Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Art of the Quotidien

Part of my ethos in creating "A Bloomsbury Life" is to find artfulness in the everyday. Some of the most memorable images to me aren't expensive bibelots, million dollar vistas or posed groupings, but the humble details and spontaneous moments of daily life.  There can be beauty and meaning in everything.

Here are a few personal favorites:

A front hall littered with muddy wellies and cast-off clothing from a country walk...

Two tea towels hanging exhaustedly on an Aga after a vigorous Sunday washing up...

An impromptu dinner on a homemade blanket...

A jubilant pot of mussels in Brussels...
A friend who's not afraid to wear a tea cozy on her head...
Lovingly folded washcloths in a orphanage in Tibet...

An approaching train and the sudden exodus of pigeons overhead...
A hedge with well-rounded aspirations of grandeur...

My son's ever-expanding catalogue of monsters...

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10 comments:

  1. Bart BoehlertFebruary 11, 2009 at 7:53 PM

    Great pictures, wonderful thought -- "Beauty's where you find it" said our philosopher Madonna!

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  2. Melinda BrowningFebruary 11, 2009 at 8:29 PM

    Great photos, Lisa! A good reminder to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, and that the banality of everyday life is actually far from it. Cheers!! Love your blog.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2009 at 11:01 PM

    Those everyday wonders......

    ...Happiness is the skill of reacting to the offerings of life by perception and by enjoyment.
    It's achieved by both giving and receiving, reaping and bestowing. It's being able to feast on harmony as well as food, on ideas as well as bread. (Jim Rohn)

    Thanks for sharing!! xx

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  4. Mr. PeacockFebruary 12, 2009 at 12:33 AM

    Wonderful!
    The train photo is fantastic and
    your son's monsters would make
    such beautiful embroideries.

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  5. pve designFebruary 12, 2009 at 5:59 AM

    "To look, really look out upon the world as it is framed in the window of a moving vehicle is to become a child again."
    - Anonymous

    good to know I am not alone in this quest of living an artful life. you took my breath away and at the same time, you gave me oxygen. ah.
    pve

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  6. rony @ catbirdFebruary 12, 2009 at 6:20 AM

    I love this post. Beautiful photos. I must admit your "spontaneous moments of daily life" somehow seem slightly...glamorous.

    (Your blog is wonderful. All day yesterday I was musing about Dickens and his emails.)

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  7. Style CourtFebruary 12, 2009 at 6:28 AM

    Magical post Lisa.

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  8. LauraFebruary 12, 2009 at 6:47 AM

    I love the washcloths...probably wouldn't get it if I didn't know where they were hanging, but since I do I find that to be an incredibly touching photo. I'm the hugest fan of mussels as well! This is my current favorite preparation...

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  9. TriciaFebruary 12, 2009 at 2:00 PM

    I lurve that not-so-ordinary barley-leg table!

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  10. VP birdinatorFebruary 13, 2009 at 4:38 PM

    You are a terrific photographer (and observer). Are you trained? I would love to take pictures of my family and friends like this. What tools do you use?

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