something wicked

"Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game."

—ELPHABA THROPP from WICKED (the musical)

I'VE SUMMONED Halloween a bit early this year. This time, I came upon a witch's hat (or two, or seven) and a cat that must have cast their spell on me, which led me to see this tree. Something wicked you say? Maybe so, but there's a certain elegance in these going's on. The witch responsible for guiding my Halloween spirit this year is quite a sophisticated one—not satisfied with the typical orange and black of All Hallows Eve.

INSTEAD, this witch has an eye (or two, or nine) on the lookout for a holiday tree that is decorated her way. I'm not responsible. It was out of my control. I think a little magic has happened. Elphaba Thropp, the name of the witch I have mentioned, is surely responsible. She's the daughter of the Wizard of Oz according to Gregory Maguire, who wrote the fictional account of her life in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum's book) was Maguire's inspiration. As a homage, Maguire used Baum's initials (L.F.B.), phonetically pronounced to form Elphaba's name. Get it? El-Pha-Ba. You may have heard of both of these authors, but didn't know much more than that. "So much happened before Dorothy dropped in . . ."

I WON'T SPOIL the story, but Gregory Maguire named Elphaba's book of spells a Grimmerie. The author goes on to say "I conjured up the word Grimmerie to prompt associations of several things at once: of the Brother's Grimm, with their tales of magic and witches and forests; of grimmness itself. But also I meant slyly to echo the archaic word gramarye. The Oxford English Dictionary defines gramarye as 'occult learning, magic, necromancy.' There is a solid philological relationship to the Scottish word glamour—the casting of a spell over the eyes of a spectator . . . "

ACCORDING TO the historiographical highlights in the Grimmerie, "Elphaba's origins are shrouded in mystery, but we do know her mother received a strange visitor before she was born. At Shiz University, Elphaba was a brilliant student with magical gifts that she tried to hide. Because of her green skin, the students, including her roommate Galinda, shunned her. Elphaba's momentous meeting with the Wizard in the Emerald City set her on the fateful path whereby she became Wicked."

SO THERE you have it. A watchful Halloween tree that has Elphaba's signature style. I am glad to be here to show you the results and to assist Elphaba in casting her spell. And I'm grateful for her guidance—which may very well have been her last good deed.

WICKED ELEGANCE | (Top two photos) This tree could have gone in a Seussian direction with an inspiration that started with a hat and then a cat, but I realized quickly that something else was at play. A bit of magic led me to find these witches hats (at Michaels, tucked away in a display of frames and meant to be placecard holders). And the cat appeared to me on a clearance shelf at Ross. All nine of those eyes were watching me at Pier 1 Imports. Odd numbers of each are the rule-of-the-day for a pleasing composition. The large book in the photo is The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look at the hit Broadway musical "Wicked"—a gift from my friend Jon Chavez. It is beautifully-designed to look old by Headcase Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2005 (a spread from the Grimmerie is seen below).

MAGICAL DETAILS | The right balance was struck with a wire tree—made as craggy as can be’— coated with black glitter and beads, was found at Marshall's and decorated with the witches hats and the eyeball ornaments mentioned above. Added to the spirited mix is a smoky small glass beaded garland from Restoration Hardware, small glass ornaments in green and dark brown from Michael's and fancy glass clip-on candles from the "vintage" 2004 Golden Traditions line by Martha Stewart at Kmart. It's all contained in a heavy stoneware cauldron with smooth black river rocks.

MILLINER'S MAGIC | This flocked witch's hat from Michaels is deftly striped in green glitter and is topped with a spiraled wire meant to be used as a placecard holder at the dinner table (see below), but I first saw them as elegant ornaments.

CANDLE CHARM | These clip-on glass candles—which are historically  associated as a decorations for German feather trees were put to good use to set the mood. They are from the "vintage" 2004 Golden Traditions line by Martha Stewart at Kmart. I purposely centered this particular "flame" in the door's circular details to give a certain importance to it as a "tree topper" (the door was a discarded find, painted Bedford Grey from Martha Stewart's line of paints at Home Depot).

DRAFTY DODGER | This faux bois beeswax candle, mysteriously flamed out, is from the defunct Martha by Mail catalog. The metal candle snuffer from my collection stands guard. The beaded placemat is from the 2011 Halloween collection at Target. Two of Elphaba's spellbinding books (including the Grimmerie shown in detail above) are always at-the-ready.

TABLE FOR ONE | Since the mysteriously elegant Elphaba was shunned by her peers, she often dined alone, but with a great sense of style. The place setting is composed of a dinner plate, a salad plate and a napkin from Pier 1 Imports. The black dessert plate is from Target. The flatware pattern (that looks like unfurling fern fronds) is "Treble Clef" by Gourmet Settings.The silver-rimmed crystal water goblet and wine glass are from the defunct Martha by Mail catalog. The beaded placemat is from the 2011 Halloween collection at Target. Here the witches hat from Michaels is used as it was originally intended as a placecard holder. I made the placecard from a faux bois printed gift card by Martha Stewart Crafts by adding a brown satin ribbon through the perforations. Stick-on scrapbooking letters spell out Elphaba's name on the ribbon. The small bouquet is composed of a probable witch's brew of delphinium, rosehips, hosta and a thorny stem of a trailing rosebush.The tarnished hotel silver bud vase containing it is from my personal collection.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland as inspired by Elphaba Thropp

southern cool

More than any other part of America, the South stands apart...Thousands of Northerners and foreigners have migrated to it...but Southerners they will not become. For this is still a place where you must have either been born or have 'people' there, to feel it is your native ground. "Natives will tell you this. They are proud to be Americans, but they are also proud to be Virginians, South Carolinians, Tennesseeans, Mississippians and Texans. But they are conscious of another loyalty too, one that transcends the usual ties of national patriotism and state pride. It is a loyalty to a place where habits are strong and memories are long. If those memories could speak, they would tell stories of a region powerfully shaped by its history and determined to pass it on to future generations.

—Tim Jacobson, Heritage of the South

THE AMERICAN SOUTH has more than its share of stereotypes. Some are borne out of reality and some are complete misconceptions. One thing for sure is that the summer here is hot—especially the "dog days" of August and September. The thing that won’t surprise people is that Southerners know how to stay cool. We have things like iced tea, the breeze blowing from a fan or inland from the coast, or a cool and creamy slice of key lime pie. But the cool thing that most people might not know—unless they are Southerners themselves, or know one very well—is that people from the South are some of the most open and forgiving people in the world. The cool comes from an unpretentious and earthy live-and-let-live attitude.

OUT OF THAT attitude comes an openness to looking at things in an unstructured way that leaves our world ripe for innovation and creativity. A style-setting friend approached me about creating a tree for a new blog called Southern Exposures because he cited that a tree in August is unexpected, so I rose to the challenge. I present this tree, but make sure you visit the blog here. A talented writer is in cahoots with him and she has summed up the blog's focus as "a collection of artists, writers, photographers, chefs, and stylists living and working in the American South." Together, this stylist and writer are too modest to stake any personal claim because, as they say, their aim is to focus on the untapped and under-utilized talent in the American South. This tree evokes both the heat and the cool of our region and I was more than thrilled to oblige.



IT'S NO SECRET that a disproportionate number of game-changing writers, musicians, artists, chefs and other creative folk were born-and-raised here. William Faulkner, Truman Capote and Eudora Welty wrote with an unbridled and passionate turn of phrase. Ray Charles, Elvis and the band R.E.M. changed the very history and shape of music. Famous artists such as Jasper Johns, Romare Bearden and even self-taught folk artists such as Howard Finster all hail from the South. Masters of Southern cuisine such as Chef Paul Prudhomme, food writers such as Craig Claiborne and TV personalities such as Paula Deen are all world-renowned for their take on the food that made the South famous—not to be taken lightly, even if the food rarely spares any waist-slimming shortcuts.

I'D BE WILLING TO BET that all of these people (from the writers, to the artists. to the food experts) know that key lime pie is not green, but a pale creamy yellow. And I prefer mine with a pastry crust thank-you-very-much. Subtle distinctions like this are what set Southerners apart. We all know when somebody or something “ain’t from around here.” But the nice thing is that we’re willing and able to share the good stuff from our rich culture. It's definitely a place where you'll find an unfettered generosity of spirit.

POPULAR MOVIES set in the South such as To Kill a Mockingbird (based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee of the same name), The Color Purple (based on Alice Walker's novel of the same name), and currently, The Help (based on Kathryn Stockett's novel) only tell part of the Southern story. Popular TV shows such as The Andy Griffith Show, Designing Women, and True Blood capture how the perception of the South has changed over the years, but there's still more to be said. There has definitely been an opening in the veil covering Southern sensibility. More and more people are seeing how just how rich Southern culture can be—even if related in a hyper-real, over-the-top storyline as it is in True Blood.

MAGAZINES such as Southern Living (where I landed my first job out of college), Garden and Gun and The Oxford American are telling the Southern story on a regular basis in high-style from a consumer perspective and all the way through to a literary viewpoint. So there's no stopping the voice of the South. You might just raise an eyebrow or two in discovering just how rich life here can be.

WHILE THE REST of the world is losing its distinctiveness, it seems that the particular Southern vernacular is sittin’ down for a spell. No longer relegated to the trend du jour, the Southern way of doing things is finally becoming recognized for style as well as substance. Sure, the good ol’ boy attitude has held on white-knuckled, but even it has lost its grip. What’s left is Southern cool and I ain’t talking about lowering the temperature. It’s high time for the creative side of Southern culture to kick it up a notch!

THE NEW Southern Exposures blog might just be the way to do it. And I’m more than happy to be a small part of its beginning with the photos and ideas you see in this post. Make sure to visit their blog to see what they are doing and discover a lot of untapped talent along-the-way.

KEEPING IT COOL| (From top to bottom) This tree branch held in a wooden container painted with sunny stripes employs ribbons and freezable plastic ice cubes as a metaphor for Southern Cool. Of course there's real iced tea (house wine of the South) to complete the picture. The Tri-Vane fan keeps the breeze blowing. The key lime tart (yellow, not green to-be-sure) was lovingly made by my sweet companion Devin Borden. It is topped with real whipped cream and garnished with candied lime slices. Circa 1968 or so, my friend Ellen Shanks Padgett (left) with her mother Margie and sister Barbara are sporting color-coordinated cool on a gleaming sandy-white beach in Destin, Florida.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland,

key lime tart crafted by Devin Borden,

beach photo courtesy Ellen Shanks Padgett 

ADDENDUM 8/31/2011:

MUST-SEE MOVIE | Since I haven't seen this film yet, I am reposting the synopsis from the website. It looks like it might tell a visual story of the American South even better than Malick's Tree of Life: 

AWARDED for its visionary cinematography, General Orders No. 9 breaks from the constraints of the documentary form as it contemplates the signs of loss and change in the American South as potent metaphors of personal and collective destiny.

THE STUNNING culmination of over eleven years’ work from first time writer-director Robert Persons, General Orders No. 9 marries experimental filmmaking with an accessible, naturalist sensibility to tell the epic story of the clash between nature and man’s progress, and reaches a bittersweet reconciliation all its own.

TOLD ENTIRELY with images, poetry, and music, General Orders No. 9 is unlike any film you have ever seen. A story of maps, dreams, and prayers, it’s one last trip down the rabbit hole before it’s paved over. 

SEE THE TRAILER HERE

strike up the band

JULY FOURTH celebrations across the United States invariably involve a band. What parade would be complete without that unmistakeably loud brassy sound? More often than not, modern bands are patterned after a particular Drum and Bugle Corps style. If you weren't in a band at some point in your life, like I was in high school (playing trumpet), you might not realize that drum corps long history is steeped in military tradition. And that the modern creativity of the artform evolved into integrating music, a marching drill, and a color guard replete with various forms of dance and equipment. All this is staged on the large scale of a football field. It is one of the most creative group endeavors for young people, especially if they have a love for music and art. In fact a lot of corps members end up being music teachers, band directors, and even professional musicians.

MY FIRST BAND director in high school in the late 1970's introduced our band to the exciting "modern corps style" by showing us a shaky Super Eight film of the Santa Clara Vanguard from California. The color guard's signature bottle dance to the music from Fiddler on the Roof was something we would incorporate in one of our shows. I remember the night at band camp when we all watched this film. The excitement rippled across the room. Here we were, a small high school band, delving into a new and more expressionistic way to present a marching show. It felt like we were starting something new—and we were. I think we all knew then that our lives would become more focused on being in the band after seeing this level of professionalism from our not-too-distant peers. To achieve the high standards that the corps set, we would have to practice hours every day after school—and we did. And to make the old "back in high school" joke—we honestly loved it. Except it was no joke. My fellow band members and I were about to see what could happen when we put our talent and minds to the challenge.

THE EXPERIENCE of being a part of such a band has served me well throughout life. It made me realize early on what could be accomplished when a like-minded group of people came together to create something so technically difficult. We reached a level of perfection where we could score well and win contests—quite a sense of acheivement for a bunch of high school kids. We traveled to contests and parades from Florida to Pennsylvania. All-the-while we were having amazing fun in perfecting a show that would entertain entire stadiums full of people. And the friends we made in the process were life-long—we can still get together and fondly recall those heady times. I just went to a band reunion last summer and we did just that.

SOME OF MY friends in the band went on to be in a professional drum and bugle corps and travel their summer circuit. Drum and bugle corps were dedicated to achieving a higher standard of the artform. I always say that you have to experience a corps show in person to really appreciate it. There's nothing like hearing and seeing a technically difficult piece of music (a lot of times from classical composers) being played and marched well with a color guard interpreting the music with a certain visual flair. This was, of course, done along with an incredibly complex cadence provided by the drum line. With names steeped in tradition like the Cadets, Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, Blue Devils, Phantom Regiment, and such, "striking up the band" is taken to a whole new level. And it is a truly American form of music and performance that has caught on in other parts of the world. I plan to make it to the DCI Atlanta Southeastern Championship this year in Atlanta.

THE TRADITION of music in this country has been always been one that pushes boundaries. A lot of musical styles were invented here and continue to be a quintessential part of our expression and culture. I know that having been a part of the band gave me a certain edge-up on a lot of things. It was the first challenge I had in which the creative skills of many—with a lot of practice and dedication—could coalesce into—well, a band. Even so, we were all marching to a different drummer and playing our individual hearts out.

TOP BRASS | (Four photos from top) These mercury glass ornaments are from last season at Pottery Barn. Finding them on clearance after the season sparked the idea for using a large number of them for a July 4th tree as realized here. The wire tree is from my personal collection, the tablecloth is from a past season at Old Navy. The Cadets offer an audio download to get you in the patriotic spirit with their arrangement of "Strike Up the Band." 

STARS FELL | (Above, bottom) One of the best memories from my years in the Hokes Bluff High School "Green Machine" was when were invited to be a part of the nation's Bicentennial parade in Philadelphia, PA. While in  staging for the main route on a back street in the city, the college band counterparts invited from Alabama (The Marching Southerners from Jacksonville State University) set up in concert formation and literally blew everyone away with their own arrangement of "Stars Fell on Alabama." I still get goose bumps thinking about that moment! These glittered star ornaments were purchased from Bayberry Cove and are by Dee Foust Collectibles for Bethany Lowe Designs.

AMERICAN COMPOSITION | (Above) This video snippet from a show performed by the 1987 DCI World Champion (Garfield) Cadets (from New Jersey). They fielded American composer Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring in a way I had never seen before. They had such a cool sophistication—I was awestruck—and I was lucky enough to see this show in person a few times. Put your earphones on to hear the wall of sound created by G bugles. Regretfully, only the first and second movements are shown in this video. 

Make sure you link to the many hyperlinks throughout this post for fun corps-style music and other surprises. For more information about Drum Corps International, please visit their website and find a show this summer near you—the season ends mid-August with the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 13th. You can see the preliminaries live from Indiana in a movie theater if you can't be there, but I can't stress enough that this is a musical experience you must see in person if you can.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

nature versus grace

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 

—Job 38: 4,7

THE MOVIE The Tree of Life opens, with this scripture from the Book of Job. It follows with many more existential questions calmly voiced-over the film's amazing sun-soaked cinematography. The characters of the family it focuses on are the voices asking these questions. The movie takes you on a journey through time and memory that is as intense as it is calm. 

THE MOTHER pronounces in the opening dialog: "There are two ways through life. The way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you will follow. Nature, we are told, is selfish and full of itself. Grace is love, and the giving of oneself to a higher calling or power." It's a broad-brushed statement of the constant struggle of patriarchy versus matriarchy—nature and grace—if you will. But the point of the movie is how we all eventually come to terms with nature and the harsh realities of life and death. Our inherent grace only stays intact in finding love throughout the journey.

THE QUIET MOMENTS of the movie are interspersed with open-ended questions about life and a particular death of a son and brother. Where were you? How did you let this happen? Was he bad? It isn't a film made from narrative, but rather thoughts and images . . . "more like an experience, than a movie," as Devin said, with whom I first saw the movie. It took us on a journey through the foundations of life itself. This journey pulls you up by your heartstrings. 

I FOUND myself quietly tearing up in moments I didn't expect. The movie tugs at your inner core and brings up emotions from deep inside. It forces you to relate to the characters because their story is told in a universal way, rather than completely delving into the ego of personalities. Its success is found in relating the vastness of our common connectedness to time and memory.

IT ESPECIALLY resonates with me since the movie's family is based in the American South—Texas in the 1950s. Since I'm also a boy from a small Southern town (in Alabama), there are many instances in the film that that moved me closely to my own memories. The movie jumps from a place in the 1950s, to modern day, back to the primordial beginnings of life on earth in a dreamlike way. I grew up in the '60s instead, but it resonated in an almost direct way, since small town life then had not quite caught up with the tumultuous sixties. Back then, we only had the evening news instead of a 24/7 barrage of information and mindless chatter on television. It was a much quieter existence with time to sit and think.

BECAUSE OF THIS, the movie is not one that most audiences will have the patience for within a blend of summer blockbusters in this age of extreme stimulation. But I am one who can enjoy something just for the visual aspect.  This movie is at-once, both visual and visceral—and I've seen it twice. The gentle revelations made are like quiet visual poetry. It only directly informs through universal thoughts and snippets of visual consciousness. It's not pretense, but a genuine and sincere impressionistic work of art.

HOW DO YOU make a tree for such a broad subject? Have you ever planted a tree to commemorate an event or a person and seen its growth years later? How do you decide what to do? Devin brought me these beautiful hand-painted white chocolate frogs from a recent visit he made to New York. His challenge was for me to do a rain forest tree with them somehow. The more I thought about it, and knowing the scale and other problems I might have with a more traditional tree incorporating the camouflage-like frogs, I decided to use a series of plates with leaves from six different trees as a simple background as an implied way to serve them since they are edible "ornaments." It's a sort of studied communion. And it could be construed as a representation of the vastness of a rainforest in the most simple terms.

IF ONE STUDIES the picture, the negative spaces between the plates form a sort of tree. I thought a certain simplicity was the most direct way to show the multiplicity of specimen leaves from trees found growing near each other, yet relay each tree's ability to remember to make its own unique leaves in the cycle of the seasons.

TREE FROGS | (Top and above) In using the hand painted chocolate frogs made by Knipschildt Chocolatier, a gift from Devin from Dean & Deluca in New York City, NY; I selected leaves from trees while out on a morning walk with his dog. The Sam&Squito by Xiahe Co. bone china plates are subtly-patterned with a curved mesh design (which is hard to discern here).

TREE OF LIFE | (Above) I was definitely inspired by the poetry of this beautiful movie, written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Brad Bitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. Here you see the posters made for the movie. The poster (Right) is simply more arresting.

THE WAY OF THE BROTHER | In the many reviews I've read about this movie, the following one by S. Brent Plate may be my favorite in making sense of the movie's complex themes. It also repeats a voice-over quote from the brother Jack from late in the movie that I think helps one understand there is no triumph of one over the other in the unresolved "versus" of nature and grace: “Father, Mother, always you wrestle inside me. Always you will.” Link to the review/essay here.

LEAFSNAP APP | (Left) Leafsnap is a free mobile application for your smart phone or iPad. It is the first in a series of electronic field guides being developed by researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution, using visual recognition software to help identify tree species from photographs of their leaves on a white background. The app still has some kinks to work out (for instance, it works best only if you "snap it" through the app, rather than uploading a photo you've already made to it, but the more people use it, the better it will become.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

a bluebird and a butterfly

WINGED CREATURES are understandably associated with transformation, freedom and an unencumbered ability to soar. That's something we earthbound humans have long held a jealous fascination with. Imagine being able to quickly dart around in thin air, ride the wind and come back down to earth whenever we wanted. It would certainly give us a different perspective of the world—a bird's-eye view—if you will. From that vantage point, I'm sure we could all see things a bit differently. We could see the awesome wonder of nature in it's entirety instead of a tree or a leaf at a time and we might have more of an appreciation for being a part of it.

MEMORIAL DAY, to me is not just about fallen military war heroes or the beginning of summer. It is also a time to reflect on what being a citizen of the world means, regardless of military affiliation. Although my father was a U.S. army veteran of WWII and came home safe, I knew his life was marked by the atrocities he saw during the war. At that time my mother worked in a manufacturing plant, taking over jobs that were usually dominated by the men who were off at war. Essentially, she was a “Rosie the Riveter,” which has become a strong symbol for feminism. These formative parts of their lives forged an amazing strength and fortitude. They met upon my father's return home from WWII, by my father seeing my mother with a girlfriend who turned her down for going to see a movie that night. My father stepped in and told her he'd go to that movie with her. And the rest is history. If they had lived another year, they would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I miss hearing them tell this story, but can hear the intonation and love in their voices when I remember this.

THESE UNUSUAL jobs for their time bought claim to a proud part of history. They wouldn’t recognize our country as it is now and I’m not sure they would be entirely sold on the ideals (or lack thereof) that we seem to fight wars for these days. They were a part of the Greatest Generation—they were a part of fighting the "good war" in ending Hitler's reign. My mother and father were both “war heroes” in the battle for the ever-elusive American dream. I don't think it's because of them though that we're in the shape we're in as a country. I think our overall values have been maligned since then by corporate greed and a lack of respect for Mother Nature.

Enlarge image to a legible size by clicking on it twice.

THESE ORNAMENTS are symbols of my parents. The bluebird represents my father because of his sparkly blue eyes and the pink butterfly represents my mother because it was her favorite color. Of course both of these ornaments also represent in them everything winged creatures do, as noted in the first paragraph of this post. I bought four of each, one set for myself and the others for each my three siblings as Christmas gifts in 2007. This was two years after my parents had died. I designed a card (shown at right) to fit in the bottom of the box made for keeping them.

REMEMBRANCE is the best way to bring them close now. But I also remember the simple gift of hope for living “the American dream” that was instilled in all of us. It seems in the world we live in today, that dream is becoming distorted for more and more people as the classes divide disproportionately, leaving the middle class, of which we were a part of struggling to just get by. There's no room for dreams within that scenario. But I'll remember what my parents represented and keep plugging along. That dream was simply goodness and learning to fly.

  

WINGED FLIGHT | (Top): These glittery ornaments were both from the 2007 holiday collection at Z. Gallerie and were Christmas gifts to my siblings representing my parents. Blue was the color of my father's eyes and pink was definitely my mother's signature color. Flight was something they acquainted all of us with, even in spirit.

WINGED VICTORY | (Above): I remember seeing this several years ago when in Washington D.C. and being overwhelmed with its beauty. One of the most beautiful and symbolic memorials to the Greatest Generation, four American eagles hold a suspended laurel wreath in the Baldacchino sculpture that is only one part of the beautiful National WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. The memorial is classically-designed as it should be for the era. It was only opened to the public on April 29, 2004. Photo by Richard Latof. 

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Collecting and styling by Darryl Moland,
Photo of the WWII memorial by Richard Latof, 
sculpture by Baldacchino.

CatMan Tree

Last night I saw the CatMan Tree had bloomed again. In itsbranches were nestledcats of every type and color. I watched in awed silence as the CatMan gently placed his children upon the earth in a tribute he makes the night of May 5th only once every fifty years.

—Odette Colón

IT'S NOT OFTEN (maybe once every 50 years)—like today on my 50th birthday—that you feel like a kid all over again. It's also not often you're immortalized in a fairytale. The beautiful card my children's book illustrator friend Odette designed for my birthday is shown in the photo, replete with a tall tale and original artwork! My birthday so far has been amazing. It started a couple of days ago at work (since I'm taking today through the weekend off—deservedly so!). My coworkers threw me an incredible party this past Wednesday at work with a big cake and lots of food and gave me a gift card for an iPad! So I'll be able to blog from anywhere now! I can't thank them enough—I certainly feel the love!

I LOOK FORWARD to an impromptu dinner tonight with a small group composed of a friend, a relative and my new love at a restaurant called Top Flr here in Atlanta. Tomorrow night it's a Kylie Minogue concert with Jon and and a friend. 

My good friend Peggy Dana modified
Princess Beatrice's fascinator with the
addition of the number 5 for the
best (virtual) birthday hat ever! 
(That's me on my 49th birthday).

AGE IS ONLY a number (I'll keep telling myself that). Fifty is the new forty, right? All I know is that even though my life hasn't been a fairytale, I've been pretty damn fortunate to see the things I've seen, to live the way I have, and to continue to live, grow and learn. My friends and my family have been there for me to help make it all possible. It's not what you have, but how much you are loved. That is all you can take with you when it's time to move to the next realm of existence. 

I KNOW—my mother told me (without speaking) when I was holding her hand at her death in 2005 (and in one experience shortly after) that life goes on—and it is beautiful and full of love. It's all about how you look at it and how wide you open your eyes to receive all the secrets of the universe.

ON THIS upcoming mother's day, I send all my wishes and love to my mother (the roses in the photo above are from her rose bush I carry with me wherever I go—and it is blooming profusely this year!). I thank her (and my father) for my life every day. They taught me how to love—and truly, that is the best gift anyone can give. And you know what? You'll find that while you're being taught, you're actually teaching. My mother told me so. 

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Collecting and styling by Darryl Moland
CatMan Tree illustration by Odette Colón
Fifty Fascinator Photoshopped by Peggy Dana 

trees in the abbey

WHEN SEEING the "avenue of trees" in Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton this past Friday morning, I smiled about the significance of this in signaling a new era. I also immediately thought of the influence of The Prince of Wales' book I read recently entitled Harmony with the subtitle, A New Way of Looking at Our World, may have had on the wedding. Prince Charles's book is a scholarly work that fuses the disciplines of sacred geometry in architecture with science and technology of today within every realm of our lives, in which he makes a very conclusive call-to-action: "We stand at an historic moment, we face a future where there is a real prospect that if we fail the earth, we fail humanity. To avoid such an outcome, which will comprehensively destroy our children's future or even our own, we must make choices now that carry monumental implications." From the inside flap of the book jacket: "The book examines how mankind has abandoned its ancient balance with Nature and how rediscovering that balance is the key to solving our most devastating environmental issues." It goes on to say, " Harmony exposes the patterns of the natural world, which for centuries were woven into the fabric of human life, have been lost in the modern age." 

PRINCE CHARLES delves deeply, forcefully—dare I say bravely—into these inter-connected subjects and has created a most thoughtful clarion call for humanity to change back to a more sustainable and regenerative way of living. He suggests that it isn't impossible—but in fact, imperative—to get back to a more natural way of living, from the spaces we build to live and work to the ways we grow and farm our food.

Photograph ©Reuters/Sang Tan

IN KEEPING with this mode of thinking, according to a UK Press Association article, Florist Shane Connolly, the artistic director of flowers for the royal wedding, said he chose the trees to reflect the "medieval ethos" of Westminster Abbey. "These wonderful curved ceilings are supposed to reflect the branches of trees and that was when I thought of having trees in the abbey," he said. I have to wonder if he had also read Charles's book. The Gothic ribbed vaulting of the church certainly echoes the limbs of a tree canopy, although at a much grander scale than the trees, which form a canopy at a more pedestrian level.

Photograph ©Murray Sanders

FOR THE WEDDING, the aisle of Westminster Abbey leading to the altar was lined with six English field maples  (Acer campestre) and two Hornbeam trees  (Carpinus betulus) which were all around 20-25 feet tall. The trees were the most breathtakingly prominent feature of the floral displays focused on growing, rather than cut plants.

As for the significance of these particular types of trees, the English field maple (the only maple native to Britain) symbolizes humility and reserve (and was used to make loving cups in medieval times). And the hornbeam signifies strength and resilience because its wood is very hard and durable. 

Henry VII vault detail (westminster-abbey.org)

THE SEASONAL flowers shrubs and trees in hues of green and white for the wedding decor were mainly sourced from royal estates. It was suggested by the bride-to-be that it had to be British, seasonal and as organic and sustainable as possible. The plan for the trees after being on display in the church for the public until May 6th is for them to be planted at Highgrove, Charles's residence in western England. Other plants and such were to be donated to charity and planted elsewhere.

THE ROYAL FAMILY has been much-derided for the the lives they lead, but they are all in a singularly unique position to be ambassadors for a better world. Their lives, although cushioned with the riches that come with royalty, are not their own really. They live under extreme public scrutiny and really have no power except for the freedom to be somewhat unencumbered from politics-as-usual simply because of their standing as a royal family. I think this is what allowed Charles a strongly pro-earth perspective for the aforementioned book. In the book, he didn't mince words when outlining what needs to change.

IT WAS REFRESHING to see the simple beauty of trees magically forming an intimate human-sized canopy in Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding. I wish Prince William and his newly titled Duchess of Cambridge all the best in becoming shining examples of humility and honor in their richly decorated lives. Their beautiful and understated wedding (as these affairs go when the whole world is watching) has certainly given a strong signal that this might very well be the case.

CROWN JEWELS | (Top) These crown and cross ornaments have been a part of my collection for a number of years—so-long so, I don't recall where I purchased them. The crown, much unlike the real crown jewels, is made of pressed tin and accented with a faux pearl at the top. The Celtic cross ornament is quite royally embellished with colored glass stones and metallic zari thread. The ornaments are flanked with what I believe to be hornbeam and maple leaves (not of the provenance used in the wedding), but nevertheless to represent the trees that so breathtakingly lined the aisle of the abbey. 

TREES INSIDE | (2nd and 3rd from top) Workmen carry one of the English field maples into Westminster Abbey in preparation for the wedding. The photograph is copyrighted by REUTERS/photographed by Sang Tan. The vaulted ceiling in part of the abbey is quite reflective of the canopy of trees (photo from westminster-abbey.org). 

PRETTY PROCESSION | (4th from top) Kate Middleton and her father proceed through the "Avenue of Trees" placed inside Westminster Abbey for the ceremony, followed by her Maid of Honor (her sister Pippa Middleton) and the rest of the wedding party. The photo is copyrighted by Murray Sanders.

OAK CROWN | (Above, bottom) This oak wreath ornament is part of the "Illusions of Grandeur" collection by Wendy Addison for Seasons of Canon Falls/Midwest CBK is contrasted with real oak leaves. Kate Middleton's diamond tiara for the wedding was quite understated (for a royal tiara). The 1936 Cartier "halo" tiara was purchased by The Duke of York (King George VI) for his Duchess (The Queen Mother). Queen Elizabeth received the tiara from her mother on her 18th birthday. The earrings Kate wore were a gift from the Middleton family and made to match the tiara, who's new coat-of-arms includes acorns and oak leaves.

TREE SETUP | (Below): A video of the trees and other plants being delivered.

 

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

Collecting and styling by Darryl Moland

Wedding photographs are ©Rueters/Sang Tan (tree in the doorway) 

and ©Murray Sanders (avenue of trees procession)