hearts on fire

WHEN YOU'RE in love, Valentine's Day is a sacred event. Saints, sinners and symbolism unite under the umbrella of unconditional love. If you're thinking rationally, love is bound by the heartstrings that give life ritual meaning at least, and a fullness of purpose at most. You could metaphorically call it the difference between a kiss and a rose—a kiss being just a kiss and a rose being imbued with a full cycle of meaning and symbolism.

SAINT VALENTINE, who the holiday is named after, is recognized by the Catholic Church, but through three different entities. One legend has it that Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who performed secret weddings even after the emperor had outlawed marriage for young men, reasoning that single men made better soldiers (an interesting piece of history in light of  today's "don't ask, don't tell" political climate).

ANOTHER LEGEND has it that St. Valentine was martyred for helping Christians escape Roman prisons. The most common legend holds that St. Valentine is in the reverse role (in prison), where he falls in love with his jailor's daughter, writing her a letter on the eve of his execution which signed with the now famous phrase "From Your Valentine."

SOME SUGGEST the holiday can be traced back to Chaucer in the 14th century (old English) writing about the season that birds choose their mates. These lines were part of a poem written by Chaucer to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia:  

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

When every byrd cometh there to chese his make.

THIS SANTOS cage doll (above) is dressed for the occasion of unconditional love and holds a small sacred heart Ex-Voto locket. An altar to any saint of your choosing, the empty conical shape of her skirt (or cage), becomes personally meaningful with the addition of your own artifacts and anything else deemed symbolic. An anthropological treasure trove abounds within the world of saints. I've chosen antique heart ornaments and sacred heart Ex-Voto locket ornaments to celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, along with berried cedar branches and a trailing rose branch which last summer, circled in on itself in the top of a planter forming a crown of thorns in my container garden. Could that naturally-formed crown of thorns be a firm reminder that love is as much about the warm fuzzy feelings you get inside as it is the prickly affair of forgiveness?

I DON'T MEAN forgiveness in the conditional/traditional sense. If you were to choose the jailed Roman martyr, St. Valentine mentioned above, his story goes that he was personally interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius tried to get St. Valentine to convert to Roman paganism in 0rder to save his life. But Valentine conversely tried to convert the Emperor to Christianity to which Claudius threw him in a Roman prison to wait his fate. Valentine's jailor had a blind daughter to which he wrote the famed "From Your Valentine" letter. Legend has it that her sight was restored through St. Valentine's loving intercessionary prayer.

LOST IN THE STORY, St. Valentine chose a far more loving and compelling path of compassion and unconditional forgiveness for his jailor's daughter. This stands in stark contrast to the premise that forgiveness is conditional as it is in the Catholic practice of confession. Other protestant traditions carry the same precept without the benefit of an intermediary priest. In most protestant religious traditions, the granting of forgiveness is conditional on the offender's remorse and pleas for pardon.

ST. VALENTINE'S  lesson is clear when you are presented with this: Divine love and forgiveness are unconditional. That's the lesson exemplified in all the lives of the saints. This Valentine's day, I invite you to take your own spiritual journey to that place within your own hearts. It is rarely achieved by mere mortals, but going down this liberating road to unconditional love and forgiveness is something to celebrate. Even so, all most of us can muster in achieving this most noble goal is to begin the journey in the right direction.

SACRED HEARTS | (Top) This collection of metal sacred heart ornaments are from several sources. The three flat embossed metal ornaments are from the 2011 winter season's Wisteria catalog. The rhinestone-studded sacred heart ornament at the bottom left of the photo is from Pottery Barn. The large copper-finished Flaming Heart Ex-Voto Cachette ornament is from Eleanor Brown Boutique. The small golden Ex-Voto ornaments are from SantosCageDoll.com. 

SACRED CAGE | (Above photos) This reproduction Santos Cage Doll was found at Tuesday Morning. It sits atop a crepe paper rose wreath. Ex-Voto ornaments are listed above and from Eleanor Brown Boutique and SantosCageDoll.com. Her crown was purchased through eBay. Two unusually-colored antique mercury glass hobnail heart ornaments are from my personal collection.

NEO GOTHIC | (Above) "Arcadian Gothic" artist Mark Ryden's paintings are layered with references ranging from Renaissance landscape and Neoclassical portraiture to pop-culture kitsch. For tree lovers like me, Ryden's "The Tree Show" series of art (of which the above example is not a part of) is reproduced alongside his meticulous research on the tree as myth. This book is available on Amazon.com here and a Special Edition Exhibition Book is available at Porterhouse Fine Art Editions, Inc. See the links to the book in the left-hand column of this blog also. His paintings are fascinating modern cultural mash up which are painted with classical methods.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

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 

easter tableau

EASTER has always been associated with sweet spring pastel confections. I wanted to create a somewhat non-traditional scene that evoked that sweet memory of Easter. When I was a kid, I liked nothing better than waking up to a cellophane-wrapped Easter basket filled with all sorts of candy and toys. There's something about peering through cellophane that is much like peering into the window of a candy store. No wonder so many foods are packaged this way.

THIS YEAR'S TREE started by making crushed velvet bird ornaments with my friend Devin and took several last-minute turns to become an entire table-scape—including the crepe paper garland-wrapped trees that look for-all-the-world like fancy cakes swarmed with butterflies, dragonflies and whirlygig flowers—all trimmed with pastel-colored "candy" eggs. The place settings were pieced together from the random collection of china and tableware I have collected over the years. Strict formality is not my style, but I do like a pleasing palette along with whimsical touches such as cups with egg-shaped saucers and a "chicken foot" egg cup.

SPRING DAYS are longer and the sun is brighter making the pastel riot of flowers like roses, azaleas and tulips all-the-more appealing. All sorts of flowering trees reintroduce themselves each spring all over again. Here in the American South, the early arrival of spring has been especially vibrant because the nights have stayed somewhat cool and there has been plenty of rain along with the sunshine. The pale pink roses seen floating in glass orbs are from the a pale pink climbing rose my mother had in her yard. I took countless spring bouquets of flowers to her from this bush—the only plant I have transplanted from my childhood home. It has grown quite large as a potted rose and promises dozens of blushing-pink blooms this year.

THE SACCHARINE SWEET sanctity of the season is a celebration of spring's fertility and rebirth no matter whether it represents a resurrection or just a new beginning. It's all good when the days are warm and there is new life in evidence everywhere. Please pass me the marzipan eggs—I'll certainly toast to that!

CONICAL CONFECTIONS | (Top) I wrapped this trinity of paperboard cones with crepe paper garland from the former Backporch Friends (Cody Foster and Co.) with hot-glued wooden butterflies, dragonflies and whirlygig flowers attached to them (butterflies and dragonflies from the defunct Martha Stewart Catalog, flowers from a local antique store). I trimmed them with glittered pastel styrofoam eggs pulled from a small wreath sold this season at Target. The trees were inspired by my online stylist friend Elizabeth Demos and her use of crepe paper garland here. The three glass orbs are a past purchase from Pottery Barn and are filled with the pale pink roses snipped from my mother's old-fashioned climbing rose bush I have transplanted to Atlanta from my childhood home.

SWEET TABLEAU | (2nd from top) Using his stainless steel table, this tableau was photographed at Devin's condominium in Atlanta. Everything looked great against the mottled gray neutral of the concrete walls. The teal fiberglass school chairs were found at a thrift store in Birmingham, Alabama many years ago. The "chicken foot" egg cup is from  BIA Cordon Bleu, Inc. in Galt, California and available here. Read "Place at the Table" below for more descriptions.

BLUE VELVET | (3rd from top) These birds were made from the velvet bird kit from the defunct Martha Stewart catalog by using rubber stamps and an iron to emboss velvet backed by interfacing and gluing two sides together. Sewing a seed bead on for the eye was the finishing touch. Some scraps of robin's-egg-blue velvet were used aside from the colors that came with the kit.

PLACE AT THE TABLE | (4th from top) The place setting consisted of a charger by Isaac Mizrahi for Target, a dinner plate in the "Sculpted" pattern by Calvin Klein, egg-shaped saucers and cups with an exterior matte glaze from the Nigella Lawson collection. The ceramic tea pot/cup was designed by Michael Graves for Target. The gold and teal-striped glasses are vintage items found at an antique store. The cake pedestal and is Martha Stewart Collection at Macys. Candleholders are Martha Stewart Everyday from Kmart. Flatware is casually placed in these photos and the pattern is "Treble Clef" by Gourmet Settings.The curled unfinished handle ends resemble the unfurling frond of a fiddlehead fern has always been one of my favorite stainless patterns because of it's handmade appeal.

SWEET ENDING | (Above, bottom and left) Marzipan Easter eggs are from Biermann Marzipan in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Pastel shot glasses are from Devin's private collection. The beautiful antique Westmoreland "robin on nest" candy dish is a cherished gift from my friend Julia Carpenter from her mother's collection.

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
Collecting and styling by Darryl Moland

month of roses

How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart

And give to this world

All its
Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being,

Otherwise,
We all remain

Too

Frightened.

                       —Hafiz

THIS  BLOG has essentially always been my version of "stopping to smell the roses"—if not literally, then certainly metaphorically. In this, it was always my intent to figure out a way combine my life with my work while finding a place to express cherished memories and new thoughts about what's going on around me. That in itself may bore some people, so I try to create compelling images to pull people closer, and stop them for a moment to contemplate the simple beauty of life. If that makes them stay a little while and explore the senses in celebrating the natural world, then I've achieved my mission.

THOSE  THAT  take the time to read a bit further, to stay a little longer, I hope, are rewarded with something they can relate back to their own lives—essentially by "stopping to smell the roses." As the line under the banner says: "There’s no better celebration of any season than the decorated tree adorned with the rich symbolism of nature. This is my ritual to inform and inspire you in the journey called life." 

JUNE  IS  the month of roses. In bloom everywhere, the rose is the birth flower for the month. Whether given or received, roses symbolize joy, love and affection. And depending on the color, they can evoke a particular sentiment and a variety of meanings.

PROBABLY  the most beloved, and certainly one of most beautiful of flowers, the rose has a resonant and meaningful life, dating back to before human history, with fossil evidence 35 million years old. I think a flower that has lived through the ages would contain a certain wisdom, even if it's only related by a simple unfolding beauty and sweet scent. There's certainly a complexity in what it has represented through the ages.

THE  ROSE  is the symbol of love, first and foremost.

AND  TODAY  is the start of a long hot summer.

ROSE ORNAMENTS | (Both photos) My collection of glass rose ornaments is becoming a touchstone for all in my life that I've loved and lost. Of course it's better than to have never loved at all. All you need to do is take the time to stop and breathe in a memory.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland 

white wedding

WHO  KNEW?  Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress. That in itself may not seem like news at all, but since she's widely credited with starting the tradition, it's a revelation. It followed that Victorian era elites, rapturously reading and writing the etiquette books of the day, took Victoria's lead and embellished it with the "connotation of innocence and sexual purity." 

FAST  FORWARD to over a century later and the Billy Idol song "White Wedding" served to heighten the fantasy of a virgin bride. Some say that he wrote the song to express his displeasure with his sister's fiancé impregnating her before marrying her. It was a nice day (meaning the '80s) for a white wedding, because it was one of Idol's most successful songs.

VICTORIA and husband/cousin Albert are also subsequently credited for popularizing the modern Christmas tree. Either alone is a testament to the great effect these kissing cousins had on modern culture. She was the longest-ruling monarch of Great Britain (64 years!), during a time of economic and imperial expansion (Albert died early in 1861). Victoria gave her name to the Victorian Era, but she was also nicknamed the "grandmother of Europe" since the fruitful couple had four sons and five daughters to keep the royal lineage going for decades to come (42 grandchildren).

“Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in gray, you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen. Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.”

—From The History of the White Wedding Dress by Kelsey McIntyre

IN  ANY  CASE, weddings are steeped in tradition, rituals and superstition all-at-once. A bridal set of ornaments is an elegant gift that brings the seasons all together in one set, whether used only around Christmas or separately throughout the year, or both. A wedding in June—is surprisingly only the second most popular month for weddings—even with the "June bride" being part of the cultural dialog. June falls just below September in wedding month popularity (according to the Knot). Victoria and Albert's wedding date was February 10, 1840, so the June bride didn't start there (that may go back to Roman times). In true Victoria (not Victorian) form, it seems like the only tradition today is to break with tradition, making your wedding unique—a reflection of your own personal style. Maybe, also, one day it won't be so unique for gay people to legally marry in this country and it will be passed into law, for better or worse. I doubt if it will interfere with the sanctity of marriage. And it certainly is better than marrying your cousin. Being a gay man from Alabama, I can say that with hope and conviction, having been in two long-term, live-together relationships, nine and six years respectively, both with whom I still maintain good friendships.

ACCORDING  TO  German tradition, a set of  bride's tree ornaments (all photos this post) are twelve symbols of a happy home—a nice gift to wish the newlywed couple success in marriage and life. Follow the numbers to find the meaning, ritual or superstition behind each:

1) BIRD | symbol of joy and happiness
2) ANGEL | symbol of guidance
3) RABBIT | reflects hope and peace with nature
4) FRUIT BASKET | symbolizes generosity and plenty
5) HEART | symbol of true love
6) PINE CONE | represents motherhood and fruitfulness
7) FLOWER BASKET | symbolizes good wishes or beauty in the home 
8) ROSE | symbol of affection  
9) HOUSE | represents protection or shelter
10) FISH | represents fertility and faith
11) TEAPOT | represents hospitality
12) SANTA | is a symbol of goodwill, giving and sharing

WRAPPING an heirloom such as this set of ornaments warrants a reusable box with protective squares of archival tissue. I've added squares of wide shimmery organza ribbon as an accent. The bride's ornament set can be found in pre-packaged gift-boxed sets, but since this set was found individually, an ornament box was necessary to contain it. This starter set of holiday ornaments can be used together at Christmas or individually, according to the season. Small inexpensive honeycomb wedding bells are a nice topper to the gift instead of a traditional bow (they can also be positioned half-opened, taped to the top of the wrapped box).

WEDDING TABLEAU | (Top) This unusually neutral white and silver bride's tree set was found individually a few seasons ago at Star Provisions in Atlanta. I had to replace the original house ornament which was broken with a similar one from the grand daddy of the German glassblowing tradition, Krebs Lauscha. (Center) I've numbered the set of ornaments to correspond with the list of their meanings. (Bottom) If found individually, it's a nice gesture to archive the ornaments for gift-giving and keeping. The linen napkin with beautiful silver-threaded stitching is by Thomas O'brien, from his Vintage Modern line for Target in 2005. The paper daisies were found at Michaels and the honeycomb wedding bells are from Martha Stewart Crafts.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

flowers for my mother

THE PINK ROSE has become a supernatural symbol of my mother since her death. I dug up my mother's favorite pale pink rosebush from my childhood yard before my siblings and I sold their house a few years ago. Planted in a large container now, it has bloomed only on mother's day and my birthday—literally, the first blossoms opened on those particular days in the last couple of years. Whatever blooms were set in bud those days were the only ones of the season. In another unexpected instance, eight unusual pink paper roses arrived unexplained in a small box within a larger box of other items I had mail-ordered. I distributed those eight paper roses between my siblings as a posthumous gift from my mother. I didn't dare inquire why, but I had a sense that my mother has something to do with those roses being packed in the box.

I TOOK a colorful vase of homegrown roses from my mother's hospital room that my parent's neighbor, Jo Aultman, had brought to her during her last days. I left the hospital after mother died and drove the short trip home—the place where I had grown up. I looked at the roses and the air became electric. It felt as though I was seeing the life energy of those roses vibrate in front of me. I felt this incredible energy enter through the top of my head and travel throughout my body, all the way to my toes. If this is what Nirvana feels like, I felt it. I had an incredible sense of giddy happiness and a sudden inexplicable peace wash over me. It was as if, once she had realized she had passed on, she wanted to touch me one last time—even though I was holding her hand at her bedside when she died.

I KNEW it was my mother's spirit. Nobody can tell me any differently. In talking to my brother Mal later, he had a similar experience. That confirmed it. I wasn't loosing my mind in grief. I knew my mother was free of her failed earthly body and in a happier, more peaceful place. I knew that everything would be alright. Beyond that, this experience was a coded knowledge—something was there that I still can't explain. I've held that feeling with me in low times. It must have been a taste of the freedom one's soul feels after death—a confirmation that our souls have a life beyond our physical selves. What a gift! 

I BROUGHT mother roses from that bush innumerable times when I was a child. She brings roses to me now as an adult. That pale pink rose is a symbol that she is gone, but has become more than that. An excerpt from "Calling All Angels," a song played at mother's funeral in July 2005 (that I had played for her after my father died) says it as only poetry can:  

. . . and every day you gaze upon the sunset
with such love and intensity why it’s...it’s almost as if
if you could only crack the code
then you’d finally understand what this all means 

but if you could...do you think you would
trade it in all the pain and suffering?
ah, but then you’d miss
the beauty of the light upon this earth
and the sweetness of the leaving . . .
                                                        —Jane Siberry

THIS LAST DAY of summer, I give my mother flowers once again, this time for all to see. This is a medium of light and energy, after all. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. She and my father gave me a life that continues to blossom. They are the bedrock my roots hold onto and draw nourishment from. As hard as it is sometimes to keep my head up, all I have to do is remember them and I bloom with the palest, most pure intent. They are still shining beacons of hope to me. And hope does die last.

SUMMER'S END | This collecton of mercury glass flower ornaments (above, top) spill from a pink container next to a preserved rose wreath I gave my mother for mother's day a couple of years before she died. The pink roses are German-made ornaments, the orchids and pansy ornaments are made Poland—all of which are from Martha Stewart's now defunct Martha by Mail catalog. The three amaryllis blossoms were bought at Kmart a few years back and were purchased from the Martha Stewart Everyday Christmas Luster collection. The yellow trumpet flower clip ornaments are painted glass made in Poland and were found at Saks Fifth Avenue in Phipps Plaza, Atlanta. 


FLYING HOME | The aforementioned paper roses (above, left) that arrived inexplicably in the mail after my mother's death. Two birdhouses are tiny ornamental representations of the homes of free spirits. Birds, of course, can build their own homes, but are practical enough to feather their nests in whatever shelter they find.

LOVEBIRDS | My parents, Hubert and Virginia Moland (right), in a giddy moment early in their long life together. Photographer unknown.

©2009 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland