter. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Demeter Mourning for Persephone (1906), Evelyn Pickering deMorgan. Perhaps the greatest female artist of the pre-Raphaelites, deMorgan shows Demeter with fabulously detailed draping mourning the loss of her daughter; poppies falling from her wheat-sheaved hair into the jagged abyss. You can see how influenced deMorgan was by her great friend, Edward Burne-Jones, in her use of rich and vivid color.

Persephone and Hades (c. 440 B.C.), tondo of an Attic red figured kylix. The decoration on this kylix (a shallow drinking bowl in which water and wine were typically mixed), depicts Hades offering refreshment to a very somber Persephone, who holds a spindle (which symbolizes time). It's almost as if he's saying, "Come on, snap out of it". This bowl is thought to be from the ruined Etruscan city of Vulci, north of Rome.

Persephone (1939), Thomas Hart Benton. Sharp lines, vivid tempera colors and sinuous, writhing lines are characteristics of the work of this great American mid-Western artist. Here is Persephone as a sleeping pin-up, with Hades as a rather creepy old farmer with a wagon as his chariot. I love her red shawl, which adds just the right splash of impending doom.

Pluto and Persephone (c. 1930), Edmund Dulac. Dulac made a series of beautiful, high art Nouveau watercolor illustrations for Hugh Ross Williamson's Gods and Mortals in Love. Here is the moment in which Pluto breaks through the volcano Etna in his (gorgeous!) chariot, leaning down to catch the startled Persephone to carry her away. Fun fact: Pluto's black horses were named Abaster ("away from the stars") and Abatos ("inaccessible").

Proserpina (1874), Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This is of course the very famous portrait of Jane Morris (Rossetti's lover and the wife of the artist William Morris), portraying Proserpine with her symbol, a pomegranate. When Jupiter sent Mercury to order Pluto to free her, Pluto made her eat six pomegranate seeds (the fruit of the dead), so that she would be forced to spend 6 months of the year with him.

Return of Persephone (1891), Lord Frederick Leighton. In this painting, Leighton shows Hermes (Mercury) delivering a pale, fragile Persephone back to her mother Demeter, thus restoring sun and life back to the earth. I think Leighton's soft, muted palette here is very effective.

The Rape of Proserpine (c. 1650), Simone Pignoni. The Baroque Italian painter Pignoni loved to paint voluptuous female nudes, so he must have really restrained himself in painting clothing on Proserpine here. I love her flowers, and how Pluto is coming out of the shadows with a scowl.

The Rape of Proserpine(detail) (1621), Gian Lorenzo Bernini. An amazing masterpiece by a very young Bernini - only 23 years old when he completed this statue, which depicts a very lively and even sensuous scene of Pluto carrying Proserpine away. It's wonderful how Bernini carved fingers pressing into flesh, muscles contracting and hair flying.

Proserpina Refuses the Pomegranate (1921), Virginia Frances Sterrett, The then 21 year old Sterrett made illustrations for the 1921 publicating of Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales, including several for the story The Pomegranate Seeds. Here is Proserpina refusing Pluto's offering of a pomegranate from a servant - later she would be tempted to eat the 6 seeds. I love the fanciful, stylized background of the Underworld in this watercolor.

The Maiden Well and the Sacred Grotto of Persephone in Eleusis, Greece, where the secret Eleusian Rites were perfomed to worship Demeter and Persephone.

Ostara

2010-03-20T07:30:00.001-04:00

She changes everything She touches
And everything She touches, changes.

Happy Equinox!  Happy Ostara!

Coming of Spring, ERTE

February 28: White

2010-02-28T06:20:00.002-05:00

Comme des Garcons

White

Spices, lily of the valley, May rose, pomegranate, vanilla, cedarwood, amber

White is a more feminine play on CdG's wonderful original eau de parfum, and is in many ways a study in contrasts. The floral notes are round and sweet, but cool. The note of cinnamon that trails through the blend is pronounced, yet playful. The base is woody, yet damp.

But the thing I like most about White is that it is a very aloof perfume. I often read about other perfume wearers' love of certain 'comforting' fragrances. I love that White isn't comforting. It's a tall, cut crystal glass of ice on a snowy windowsill.

This wraps up my February perfume review-a-day project! It's been fun to discipline myself to write these, and to share them with you.

Tea, Sympathy and Perfume will be on hiatus for a little while.

See you in the Spring - may she arrive early and on winged feet!

Spring (c. 1880), Alejandro de Riquer

February 27: Song in D Minor

2010-02-27T06:23:00.000-05:00

Song in D Minor

Tokyomilk Parfums

White orchid, orange flower, gardenia, amber

Tokyomilk is a very lighthearted and elegantly uncomplicated line of perfumes, solids, lip balm, soap, and bubble bath by the beauty product developer and designer, Margot Elena Wells. Tokyomilk's website is adorable, as are the packaging, the labels, and the scent names.

Song in D Minor smells exactly as the notes suggest: white florals upheld by amber, no surprises, very linear and therefore so pleasant to be wearing on a day like this, when I'm not sure that I even like perfume.

Tokyomilk offers darling greeting cards as well.

February 26: Le Parfum de Therese

2010-02-26T07:17:00.000-05:00

Le Parfum de Therese

Frederic Malle

Tangerine, melon, basil, lemon, peach

Rose, jasmine, plum

Ceder, vetiver, leather, labdanum, oakmoss

Le Parfum de Therese was created in the 60's by the great perfumer Edmond Roudnitska for his wife. After Roudnitska's death in the 90's, Madame allowed the scent to be released through Frederic Malle.

This perfume is so many things I love: cold, sparkling topnotes of green citrus; quiet, silky florals; an elegant, woody/rooty base. The scent of leather permeates the blend, but like a whisper.

Therese is (on my skin anyway) a delicate fragrance that takes quite a long time to journey from top to bottom. It is, really, the very antithesis of 99% of the fragrances on the market today, and therefore, worth seeking out.

Read any good books lately? Here are some things I've been reading:

Alice I Have Been a fantastic first novel by Melanie Benjamin, detailing the life of Alice Liddell, the real Alice. And her life was anything but a Wonderland.

Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves details a haunting love story surrounding a painting. My only complaint with this one? It's nearly 600 pages. I don't think authors should attempt 600 page books unless they are Tolkien, Tolstoy, or Julia Child.

Poems by Mary E. Coleridge. One of my favorite poets of the late 19th century. The Other Side of the Mirror and The Witch are genius.

A Companion to Medieval Art, edited by Conrad Rudolph. Because I love this stuff.

Circle magazine. A great quarterly for those who follow Earth-based religions.

And Architectural Digest magazine. Jennifer Aniston's home which is featured in the latest issue is unbelievable.

February 25: Mediterraneo

2010-02-25T05:37:00.000-05:00

Mediterraneo

Carthusia

Lemon leaves

Green tea notes

Mediterraneo is easily one of the most exquisite lemon fragrances I've ever experienced. Lemon is a very, very tricky note in perfumery, for its association in our culture with household products used to clean and polish is pervasive. If I had a dollar for every instance in which I've read a lemon fragrance described as "Lemon Pledge"....

Mediterraneo is not Lemon Pledge, or anywhere close. It's mutedly zesty, green and a little pleasantly musty after a bright, zingy opening. I can definitely smell the green tea accord, but it is blended so perfectly into the lemon that it is really just a lovely supporting player. The scent bottoms out with a slighty soapy finish.

When I wear Mediterraneo, it's summer, even in February.

Lemons (c 1857), Vincent van Gogh

February 24: Le Boise

2010-02-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

Le Boise

Ginestet

Woods, spices, vanilla

Le Boise is an example of a fragrance that I would never have worn before I was, oh 40. I wouldn't have understood, nor appreciated it, except perhaps as a rather quiet, light men's scent.

Now, after sampling so many woody scents, I can appreciate this one for what it is: a superbly blended eau de toilette of stunning simplicity, yet complex fluidity. A deep, yet soft waft of cedar; a hint of pine sap; a dry, clean freshness in the middle notes; a faint whisper of vanilla in the base.

Le Boise, for me, is about being alone, cuddling up on a silk damask chaise, pulling a cashmere throw close, and opening a beloved book.

February 23: Rem de Reminiscence

2010-02-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

Rem

Reminiscence Paris

Calone, rose, lilac, jasmine

Patchouli, fenugreek

Vanilla, tonka bean, white musk

'Beachy' or 'oceanic' perfumes usually bear little resemblance to the actual beach or ocean. They typically smell like what human beings bring to the beach: suntan lotion; a tropical cocktail; lemonade; white wedding flowers; ice cream. Sometimes even fruit that falls out of a picnic basket and rots in the sun, or a plastic beach ball. Or worse.

I don't think most women really want to smell like the beach...rather, like a beach fantasy. And that's what Rem smells like to me, with the added bonus of not coming off as fruity, citrus, white-floral, or plastic.

It's light and airy, with a touch of salt, drying down into a pleasantly musty (thank you patchouli), very understated vanilla base. This fragrance is beautifully subtle, without a hint of coconut, which is rather refreshing for a beachy perfume.

Readers in the Northern Hemisphere, are you so tired of winter you could scream? I certainly am. Here in coastal Virginia we haven't had nearly so brutal a season as my friends further north and west, and many places in Europe. Still, I'm thoroughly 'over it'.

That being said, I know the Goddess brings each season in her own sweet, measured time. Perhaps the spring will be all that much sweeter this year.

Barbie has had enough of this cold, snowy, freezing winter, too. She's at her villa in St. Bart's this week.

February 22: Acqua di Gio

2010-02-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

Acqua di Gio

Giorgio Armani

Violet, peach, pineapple, lemon, melon

Jasmine, sweet pea, hyacinth, lily of the valley, ylang-ylang

Musk, sandal, styrax, amber

This is a sweet floral aquatic, invoking thoughts of a summer garden by the sea. The floral notes in the heart swallow up the delicate top pretty quickly. The base is pleasantly fresh, dry and salty. There is also something sort of grape-y in here, or maybe grapevine-y.

I love the bottle. It feels good in my hand and reminds me of beach glass.

I've been wearing Acqua di Gio for years now, and I have a love/hate relationship with it, in the same way that I love/hate Lauder's Beyond Paradise. Sometimes it's seems outdated and it's definitely overpriced. I rarely feel like wearing it, but when I do, I love it. If I spritz it on on a day when I'm not in the mood, it simply makes me want to scrub it off. But on days when it's right, it's wonderful.

Armani took his inspiration for this scent from the island of Pantelleria, where he vacations.

February 21: No. 5 After Bath Powder

2010-02-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

No. 5 After Bath Powder

Chanel

Ylang-ylang, neroli

Jasmine, May rose

Sandalwood, Vanilla

I need an olfactory rest today, so I'm wearing just a dusting of classic No. 5 powder. It's impossibly light and silky, and the notes become softer and more tender in powder form, with the famous aldehydes muted. Wearing a high-quality dusting powder is such a luxurious treat. Chanel's quality is second to none.

I'm working on a future art post featuring the work of Beardsley. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here is Aubrey Beardsley (1896), La Toilette.

February 20: Eau de Campagne

2010-02-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Eau de Campagne

Sisley

Bergamot, galbanum, lemon, basil

Tomato leaves, apples, plum, jasmine, geranium, lily of the valley

Oakmoss, patchouli, vetiver, white musk

I feel spiritually connected to Normandy, as my French ancestors on my father's side, came from this region of France, emigrating to America in the early 1700's to escape religious persecution (they were Huguenots).

Jean-Claude Ellena created Eau de Campagne for Sisley in the 70's. He told the New York Times that he had combined tomato leaves with Normandy apples in the creation of this scent, and so now whenever I wear it, I think of Normandy.

This is unisex, and a classic green chypre - and I do mean GREEN. In all honesty, I cannot pick out most of the listed notes. I basically smell bergamot, herbs, tomato leaf, flowers and oakmoss. It smells wild, windswept, free and joyful.

My 9-times great grandfather's name was Astronomie DuBosc. Is that not a remarkable name? Seriously...Astronomie. He was born in 1515 in Dieppe.

Claude Monet loved Normandy too, of course. Here is his Cliffs of Dieppe, painted in 1882.

February 19: Earth

2010-02-19T06:34:00.000-05:00

Earth Scent

Love Cosmetics

Don't bother trying to find this; it's long discontinued, and chances are I'm one of only a very few nuts who was willing to search and search until I finally found half a vial on eBay...which was made even trickier because I had forgotten the name and the maker, and only really remembered that it came in a 6 inch glass tube with a sponge applicator. Whew.

Love's Earth Scent represented an important milestone in my perfumed past. Up until I was, oh 15, I wore polite, dainty little floral fragrances. (A slew of Avons and Yardleys.) And then one day I was at the drugstore picking up the latest copy of Tiger Beat (or maybe it was 16), and I saw a display of Love's fragrances and makeup. It was probably right next to the Bonne Bell Lip Smackers. My hand probably hovered over the (very safe) Love's Fresh Lemon, but for some inexplicable reason, I grabbed the glass tube of Earth Scent. Untested. What was I thinking?

I loved it. It smelled different, dirty, dark, dangerous. It didn't smell like something a nice girl named Mary should be wearing. I made darn sure my parents never smelled it on me. We were WASPs. WASPs didn't wear dirty smelling perfume. I hid it from my older sister, because it was mine and she sure as hell wasn't going to steal it.

And now, 35ish years later, I have the Preciousss again. I don't have to hide it anymore, except from the light. I'm wearing two tiny dabs in my arm crooks today. Truthfully, I rarely even open the cap to sniff it, let alone wear it. Because it's not really perfume anymore. It's my youth.

p.s. It smells of patchouli, amber, some kind of sweet flower, and a touch of musk.

February 18: Rose 4 Reines

2010-02-18T05:13:00.002-05:00

L'Occitane

Rose 4 Reines Pearlescent Body Creme

Grasse rose, Bulgarian rose, Moroccan rose, Turkish rose

I'm going without perfume (juice) today; sometimes I prefer to wear body cream or even just some dusting powder (Chanel and Lauder's powders are particularly fantastic). Today it's my latest favorite cream, Rose 4 Reines from L'Occitane. It's a straightforward rose bouquet. I would love to be clever and tell you that I can detect the four different types of roses here, but alas, I cannot. I like to smooth this over my arms and shoulders. In addition to the fragrance, it contains sweet almond oil which is nicely hydrating.

Generally, I think the key to wearing a rose scent is to underapply. Make people around you wonder where that delicate scent of a just-picked rose is coming from...rather than who just set off a rose bomb.

This is a wonderful French illustration ('Rose') by J. Grandville, (1847) , from a book entitled Les Fleurs Animees. I love how the beetles are bowing to the Queen of Flowers!

February 17: Casablanca Le Parfum

2010-02-17T05:37:00.001-05:00

Antica Farmacista

Casablanca Le Parfum

Casablanca lily, ylang-ylang, clove

This is a very pretty, creamy white floral shot through with a bit of clove. The clove note really 'makes' this perfume, giving the composition a spicy little kick.

Still, this is definitely for fans of soliflore lily. The whisper of clove and the tropical note of ylang-ylang definitely add to the scent's charm, but for all practical purposes, this is a lily perfume. If you associate lillies with funeral homes, this won't be your thing (unless you like funeral homes).

Casablanca is my first and only experience with Antica Farmacista's line, and I'm favorably impressed. I'm looking forward to testing some of their other scents.

Lily (c. 1480), Leonardo da Vinci

February 16: Pure White Linen Light Breeze

2010-02-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

Pure White Linen Light Breeze

Estee Lauder

Darjeeling tea accord, bergamot, orange, grapefruit, kumquat

Osmanthus, linden, neroli, rose, freesia

Cedar, teak, musk, honey

Lauder has gone a bit nuts with the 'flanker' fragrances in the past few years. White Linen this, Pleasures that. I'm a little surprised there isn't a Cinnabar Sheer or Spellbound Veil. Or is there? Keeping them all straight requires crib notes.

Anyway, I very much enjoy Pure White Linen, a recent more round and floral version of the classic soapy White Linen, so I got curious last week and stopped by the Lauder counter to try the oddly-and clumsily named Pure White Linen Light Breeze. Truthfully, I didn't hold any high expectations for it because 'sparkling, refreshing, citrus' scents and the quintessential American powerhouse perfumes of the Lauder house, seems like a difficult match.

Well, this is actually quite a good eau de parfum. It surely is 'pure' and it's definitely 'white' - crisp, blazing, gleaming, stark white, in fact. It smells about as elusive as any Estee Lauder scent is ever going to get. PWLLB opens with brisk, astringent citrus and progresses into the floral-tea notes, ending in rather thin yet somehow satisfying musky-wood. It is cold, very cold, which explains I suppose at least part of my appreciation for it.

This will be perfection in the humid heat of summer.

Do you burn incense in your home? I use incense on my altar, and in the spring and summer when I have my windows open. A few of my favorites are:

Nippon Kodo White Blossom - smells of leaves and jasmine, very subtle.

Fred Soll Pinon - the sweet, dry and fresh smell of New Mexico's pinon pine.

Comme des Garcons Avignon - Smells like the famous medieval-churchy eau de toilette, only better, if that's possible.

Surya Sandalwood - A very high quality Indian incense; rich and not sweet.

February 15: Patchouli

2010-02-15T06:16:00.000-05:00

Patchouli

Santa Maria Novella

Patchouli

If you are looking for the sine qua non of patchoulis, I believe this is it. But be warned, if you are just playing around, keep moving. This is a patchouli for patchouli lovers and is not for the faint-hearted. It is sharp, medicinal and dark (really black) green in the top, slowly smoothing down into the woody aspects of the blend. If I smell it when freshly applied, it almost makes me swoon, the patchouli is so big. I detected it on the sleeves of my hoodie for days and days after.

As mighty as this scent is, the ingredients are superbly blended and of the highest quality. No raw edges here. I'm so glad that fragrances like this are still being made, sold, and loved.

A special shout out today to a wonderful blog I've recently discovered, Yesterday's Perfume. Barbara writes superbly here about vintage fragrances.

When I was in Florida last October, I saw the most gorgeous creature at the Animal Kingdom park...the Malayan Flying Fox, the world's largest bat (wing span 6 feet). They feed on nectar, blossoms, pollen and fruit. The delicate membranes of their wings are so beautiful. I never knew I liked bats until I saw these.

February 14: 100% Love

2010-02-14T06:08:00.002-05:00

100% Love

S-Perfume

“...pulpy erotic part of a secret red fruit, the soft and wet velvety skin of rose petals in water, and a mystical “concoction” of incense and black chocolate.”

100% Love was created by the reknown perfumer Sophia Grojsman, and is an apt fragrance to review on the holiday dedicated to romance. This subtle and interesting scent smells of tart chocolate, slowly warming into a dewy rose that it so understated, it seems more like rose vapor, or the ghost of a rose, than actual flower petals. The dryout is soft and powdery. If you're interested in testing a fragrance that exemplifies the skill of a truly great perfume artist, I highly recommend 100% Love.

Queen of Sweden variety English rose; David Austin Roses

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm sharing with you below a Greek offering prayer to Aphrodite, and a beautiful painting by Herbert Draper entitled The Pearls of Aphrodite (1907).

Here are some little trinkets, goddess, because

I know you love baubles, and I want to see you smile.

Here are some cakes, Aphrodite, sweet ones,

for a sweet goddess; I hope these make you happy.

And me? Oh, I want little in return: only your gaze,

watching me as I travel to my lover. Only your gaze,

shining like a star or the sun on my path, as I move

between ports through my life, searching for love.

February 13: Chere Louise

2010-02-13T08:11:00.002-05:00

Chere Louise

Crazylibellule and the Poppies

Hyacinth, rose, pepper, iris, saffron, patchouli and gaiac wood

I find this small French company's solid stick perfumes to be charming and adorable, albeit difficult to find when they fall into the bottom of my purse. But that is my problem, not theirs. The happily designed, dainty little cardboard tubes are so lighthearted and chic and fun, I'm willing to paw around as long as it takes to retrieve them.

I have several favorites in this line, including Lilas Spiritual (a creamy lilac) and Encens Mystic (a woody incense). Today I want to tell you about Chere Louise, the company's tribute to the 1920's film star Louise Brooks.

The scent is a green, watery, slightly peppery rose over a delicate patchouli. The round, spicy note of saffron is noticeable in the heart and lends an interesting touch. It smells sort of old-fashioned in a good way. This fragrance (as all of the Poppies) are for the most part undetectable by anyone but the wearer, but therefore seem more intimate. It's wonderful to wear this under a sweater and to catch the occasional waft of fragrance, like a secret I'm sharing with myself.

Isn't this pretty?

Magnolia, Jay Strongwater handpainted enamel compact.

February 12: Sakura and Green Tea

2010-02-12T06:10:00.000-05:00

Sakura and Green Tea Perfume Essence

TerraNova

Cherry blossom; green tea

The small, woman-owned, SF Bay-area body care company TerraNova, produces some really fantastic fragrances made of natural, bio-degradable ingredients. Their Tuberose body oil is one of my staples. In a recent wild-eyed desire for the scent of cherry blossoms (and feeling weary and disillusioned by the offerings at Bath and Body Works), I got my hands on a bit of TerraNova's Sakura and Green Tea essence. Oh my gosh, this stuff is exquisite, and for $15 per half ounce, a great bargain.

Most scents with a green tea note smell like some green tea chemical experiment gone awry (hey come to think of it they probably are), and cherry blossom is often translated into cherry bubblegum. Sakura and Green Tea is such a lovely, subtle, natural interpretation of these notes...very Japanese in character. There is a hint of lemon here also. Perfect for days when you want to wear a personal scent without leaving a wake of sillage.

The L.A. County Museum of Art has acquired this gorgeous hanging scroll (ink and silver on silk) by the Japanese artist Shibata Zeshin entitled Ghost (c. 1850).

February 11: Black Cashmere

2010-02-11T06:30:00.002-05:00

Black Cashmere

Donna Karan

Saffron, nutmeg, pimento berries

Broom flower, white pepper, clove

Patchouli, rose, wengue, bois de mile, labdanum

Black Cashmere is elegant Goth. Darkly spiced, infused with clove, incense and cedar with a drydown like a perfumed campfire. I feel Black Cashmere is a polarizing perfume - you'll either find it to be horrifically in-your-face and rather raw, or you'll find it mystical and comforting. I love it.

Here is something else I love.

Gilt silver, enamel, and jeweled bookcover

[Probably Salzburg, c. 760–90]

February 10: Euphoria

2010-02-10T05:23:00.000-05:00

Euphoria

Calvin Klein

Pomegranate, persimmon, green notes

Lotus, champaca, black orchid

Amber, violet, cream, mahogany

A young woman of my acquaintance who works at Sephora recently informed me that women in the store have been going mad for this fragrance. Filled with a level of skepticism that is no doubt age-related, my curiosity won out and I asked her to make me up a sample. I was prepared to smugly reject it. My path has not crossed Mr. Klein's since I was 20 years old and laying on my bed to zip his jeans onto my body using a pair of pliars in order to achieve the perfect stage of skin-tightness. Ladies who came of age in the late 70's, you know where I'm coming from here.

Anyway, guess what? I love Euphoria. It's very modern...ultra-commercial, but not annoying. The top is fruity floral, with emphasis on the fruit - the flowers are dense but not particularly sweet, and no one floral note can really be detected, it's very much a blend. The base is creamy and woody with some musk that doesn't make me want to gag, so it's all good there.

By the way, the perfume I wore at the same time I was wearing those impossibly tight Calvins was Lauren, Ralph Lauren. I don't wear that one any more, because it's been changed beyond recognition (kinda like my jeans-clad butt). Ahh the march of time....

Saw these in a magazine and fell in love: Jonathan Adler Utopia lord and lady stoneware mugs.

February 9: First

2010-02-09T05:15:00.000-05:00

First

Van Cleef and Arpels

Blackcurrant, aldehydes

Jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, hyacinth

Vetiver, vanilla, amber, civet

Jean-Claude Elena's beautiful aldehydic floral from 1976, First is so elegant and sophisticated, I feel almost unworthy wearing it when I'm dressed down. Jasmine is the sweet, twinkling star here, held up by a hazy, rich and powdery base. Girls step aside, this is a woman's perfume.

Here's a spectacular diamond and sapphire Wing Brooch from Van Cleef and Arpels, an homage to the god Hermes.

I love the chic little pieces from their Alhambra collection also

February 8: Givenchy III

2010-02-08T05:16:00.000-05:00

Givenchy III

Givenchy

Mandarin, bergamot

Lily of the Valley, Rose, Jasmine, Hyacinth

Patchouli, Amber, Oakmoss, Sandalwood

I've been dying to give Givenchy III a test drive ever since reading Luca Turin's 5-star rave in Perfumes The Guide. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long, for this one spectacular green chypre.

Givenchy III is early Spring in a bottle. The top sparkles with a lively hint of citric bitterness, melting down into fresh green florals, and rounding out into sweet, earthy wood notes. This scent is an example of a perfect perfume pyramid, and if you're a chypre lover (hey, even if you're not), you must try this one.

My local art museum, The Chrysler, has one of this country's best collections of art glass. The delicate beauty of this Flower-Form Vase by Louis Comfort Tiffany (circa 1896) can only be suggested by a photograph, but I wanted to share it here because it's so very lovely. These Art Nouveau pieces were among Tiffany's masterworks.

February 7: Shaal Nur

2010-02-07T06:24:00.000-05:00

Shaal Nur

Etro

Lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, tangerine, rosewood, coriander

Thyme, tarragon, rosemary, karo karoundé, rose, petit grain

Nutmeg, patchouli, vetiver, cedar wood, opoponax, incense, musk

Warm incense perfumes don't do much for me (I'm looking at you, Passage d'Enfer), so Shaal Nur is always a pleasure for me to wear because it's cold and dry. Sorry, Luca Turin, I have to disagree with you when you call this 'warm'. It's high and citric-herbal in the top, drying down to a rosy wood base highlighted by the cedar. The herbs in Shaal Nur make it very Italian, although the inspiration was an Indian princess.

This would smell fantastic on a man, too.

Etro makes gorgeous silk scarves, by the way...

...and equally gorgeous pillows.

February 6: Daisy

2010-02-06T06:28:00.000-05:00

Daisy

Marc Jacobs

Strawberry, grapefruit, gardenia, violet, jasmine, musk, vanilla, wood notes.

Marc Jacobs' Daisy is routinely critiqued by many perfume connossieurs as being average, pedestrian, boring. Please. Not every scent has to be rapturous or rare. This is a perfectly respectable, clean little floral that happens to have sold a jillion bottles. It's a silly love song in a sweet bottle. And to paraphrase Paul McCartney, what's wrong with a silly love song?

Daisy smells like grass with slightly creamy fruity floral notes throughout. This is something you could apply a bit of before going to the movies, and feel confident you're not going to receive angry looks. It's not the least bit sexy, so it's good for the office too.

Andy Warhol did a series of daisies; here is Daisy (Yellow on Fuchsia) from 1982.

Renoir liked daisies too. Well...he liked to paint pretty, buxom girls who happened to be holding daisies. This is A Young Girl With Daisies from 1889.

February 5: Gardenia 1961

2010-02-05T06:47:00.001-05:00

Gardenia 1961

Kiehl's

Kiehl's Gardenia oil was introduced in 1961, and the company has recently re-issued 10 of the Pharmacy's original 122 'essences'. Alas, Carnation (my favorite) isn't among them, so I opted for this one. I find this to be a lovely little soliflore and quite true to the flower, particularly after it warms on the skin. There is none of the dreaded cloying, plastic character of some gardenia fragrances. I also like that it's pretty concentrated - the first time I wore it, it was hanging in there 12 hours later. Nice!

Miss Joan Crawford adored gardenias. Her signature scent was Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache, until later in her life when she became enamored of Estee Lauder's Youth Dew (which contains gardenia also).

February 4: Violets and Rain Water

2010-02-04T05:18:00.000-05:00

Violets and Rain Water

Soivohle

'A clean and refreshing violet note paired with a splash of rain water and the earthiness that comes after the rain.'

It's somewhat rare that the description of a perfume's notes precisely match the actual smell. There really is no need for me to describe this scent beyond the website's copy, above. It's delightfully quirky in it's simplicity: wet violets and dirt. Sometimes I catch a hint of green. I love 'cold' fragrances like this one. It's a bit brighter than my favorite violet scents, but melancholy enough to suit me.

Snowfall is rare here in my part of the world, and last weekend we received a good 5 or 6 exciting inches. There are few things in this world more lovely than falling snow. The aftermath is the tricky part: it gets icy and dirty and just makes a general nuisance of itself! But when it was fresh, it was surely delightful.

Phil cleared a path on the deck. Lucy was meowing and chirping and begging to go out!

Speaking of violets, I recently ordered two items from Beautyhabit that I love:

Violetta soap from the Florentine company Nesti Dante -

- and Violeta lip balm from Madrid (Perfumeria Gal). The tin is even cuter than the pic.

February 3: Teatro alla Scala

2010-02-03T05:29:00.001-05:00

Teatro Alla Scala

Krizia

Coriander, bergamot, aldehydes, and fruits

Rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, carnation, tuberose, geranium, orris, and beeswax

Patchouli, vetiver, civet, moss, musk, cistus, and benzoin

Krizia's complex, rich and smooth Oriental Teatro all Scala is one of those fragrances that could easily tip over into being a big ol' honkin' mess were the notes less skillfully matched. It is saved from this fate by a fantastically herbal aldehydic top, a beautifully balanced sweet floral heart, and an interesting base that features a furry, sexy note of civet juxtaposed against a soapy patchouli.

Warning: many descriptively-challenged people are going to refer to this scent as 'old lady'. Don't listen. It's a sophisticated and full-bodied gem of a fragrance.

Speaking of gems, February's birthstone is the amethyst. Here is Erte's lithograph from 1920 for Harper's Bazaar, Amethyst.

February 2: BPAL The Snow Maiden

2010-02-02T05:25:00.001-05:00

The Snow Maiden Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

'Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost'

The Snow Maiden was a 2009 Yule limited edition oil blend from BPAL. It seems appropriate to be wearing this scent today: Midwinter's Day; Candlemas; Imbolc; Groundhog Day; the day sacred to Brighid, goddess of holy wells, sacred flames and healing. As the descriptive notes suggest, this is a cold, bright scent.

This blend smells like fir, mint, and distant yet round and sweet floral notes (after the initial drydown of the rather bossy ylang-ylang). I don't get any berries, but there is a (truthfully rather annoying) candy-like note in the heart. I could do without that, but altogether a pleasant fragrance that I'm enjoying wearing today.

I simply had to Google a photo of hoarfrost. It's pretty, don't you think?

Do you plan to honor the goddess Brighid (or Saint Brigid if you will) by lighting a candle in your home today? I always keep 3 on my altar, and today the middle candle is pink to honor the Goddess in her aspect as Maiden. It's a good feeling to know that we've 'turned the corner' on winter, and soon the light will return.

Speaking of candles, I have a recommendation for a line of scented candles that are FABULOUS. Please try PaddyWax. They are a small company out of Atlanta, Georgia, and they use no synthetics in their candles. My current favorite is Sandlewood and Clover. The Patchouli is pretty fantastic too.

February 1: L'Artisan Mechant Loup

2010-02-01T06:16:00.000-05:00

My February blog project is to wear a different scent each day of this month, and to write about it. Or to be more specific, to write about not only the perfume, but things that particular scent might remind me of, or thoughts in general that are inspired by it. A sort of perfume association experiment, if you will. Bear with me this month, dear readers. I'm not sure how this might turn out. Here we go.

Mechant Loup

L'Artisan Parfumeur

Pepper, star anise, sandalwood, honey, hazelnut, tonka bean, cedar and myrrh

I can count the number of 'gourmand' perfumes I wear on one hand, and to be honest, the warm notes that comprise Mechant Loup really aren't my thing in general. But I do enjoy wearing this EDT from time to time, if for no other reason than the fact that it's different for me. It truly is unisex, although really, this scent suits men more than women, I think.

What does Mechant Loup smell like? It smells sweet and musty. Think honey, hazelnuts, a whiff of tobacco, a dose of cedar, and very little sillage or lasting power.

Naturally, the name (Big, Bad Wolf or Naughty Wolf) evokes Little Red Riding Hood, and all of the twisted psychology that accompanies it. This particular fairy tale freaks me out far more as an adult than it ever did as a child.

I've written a little flash fiction here in celebration of the story and this perfume:

Marie (for that was her real name, but the fairy tales never say it) stepped nearer to the hazel tree's black, twisted trunk. The air suddenly seemed thick with the scent of the honey-cakes in the little slatted basket on her arm. She heard the wet, slick sound of the animal's tongue licking along it's chops and saw the glint of it's wild eyes. If she ran, he would have her, in a twinkling. He was so near, she could smell the dusky-sweet breath and the dense ferality of his coat. And then - he spoke.

Ahh. That was fun.

Lest this whole wolf motif become too masculine, below is a rather fabulous painting at the MOMA by Jackson Pollock from 1943 entitled, The She-Wolf. I like that she's so still and solid, surrounded by chaos. There is nothing slyly sexualized about her.

Mechant Loup is a nice scent to wear occasionally. I'm glad to be wearing it today. But honestly? If you find yourself craving the scent of hazelnuts, I have a suggestion for you. Find your favorite chair. Grab a copy of Grimms' Fairy Tales (the unedited version - the gory, sexy one). Pour yourself a shot of Frangelico. And instead of thinking about wolves, think about the Italian Alps, where Frangelico is made. You'll be much, much happier.

Lucy

2010-01-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

This month I welcomed Miss Lucy Pyewacket, an 8 month old Russian Blue, into my life. Lucy has settled in quite nicely. She tells me when to wake up, she lets me know when tasty and tempting birds are at the feeder, and she informs me when it's time for breakfast and dinner.

Portraits

2010-01-23T11:43:00.001-05:00

I love portraits. Okay - I love art in general, but I really love portraits.

Holbein the Younger is the presumed artist of this portrait of an unidentified lady of the Tudor court. A miniature depicting this same lady in the collection at Yale suggests that this might be Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth, adulterous and doomed wife. I think this picture reveals a rather vain, self-absorbed teenager, with a sort of self-conscious beauty. But I must say that her gorgeous hood is pretty impressive.

Portrait of a Young Woman (c.1540), style of Hans Holbein the Younger

At first glance, this picture seems to scream daVinci, but it was likely painted by one of his collaborators, Giovanni Ambrogio. This could be simply a pretty girl holding a bowl of fruit...or perhaps a young lady dressed to depict an earth goddess...or maybe she's a prostitute, with cherries and figs (sensual, seductive clues). I love the crimson of her dress and the hollow at the base of her throat.

Girl with Cherries (c. 1491), Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis

This is quite a famous portrait of the Victorian era by George Frederic Watts, but as in most paintings of this time, it is loaded with symbolism. The lady was the then 17 year old actress, Ellen Terry, and she and Watts were in the midst of a May-December romance which culiminated in marriage the same year this was painted (1864). It lasted less than a year. Ms. Terry missed the stage, and presumably, their 30 year age difference ceased to be a surmountable obstacle. This picture shows her vainly seeking fragrance in the showy blooms of the camellia, while holding the humble yet sweet violet.

Choosing (1864), George Frederic Watts

Albrecht Durer inscribed this self-portrait with these words: 'I painted this from my own appearance; I was twenty-six years old. Albrecht Dürer.' At this stage in his life, Durer was a rock star, and that star was on the rise. He had just returned from his first trip to Italy (shown in the window behind him), and in this year of 1498 he was beginning work on his famous woodcuts. He was handsome, stylish, happily married to Agnes, and was moving in high social circles. I like this portrait because he seems to radiate self-confidence. And you really have to love the rakish hat.

Self-Portrait (1498), Albrecht Durer

The beautiful subject below is the first wife of the Russian composer, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. However, by the time Winterhalter painted her, she was the composer's ex-wife, the lover of Napolean III, and famous for her beauty, wit and charm across Europe. Her name was Vavara, but she was called by her nickname Barbe. She was a bit of a libertine, and once wrote, “I am free and independent. My mistakes are my mistakes. My success is my success. I believe in myself, I do everything alone and don't make a tragedy of it.” She was obviously proud of her lovely hair.

Portrait of Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakov (1864), Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Here is Hans Memling's rather poignant subject, Maria Baroncelli, at the age of 14 and newly married to a wealthy 38 year old banker, Tommaso Portinari. Her spectacular necklace was probably part of her dowry, but what I really love is her hennin. By all accounts, Maria was a good and pious lady, which was just as well, because her husband died a pauper because of some business deals gone sour.

Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli) (1470), Hans Memling

Finally, I like this rather sly self-portrait of the great Elizabethan miniaturist, Nicholas Hilliard. He was about 30 years old here. I always admire the very fine detail in all of Hilliard's tiny court portraits. I think men of this age must have hated wearing the ruff as much as men today hate wearing ties.

Self-Portrait (1577), Nicholas Hilliard

2010-01-17T08:57:00.001-05:00

Rubble

Heat

Pain

Death

Hunger

Thirst

Need

Men with haunted eyes

Women crying out

Children with the vacant stare

of shock.

Ghosts of Katrina.

Mary, 2010

American Red Cross International Response Fund. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767), visit www.redcross.org or text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to support relief efforts.

Salvation Army: Visit www.salvationarmyusa.org.

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres: Visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

UNICEF: Visit www.unicef.org.

2010-01-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

An amazing work by Burne-Jones, a great master of color. Always, his theme was love.

The luscious, opulent monochrome of this picture was achieved by Burne-Jones' use of gold gesso on a wood panel.

Cupid's Hunting Fields (1885), Edward Burne-Jones

2010-01-01T10:26:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite paintings by one of America's greatest Impressionists, John Henry Twachtman. Here, as in so many of his works, Twachtman pictures Horseneck Brook, a stream which ran through his Greenwich, Connecticut farm.

I so love Twachtman's snowscapes. His intimate, tonal technique feels full of peace. Seems like a good way to start the new year.

Falls in January (1895)

2009-12-31T06:14:00.000-05:00

May 2010 bring us all health, luck, love, sparkles, dreams and contentment.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T17:53:00.002-05:00

The year was 1911, and Alphonse Mucha was living in Prague. He had been working on the murals of the city's Municiple House from a studio flat in the Zbiroh Castle. During this time, Mucha produced this gorgeous lithograph, Princezna Hyacinta, a poster for a fairy tale ballet of the same name. The beautiful actress Andula Sedlakova was his model.

2009 Blog Roll

2009-12-26T12:58:00.013-05:00

Dear readers, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite blogs from the past year. I've been terribly remiss about adding some of them to my permanent favorite sites here ("Friends, etc."), and I wanted to give a shout-out to everyone listed, until I discipline myself enough to add the ones that are missing. Ahh, the perils of being a flighty Air sign!

Do you have a blog, or know of one, that might interest me? Let me know!

Suffice to say, I have an unapologetic crush on all of the people listed here.

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday season.

Mary

Itkupilli Kirsi is a L.A.-based digital artist from Finland who creates the prettiest backgrounds, blog art, and general whimsical loveliness.

BitterGrace Notes Gracie is a writer, a walker, an observer, a perfume-wearer, and a fan of the occasional sample of artistic porn.

Fragrance Bouquet Beautiful, smart, and writes fabulous perfume reviews - Divina's blog.

Indie Perfumes Lucy's fantastic blog about all things scented, often with great additional historical background.

Notes From The Ledge If Leah is on the ledge, that's where I want to be. Good food, good smells, good writing.

Parrish Relics, Inspirations and Updates If you haven't purchased a piece of jewelry from Jen at Parrish Relics, I insist you do so now, if not sooner. The pieces are even more beautiful in person than in the photos.

Perfume Shrine Elena knows perfume. If you want to know perfume, you need to read her blog.

Ullabenulla - Fairy Tale Style If it's made with a sense of whimsy, enchantment, and child-like wonder, Ulla will feature it on her wonderful blog.

Winterstorming I cherish Arhianrad's infrequent posts about perfume, tea, and kimono, among other things.

David Lebovitz - Living the Sweet Life in Paris David lives, cooks, and eats in Paris. Yes, I'm jealous.

Sur La Lune Fairy Tales blog Heidi is the internet goddess of the history of fairy and folk tales.

A Rose Beyond the Thames Rose is in London, and she blogs beautifully about all sorts of things.

The Medieval Garden Enclosed The horticultural team at NYC's museum The Cloisters writes about the medieval-inspired plants there.

Perfumes, etc. For the most part, I have no idea what Gaelle is writing as it's in Portuguese - but it doesn't matter. The pictures are beautiful and I feel the love.

The Non Blonde The beautiful (and non-blonde) Gaia blogs about girlie things like perfume, makeup, lotions, potions, and celebs.

A Don's Life Mary Beard, professor in Classics at Cambridge, is the kind of woman you always hope to sit next to at a dinner party, and never do.

Bibliodyssey Paul in Sydney and his fabulous eclectic book art.

Suzanne's Perfume Journal Suzanne's wonderful journal at her Eiderdown Press website.

The Lion and the Cardinal Daniel's unique and educational blog featuring medieval religious art.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks! I love Ree's step-by-step instructions for making food that will have you running for the nearest gym.

18th Century Blog Johanna writes about 18th century people, food, clothes and society. Be honest - haven't you always wanted to wear a gown with panniers?

Fairy Tale Review Founder and Editor Kate presents interesting articles about fairy tales on this blog. Someone once said that fairy tales are women's mythology.

Oh! True Apothecary A fun and interesting blog from a writer and natural perfumer in California.

Fairy Shoes and Other Things Annette blogs from England about embroidery, nature and fairy shoes.

Medusa Coils A blog about the Goddess, from a (devine) feminist viewpoint.

What a Fragrance Fanatic Thinks This is Carol's blog about perfume, but she also posts great recipes and cool things about astrology.

Medieval Muse My kindred spirit in my love of all things medieval.

Write on Thyme Kirsten's wonderful, eclectic blog about all things good: food, travel, humor, life.

Children's/Fantasy Illustrations Hermes is in Britain, and this is his blog featuring beautiful pictures of classic childrens' illustrations.

Old Hollywood Glamour Katie loves glamour from a bye-gone era. Her blog features fantastic photos and illustrations.

Lady Lavona's Cabinet of Curiosities Reading the Lady's blog is like stepping into a shop full of arcane books, potions in bottles, and a fortune teller in the back.

Chintz of Darkness Seraph and Splendor in Seattle. I'm gobsmacked with delight every time they post a new entry.

Golden Age Comic Book Stories A very prolific blogger who posts many delightful, and sometimes inscrutable, pictures from vintage comics and periodicals.

Love for Books Anna in the Netherlands and her charming blog featuring childrens' book illustrations.

Moonlight and Hares Karen is an artist who shares my love of all things sparkly and enchanting.

Into the Hermitage Rima in the UK has the most fantastic blog about fairy tales and folklore.

The Earthly Paradise Margaret is a girl after my own heart - she loves art, tea, jewelry, design - pretty things.

Aromatisches Erik's blog - a different language means nothing when it comes to the love of perfume.

Art Deco Blog Mariana in Portugal - this is her marvelous blog featuring all things Art Deco.

French Essence Vicki brings me a little bit of France each time I read her blog.

Perfume da Rosa Negra Beautiful Christiane and her equally beautiful English/Portuguese blog about perfume.

Savvy Thinker Karin's thoughtful blog about life, perfume and being a woman.

Babel Sandra's blog featuring two of my loves: art and poetry.
Laura's Favorite Things Laura's blog about her favorite things is one of my favorite things!
Perfumum I love Cat's perfume reviews and the photos she uses.
Feminine Things When I grow up, I want to be smart and cute and write about perfume like Diana!
Six Divided by Two She doesn't know I read her blog, but I do, and I love it.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

Madonna and Child (c. 1480), Carlo Crivelli

Hail to thee, Maria, Mother!

Thou art full of loving grace,

Thy Grace, O Goddess is always with us,

Blessed art thou Maria among women,

Blessed is the fruit of thy womb,

Blessed art thou, Queen of grace;

Thou holy Maria, thou Mother of Universes,

Plead for me, thy grateful daughter,

Now and at the hour of death,

Now and at the hour of death.

Maria, Goddess of good omens,

Mother of the seven joys;

Without evil traces,

On thee, peerless one:

Joy of health,

Joy of friends,

Joy of lovers,

Joy of peace,

Joy of fair daughters,

Joy of peace,

Joy of the Goddess!

Bounty and blessing thou art at all times.

Caron Nuit de Noel

2009-12-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

Nuit de Noel by perfumer Ernest Daltroff, was introduced in 1922 by Caron. The pyramidical notes vary from source to source, but seem to agree that there is a chypric floral top and heart with a woody, mossy-sandalwood base. It is slightly musty and pleasingly old-fashioned, and is one of those perfumes that seems to melt onto the pulse points with soft intimacy.

Nuit de Noel opens warm, rosy, spicy and cozy and grows colder and drier as it develops. Like walking from a warm, fragrant house out into a crisp, cold December night. And this, for me, is the spirit behind this scent's festive name: a beautiful, fur-clad Parisian woman on her way to some impossibly chic Yuletide party, leaving a scent-trail of roses and jasmine behind her in the frosty air.

An Illustration for Christina Rosetti's Poem, 'Summer', Emma Florence Harrison, c. 1910

2009-12-18T07:58:00.002-05:00

A Winter Poem

The dark lady of Winter

spreads her coat of frost and fur

on the cold December ground

and lays her wise, white body down

to rest -
the buds of Spring roses,

the swell of Summer wheat,

the seeds of Autumn apples

within her soft, secret womb.

O dark lady of Winter

whose will is harder than ice

whose heart is softer than snow

whose longing is to again know

the sun -

When the icy winds blow

and the cold rain falls

And the bare branches rattle

I think of your serene rest.

Mary, 2009

Courtesy Anne Sudworth, The Snow Tree

Anne Sudworth Prints

Sting

2009-12-11T06:51:00.001-05:00

If you buy any seasonal music this month, I highly recommend Sting's If On A Winter's Night. This collection is more about Winter than Yule, although the holiday is part of this album as well. There's nothing better than Sting's beautiful, soulful voice to help you unwind and re-focus during the madness of December.

I've posted a vid below of Sting performing Gabriel's Message. Samples of the other tracks can be found on his website: On A Winter's Night

What Winter music are you listening to?

Galliano Couture

2009-12-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

I adore Galliano's artistic vision. Here are some looks from his Fall 2009 ready to wear collection. I could look at them all day.

Model: Ksenia Kahnovich

Model: Viviane Orth

Model: Lily Donaldson

Model: Anja Rubik

Model: Olga Sherer

2009-11-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

Below is the very handsome wedding portrait of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, attributed to Jan Gossaert, c. 1515. I love Mary's bejewelled 'French hood' - so much prettier, I think, than the later English 'Gable hood'.

2009-11-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

Paintings from the studio of the Master of the Female Half-Lengths, a Flemish artist (or perhaps a group of artists) active from 1520-1540 in Antwerp. These beautiful little pictures are so vibrant, yet so delicate.

Three Musicians

Saint Mary Magdalene at her Writing Desk

Madonna and Child

Mary Magdalene Playing the Lute

Mary Magdalene Reading

2009-11-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Grace Kelly would have been 80 today. Was there ever a more aristocratic American girl?

A dream, a poem...

2009-11-11T12:24:00.001-05:00

Sometimes my poetry comes to me in dreams, usually a word or a broken phrase. I dreamed about this tree last night.

The Rowan Tree

In January cold and dark

I came upon a Rowan Tree

And touched my hand upon the bark

of brittle silver-brown.

Then 'neath my hand the cold sap stirred

To warm the tinkling branches bare

And through the heavy chill I heard

The witch-wood speak to me.

'Be still', she creaked, 'be ever still,

Fear not the vexes of this world

My sacred wood and berries will

Protect you from all harm'.

'When winter winds bleed out your will

And summer flowers enchant you,

Be still, be always ever still

And remember the Rowan Tree.'

Mary, 2009

Photo courtesy panoramio.com

2009-11-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

I am in awe of Turner's pallet in this unfinished work: all of these amazing yellows, creams and murky umbers.

Sunrise with Sea Monsters (c. 1845), J.M.W. Turner

Grounding

2009-11-04T17:19:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been feeling very distracted...flighty and unable to concentrate. I attribute this to several, rather disparate, things: settling into post-vacation normality; a full moon; sinus medication; possibly something wonky happening in my horoscope that I'm too busy to look into properly!

Yesterday afternoon I felt the need to follow some old and effective remedies. I needed some grounding. I thought I'd share with you here one of the ways I cope when I need to 'return to Earth'.

I went outside and knelt underneath my magnolia tree (which by the way is dropping it's beautiful bright red cones). I put my hands down onto the cold, soft earth, closed my eyes, and visualized the excess energy flowing from my body, down through my arms, and out of my hands - down into the earth, being absorbed and negated. I felt the tension and distraction moving down my spine and out through my feet and knees. When I finished, I felt calmer, more centered and 'clean'.

Then I went inside to my altar and put one of the cones from the tree onto my little offering dish, and thanked Gaia for her help.

I also suggest the wearing of obsidian or hematite when you feel stressed.

I'm interested in herbs, but my knowledge of healing herbs isn't great. If anyone has a suggestion for the use of a particular herb or incense for grounding, I'd be most interested!

Centering and grounding are some of the first techniques I learned when I started on the pagan path.

2009-11-01T09:22:00.001-05:00

Dear All,

I've been back from my week in Florida for a few days now. The unpacking and laundry are finally done; the refrigerator is re-stocked; I've gone through the stack of mail...all just in time to return to work tomorrow and face the undoubtedly huge backlog of work awaiting me there!

Autumn is a wonderful time to visit the Sunshine State. It's still warm, but not oppressive as in Summer. We encountered no rain. And there is a distinct stress-reducing quality in palm trees. They sigh and sway and smile at the thought of their northerly cousins who are losing their leaves.

So now it's November, a fresh new month and a fresh new year for those who follow the Old Ways. We've well and truly entered the dark time (the end of daylight savings time today is really messing with my mind); time to settle into a slower more reflective pace. Time to reacquaint ourselves with the hearth, the fire and the cauldron (even if it's just your stove and the tea kettle).

Photo courtesy Victoria Magazine

A Blessed Samhain to All!

2009-10-31T09:43:00.000-04:00

On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,

O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.

I mark also the passing of all who have gone before, and all who will go after.

O Gracious Goddess, Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,

teach me to know that in the time of the greatest darkness there is

the greatest light.

Scott Cunningham

Dear readers, I will return to regular blogging tomorrow!

Widdershins, Anne Sudworth

2009-10-19T14:44:00.000-04:00

Day 19 of the October Blog Party!

Phil and I went to see the movie Paranormal Activity yesterday.  This little indie film has been getting a lot of buzz, and we were curious enough to chance wasting 90 minutes of our lives that we'd never get back.

A twenty-something couple sets up a video camera and mic to record the nighttime activity of a demon in their home.

I won't post any spoilers here, but there were some genuinely creepy moments.  For the most part, it was just okay. The sense of dread was probably the most compelling part of this story, while the actual scenes of 'activity' were more exciting than scary.

The popcorn was good, though.

Readers, I will be flying down to Florida tomorrow and my posts will be sporadic for the next week-ish.   Have a great week!

2009-10-18T08:43:00.001-04:00

Day 18 of the October Blog Party!

Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 film adaptation of the Broadway stage hit of the same name, starring Kim Novak, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacks, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester ...It ranks right up there as one of my favorite movies, and it's perfect, of course, for this bewitching time of year.

The farcical plot concerns a witch named Gillian, a publisher named Shep, and their witty, comedic and enchanting course to love.

There are several reasons for my love of this film. First, the incandescent, cool beauty of Kim Novack, dressed in gorgeous, slinky Jean Louis (who won the Oscar for his costume design). I love her siamese cat/familar, Pyewacket. I love the set decoration and art direction - all silky, smokey, melancholy interiors and atmospheric dawns and dusks (Cary Odell claimed his Oscar as well for art direction). I love Jimmy Stewart for being his usual gentle self, the perfect antidote to Novack's steeliness.

This is a fun, stylish film. You should rent if if you haven't yet seen it, or rent it again if you already have.

2009-10-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

Day 17 of the October Blog Party!

Autumn foliage, Cottonwood Pass, Colorado

Falling In Love- Scents And Treats For Fall

2009-10-16T10:28:00.002-04:00

I'm delighted to join some of my perfume-loving friends today as we share with you some of our favorite scented products of this beloved season. Links to their blogs are at the end of this post: please visit them all! I'd love to know your favorite Fall fragrances (perfume, food, nature, memories, anything!).

Perfume

My cold Gothic incense scent when the days grow short perfume: Etro Messe de Minuit

For me, this is the sine qua non Gothic fragrance, and a true either-you-love it-or-you-hate-it experience. The classic, and oft-repeated, description of MdM is, "musty old books". Yes, it is that, but those of us who love it are also drawn to the myserious tang of citric notes in the top which are slowly, mercilessly, dragged under by the stone-cold incense and wood accords that comprise the body of this very unique eau de toilette.

Cloister Capital: Monks at Mass

Saint-Martin-du-Canigou Abbey, Casteil, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Photo courtesy Sacred Destinations Photography

My memories of childhood perfume: CB I Hate Perfume Gathering Apples Absolut

Christopher Brosius' ode to the timeless association of Fall and apples, this fragrance sings to me of bushel baskets of MacIntosh apples on the porch of our house in Maine. It's October and the sky is heavy and gray. I can smell the apples, the wooden basket, the snowclouds, my woolen mittens. This is the power of scent: one whiff and 45 years melt away.

Basket of MacIntosh Apples

Photo courtesy of Veggie Conquest

My October 31st is not just Halloween, it's Samhain perfume: BPAL Samhain

Elizabeth Barrial, the uber-productive nose and proprietess of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, introduced this perfume oil in 2005, reissuing it each year in time for the holiday. For me, this perfume celebrates the essence of the Pagan New Year: "damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein". Throw in a bonfire and a place at the table for your departed ancestors, and the celebration is complete.

Samhain greeting card

Photo courtesy Sacred Isle

My snuggle in the corner of my favorite chair with a great book perfume: Aroma M Geisha Noire

A very uncomplicated, linear perfume oil from the boutique perfumery Aroma M, this scent is rich, autumnal amber with a hint of spice (cardamom I think) and a touch of vanilla.

Autumn Kimono by Teresa Poole

Photo courtesy artgallery.co.uk

Soap

My naughty Fall fantasies involving a certain Mr. Johnny Depp soap: Arcana Sleepy Hollow

If you've never ordered a bar of soap from this Portland, Oregon soapmaker's e-tailer partners, you need to...now if not sooner. Sleepy Hollow is redolent of pumpkin, apple cider and smoke. If I can't have Depp, this is the next best thing (okay, not really, but it's good).

Johnny Depp, Sleepy Hollow

Photo courtsey Radio Times

Candles

My I don't have a fireplace but my house can smell like I do candle: Diptyque Feu de Bois

There isn't much that's more evocative of Fall than a wood burning fireplace when the weather turns chilly, damp and gray. Feu de Bois is the absolutely dead-on scent of a wood fire, with hints of pipe tobacco and ash. Masculine and strong, its fragrance lingers long after being extinguished. Pricey, but a lot of bang for the buck.

The library at Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

Photo courtesy learnnc.org

My Druids are Cool candle: Archipelago Stonehenge

With notes of cedarwood, bergamot, and amber, Stonehenge smells dark, comforting and strange. Not nearly as strong as Feu de Bois, it will make you think of October moonlight on the Salsbury Plain.

Stonehenge

Photo courtesy Richard Nowitz/Corbis

I Smell Therefore I Am

Perfume Shrine

2009-10-15T10:33:00.001-04:00

Day Fifteen of the October Blog Party!

Danse Macabre

Zig, zig, zig, Death in a cadence,
Striking with his heel a tomb,
Death at midnight plays a dance-tune,
Zig, zig, zig, on his violin.
The winter wind blows and the night is dark;
Moans are heard in the linden trees.
Through the gloom, white skeletons pass,
Running and leaping in their shrouds.
Zig, zig, zig, each one is frisking,
The bones of the dancers are heard to crack—
But hist! of a sudden they quit the round,
They push forward, they fly; the cock has crowed.

Henri Cazalis

2009-10-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

Dear friends,

I've been experiencing pain in my wrists and elbows for the past several days and have had to take a rest from blogging. I hope to be back tomorrow!

Mary

2009-10-11T13:59:00.003-04:00

Day Eleven of the October Blog Party!

One of my readers, Charlotte in Canada, emailed me and asked me to re-post my poem from last year about my dear grandmother and the ghosts I sensed around her as a child.

Mary Helen

Everywhere my grandmother lived, ghosts followed.
They swirled about her like cold ashes,
And sat in frozen puddles on her creaking floorboards
They hissed their breath into her plumbing.

When I was a child, I saw them near her.
I smelled them; I felt them, soft as fallen feathers.
They were drawn to the tinkle of her glass windchimes
And the quick, steady flash of her crochet hook.

Sharp, silken thoughts of her sift through my dreams
In Autumn, when she was born, when she died.

Mary, 2008

2009-10-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

Day Ten of the October Blog Party!

Maple Gold I (c. 2000), vitreous enamel brooch, 18k and 22k gold, Larissa Podgoretz, Israel

2009-10-10T06:48:00.001-04:00

Day Nine of the October Blog Party!

Death and the Lady From Der Doten Dantz (Dance of the Dead), printed by Heinrich Knoblochzer, Heidelberg, 1490

2009-10-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

Day Eight of the October Blog Party!

An Homage to Black Cats

Jezebel (1896), John Byam Liston Shaw

Girl With a Cat (1895), Cecelia Beaux

Cat and Kitten (c. 1860), Edward Burne-Jones

Gina and the Cat (2007), Josh Agle (SHAG)

The Love Potion (1903), Evelyn Pickering de Morgan

Illustration from Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat (1901), Aubrey Beardsley

Tournee du Chat Noir (1896), Theophile Alexandre Steinlen

2009-10-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

Day Seven of the October Blog Party!

I am unofficially declaring October to be the beginning of Hot Tea Season. When the breeze has just the right hint of chill, and you find yourself at the end (or beginning) of a long day, it's time to put the kettle on.

I'm pretty much a tea purist in the English tradition. I like black tea with milk and sugar the best. But I won't turn down a cup of smokey Lapsang Suchong, or delicate Jasmine, or soothing Mint.

Tea in the Park (c. 1910), Edward Cucuel

2009-10-06T17:57:00.000-04:00

Day six of the October Blog Party!

My quest to find a white lumina ('Ghost') pumpkin has begun. I'm seeing lots of big yellow ones, but no white so far.

2009-10-05T16:04:00.001-04:00

Day Five of the October Blog Party!

Scarecrow

Who has stuffed his coat with straw a
and hung him from a pole
To twist and turn in the lonely wind,
Searching for his soul?
And who has put him out alone
Upon the golden knoll,
With birds his only company,
Longing for a soul?

Mary, 2009

Benny's Scarecrow (Jim Loper's Coat) (1955), Andrew Wyeth

Medieval Monday

2009-10-05T07:01:00.000-04:00

Portrait of a Noblewoman, Probably Isabella of Portugal, (15th Century), Netherlandish painter

2009-10-04T23:10:00.000-04:00

Day Four of the October Blog Party!

Yesterday my family and I had an afternoon and evening of fun at Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia. Aside from the usual rides and such (I really don't do roller coasters!), this is an absolutely lovely park - voted the most beautiful in the world for the past 19 years by whatever group decides these things. Halloween was in full swing there. These ghosts were pretty cool - even more so at night when backlit.

2009-10-03T17:03:00.004-04:00

Day Three of the October Blog Party!

Here's monk's-hood, that breeds fever in the blood;
And deadly nightshade, that makes men see ghosts;
And henbane, that will shake them with convulsions;
And meadow-saffron and black hellebore,
That rack the nerves, and puff the skin with dropsy;
And bitter-sweet, and briony, and eye-bright,
That cause eruptions, nosebleed, rheumatisms;
I know them, and the places where they hide
In field and meadow; and I know their secrets,
And gather them because they give me power
Over all men and women...
Giles Corey of the Salem Farms, Act I, Scene I, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The beautiful plant known as Deadly Nightshade (or Belladonna) has a romantic history to its name, albeit a foolish one. The word nightshade refers to the Medieval practice of some Italian women using eye drops made from this plant to dilate their pupils, thus giving the eyes a dilated, glistening appearance. A molto bella donna with large, dark eyes was considered especially alluring. Of course, some women suffered adverse affects and even blindness.

It is said that witches used this plant in an ointment, applying it to their bodies in order to fly - whether that was actual or hallucinatory is unknown!

2009-10-02T21:01:00.000-04:00

Day Two of the October Blog Party!

The Halloween Lady, (c. 2007), William Basso Basso Art

2009-10-01T12:41:00.000-04:00

Day One of the October Blog Party!

It's a good thing that I'm a 'morning person'. My work day begins early, and I find myself leaving the house in chilly, pre-dawn darkness in these early days of Autumn. This morning I noticed the sky was putting on a show: Venus, Mercury and Saturn were all dancing together in the east. The waxing Harvest Moon is nearly full. Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, is dazzling. I took a moment to appreciate the simple gifts of silence, cool air and celestial lights that glow and glimmer down on us. The Goddess is good.

2009-09-27T16:36:00.000-04:00

Necklace (c. 1900), by Walter and Harold Child Silversmiths, London

Silver, gold, and polychrome enamel set with amethyst and pearls

2009-09-22T05:18:00.000-04:00

It's a good day to pause and acknowledge the end of summer and the symbolic death of light, and to reflect on a bountiful growing season - not just growth of those things that nourish our bodies, but things that will help to sustain our spirit in the approaching days of cold and darkness.

"Corn and grain, corn and grain,
All that falls shall rise again."

Wishing you all a joyous Mabon!

Proserpine (1874), Dante Gabriel Rosetti

Medieval Monday

2009-09-21T05:35:00.002-04:00

Ring Brooch (1340–1349), Made in Middle Rhine, Germany
Gold, spinels, and sapphires

Metropolitan Museum of Art

It's Barbie time

2009-09-18T21:36:00.003-04:00

2009-09-17T08:30:00.001-04:00

"Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers."

- Carl Sandburg, Under the Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon (1892), Charles Rennie MacIntosh

Juicy Couture EDP

2009-09-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time -
I'm thinking of the 60's here -
A young perfume
Meant green, powder-sheer,
Quirky and saucy,
Aldehydic and effervescent.
But time has passed
And now a young scent
Means sweet and fruity
And candy shop cloying.

How annoying.

2009-09-12T07:57:00.000-04:00

Domestic Witch is hosting a Blog Party! Details are here: click

"To participate in this blog party, pledge to do is something holiday related everyday the month of October and blog about it. You do not have to blog everyday, just chronicle what you've been doing on each day when time permits."

I'll be posting mine next month - stay tuned!

2009-09-12T07:35:00.001-04:00

My take on the Republican guy Joe Wilson yelling out, "You lie!" to Obama during his speech:

When your party is falling apart, and you're the minority in Congress, and you're feeling desperate, and people are dying because they can't get health care and the President calls you on it, and it pisses you off because the truth hurts, and you feel the tide is turning against you...

You feel inspired to do something stupid. We get it.

2009-09-09T19:38:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or is anyone else out there feeling especially physically and emotionally weary? Mercury retrograde?

2009-09-08T15:07:00.003-04:00

Itkupilli's cool blog here has inspired me to whip up a little change in my page design. Apologies if anyone finds it difficult to read the font in any of my previous posts.

Medieval Monday

2009-09-07T07:16:00.004-04:00

Healing a Patient with Barley Soup (c. 1370) from the Tacuinum Sanitatis (handbook on wellness), France.

2009-09-05T07:02:00.002-04:00

When Apples were Golden and Songs were Sweet, But Summer had Passed Away (1906), John Melhuish Strudwick

Guerlain L'Heure Bleue

2009-08-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

Some find you full of melancholy –
Full of life’s sad tears and folly.
You’ve been described as full of woe,
To me, you are Perfume Play-Doh.

In you, no heartbreak do I find
For me, just one thing comes to mind
When I wear you, I only know
You smell just like Perfume Play-Doh.

The Nymphae

2009-08-24T09:49:00.014-04:00

It's been a while since the last post in my 'Strange Girls' series. I hope you enjoy this one!

There are few more captivating subjects in art than those female nature spirits known as nymphs. These minor deities personified the freedom, wildness of spirit and sensual allure of nature, and illustrated the duality of chastity and sexuality of women in general.

There are dozens of different types of nymphs in Greco-Roman myth. Some have been immortalized in the works of art below.

The Water Nymph (1923), John Collier. Nymphs of lakes were known as limnatides. Collier (my absolute favorite artist of the pre-Raphs) portrayed her in a spectacularly muted background. I love her reflection! Her face seems emotionless to me, but I think that just adds to her mystery.

The Moon Nymph (1883), Luis Ricardo Falero. The goddess-nymphs of the 50 lunar months of the four-year Olympiad were known as menae. The wonderful Spanish artist Falero loved painting the female figure in attitudes of suspension and flight.

The Head of a Nymph (1850), Sophie Anderson. Anderson, a British artist who painted in the pre-Raphaelite style (but is not really considered a pre-Raph artist) specialized in romantic portraits featuring the most lovely, soft light effects. I think this particular nymph looks like one of the lampades: torch-bearing nymphs of the underworld. They probably belonged to the train of the goddesses of the Eleusinian Mysteries, Persephone and Hekate

The Garden of the Hesperides (1892), Lord Frederic Leighton. The hesperides were naiads of the mythical far northern river Eridanos. They tend the beautiful garden there. Leighton was such an amazing artist; his work was so full of fine detail and no one portrayed drapery more skillfully.

The Cave of the Storm Nymphs (1902), Sir Edward Poynter. This is one of my very favorite paintings. Poynter pictured three nymphs taking shelter from a storm in a cave. Every time I see this work, I want to know more about the story. Ocean nymphs were daughters of Oceanus and were called okeanides.

Nymph with Morning Glory Flowers (1850), Jules Joseph LeFebvre. LeFebvre was one of France's greatest portrait painters of this era. Can you believe how gorgeous the strands of her hair are? Nymphs of flowers were called anthousai.

L'Etoile Perdue (The Lost Pleiad) (1884), William Adolphe Bouguereau. The pleiads were the seven beautiful daughters of the Titan, Atlas. One of them forfeited her position among her six sister stars because she dared to marry a mortal. In this painting, it seems that Bouguereau took the opportunity to 'show off' a little. He knew that no one was better than he at portraying nude female skin. I just love the purple background!

Echo (1874), Alexandre Cabanel. Echo was a nymph of Mount Helikon in central Greece. Hera cursed her with the voice of mountain echoes as punishment for distracting her while her husband Zeus consorted with other nymphae. I really love this painting, and it was actually the inspiration for this post. Her diaphonous gown is really beautiful.

A Naiad (1893), John William Waterhouse. Naiads were nymphs of the sources of fresh-water: springs, fountains, streams, rivers, and lakes. Here Waterhouse depicted the story of the naiad Dryope, who fell in love with and kidnapped the warrior Hylas. He was never seen among humankind again.

A Hamadryad (1893), John William Waterhouse. Another Waterhouse nymph, this one a hamadryad, oak-tree nymphs whose life force was bound to that of a particular tree. Here the nymph looks down rather wistfully at the young faun playing the pipes.

Actaea, The Nymph of the Shore (1868), Lord Frederic Leighton. Nymphs of the sea, the sands, and the rocky shores were called haliai. Leighton's model for Actaea was a young woman named Mary Lloyd, who's family had fallen on hard times and who was forced to take the disreputable job of artist's model. She posed for many great artists of the day. I like the casual way she's watching the dolphins play.

Medieval Monday

2009-08-24T05:27:00.003-04:00

Statue of Saint Barbara (c. 1490), German. From the main altarpiece of the Mauritiuskirche in Kippenheim.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY