Artist Spotlight: Galen Rowell

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Prior to his death in 2002, photographer Galen Rowell spent his life exploring nature and attempting to capture the beauty of some of earth's most unforgiving peaks. I first learned about Rowell reading Three Cups of Tea - the true story of a mountain climber who builds a school in a small, impoverished village in Pakistan (I highly recommend the book) - and his photos of the famed K2 helped bring the story to life for me. I quickly discovered that his photography of national parks here in the US is also incredibly stunning and have me ready to plan a wilderness escape myself (well... as soon as things warm up anyways).

Much of Rowell's work embodies a sense of transcendence - there's something quite ethereal about it - which he addressed when he said, "If we limit our vision to the real world, we will forever be fighting on the minus side of things, working only to make our photographs equal to what we see out there, but no better". What a beautiful thought and one that speaks volumes outside of photography too.

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Sewing Room Inspiration

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This past weekend I was in North Carolina for my sister-in-law's baby shower. The party - held at her parent's house - was wonderful, and we even had the chance to visit her mother's "secret room".

Intrigued? We were too. What is the secret room? No, she's not planning for the apocalypse (although it wouldn't be a bad place to get stuck!). The secret room is a crafters dream. It's the spacious, heated second floor to their garage filled with fabric, sewing machines, an enormous quilting machine, partly constructed projects, and spools of thread galore. It even has a fridge, microwave, trundle bed, and bathroom complete with a shower! You'd literally never have to leave!

Since I'm learning to sew myself, I've been dreaming up my perfect secret room... with the help of a little google image searching.

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Artist Spotlight: Martin Amm

Photo by Martin Amm

If you could not tell from my previous posts, I love animal art and animal photography. So when I stumbled upon the insect close-up portfolio of Martin Amm, I knew I'd found my kind of photog. Originally from Kronach, Germany, Amm also has some stunning landscape work - those shown here are from Sweden. There isn't too much info about this young artist online, but you can check out a wider range of his work here, which is where all of these photos are found.

Photo by Martin Amm

Photo by Martin Amm

Photo by Martin Amm

Photo by Martin Amm

Photo by Martin Amm

Design Inspiration: Bookshelves

Bookshelves and cases are not only the perfect places to house your most prized literary classics (or guilty pleasure gossip rags and romance novels, we won’t judge) but when used strategically they can be ideal design inspiration for your home. A carefully placed bookshelf can stand on it’s own as a focal point and conversation piece. Depending on the space you’re working with, bookshelves can serve to break-up the space and even create a room within a room. They’re a quick way to make any room a bit cozier too, adding visual elements of depth and color. Not sure how to incorporate these hardcover holders into your place? Check out these read-ready rooms.

A definite focal piece from Home Interior Designs.

An industrial twist from Furniture Fashion.

Read the rainbow! Found on Freshome.

A luxurious look, easily hidden, found here.

Floating bookshelves from Ikea found here.

A warm reading corner from BHG.

A modern option from Toxel.

Not So Lazy Sunday

Today's more of a hit the ground running Sunday. No time to post, but a photo for good measure.

Artist Spotlight: Steve McCurry

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Steve McCurry may be most well known for a photo of an Afghan girl which graced the cover of National Geographic in 1985, but this photo journalist boasts work from all over the world which is just as stunning as the picture above. McCurry's photos are so rich and intimate that they invite the viewer to think they have discovered this unique moment in time themselves. The color and life he captures make his works especially unique, and they have a way of making me feel more connected to people living such different lives, so far away. You can see much more from McCurry at his website here. Enjoy!

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com

Photo by Steve McCurry via stevemccurry.com