trails in the woods : lettering play on retreat

farms : lettering play on retreat

spring : lettering play on retreat

For the rest of the week, I’ll share photos from my work retreat on Martha’s Vineyard. And I’ll couple these photos with playful lettering I did while I was away.

These are all from a fun exercise I did one day, where I wrote words that I could associate with this particular retreat experience and setting, written quickly in expressive styles or layouts. You’ll see my attempt to capture part of the meaning behind each word. See more below this post.

Hope you enjoy!

waves : lettering play on retreat

fog : lettering play on retreat

coffee : lettering play on retreat

retreat : re-entry

I’m just now back from two weeks on a work retreat in Martha’s Vineyard thanks to a grant from the Turkey Land Cove Foundation. It was a hugely productive (more on that later!) and personally enriching time — we’re talkin’ complete solitude for two weeks, whoa! So needless to say, shifting back to the hustle bustle of normal life is a tricky transition.

So in any harried moments of my week ahead I will be dipping into the peaceful places I visited these past two weeks and using the blog to share them with you. Above, the stark and beautiful dancing trees at Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary.

surfers underwater : lucia griggi

Lucia Griggi started out as a surf instructor and then developed an interest in photography — this is the result, photographs of fellow surfers, shot from underwater, within the waves.

“It is really quite simple once you know how and are comfortable in the water and with the seas movements. It takes time and experience. It is about being connected with the waves and moving alongside the surfer under the water…Sometimes you must swim down deep in order not to get inside the spinning action of the wave and get washed into a dangerous position if the waves are big. It is such a fantastic place to be…”

luciagriggi.com

(*via Huh Magazine)

DIY sky : romantic star projector

The Romantic Star Projector is special. It’s available from Infmetry (which means “information symmetry, the condition in which all relevant information is known to all parties involved”) and they describe the projector best:

This star projector projects a map of the heavens onto your ceiling and walls with thousands of stars in random order.

Featuring a rotating base with compass-point alignments, it is possible to set up your AstroStar by aligning it according to your location and the time of the year, so it can project a map of the clear night sky all around you. You can also change it to the accurately track movement of the heavens as the year progresses.

The AstroStar projector not only gives your child an education of astronomical science, but also gives you the couple to create a romantic surprise! Ideal for astronomy or astrology fans, romantics, kids who appreciate a nightlight with a difference or anyone who wants to bring some starlight into their home.

$22 in blue, white or yellow LED from Infmetry.

(*via Apartment Therapy)

happy may day!

The month of May and I had a photo shoot this week. I appreciated May in lots of different places…

Every May Day growing up, my mom sent me out to place small baskets of pansies on the porches of our neighbors. I know!

The ancient practice of May Day was to celebrate the goddess of flowers, Flora, and the coming of summer. There are different traditions all over the world (not to mention International Workers Day, also on May 1st) — read more here. The May Baskets tradition was started by American settlers but apparently faded out of common practice during the Cold War. Except on my street.

Goddess Flora below, as painted by Botticelli. Here’s to her and to this completely magical feeling of spring.