Vernalis

Posted on April 8, 2013 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

Spring has arrived. All that lay dormant is coming to life again, and though I love grey as a color itself, I am so happy to see the fresh tones of spring come alive too.

This year I seem to be drawn to the citrusy tones of an easter palette…soft yellows, lively oranges, sharp fresh greens mixed with robins egg blue all come to mind.

My most recent painting was inspired by the the levity of winter weather lifting, heralded by abundant blossoms on the cherry trees and glorious magnolias our beautiful city is gifted with. Soft golden diffused light began seeping in, bringing warmth to everything that seemed cast underneath a cover of clouds for months. It is titled Vernalis as an homage to this vernal season.

Interestingly, others see an orchid in my painting. I was not my intent though I have been surrounding myself lately with pretty pastel tinted orchids. I can see now their bouncy lyrical forms dancing on my canvas.

We had an early start to spring in our fair city on coinciding with a rare March easter weekend. Tea was enjoyed outside with my sister, our friends children scampered for treats at easter egg hunts and the birds were all a flutter in the blossoming trees. Everyone seemed to get outside and take in the gift of sunshine.

I was given some precious little fragrant violets from an old fellows garden and so enjoyed planting them into pots on my patio. I love to get my hands into the earth and the first planting is always so exciting. It reminds that there is a season to all things. All the first surprise bulbs push through the ground I am delighted and amazed by the resiliency of nature ~ and so too am restored and inspired to continue on my path of cultivating beauty and creativity wherever, however I can.

All photographs copyright Heather Ross 2103

natural eclectic ‘festive’

Posted on December 23, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

I love decorating for the holidays in a understated way, mixing sentimental old nostalgic treasures with natural elements. Some of my most cherished treasures are so simple, perhaps a little faded, not quite perfect, yet bring such joy when I behold them. They bring up the childhood memories, they speak to innocence, have a quaintness to them that I just adore. They seem to hold a resonance for all the hopes of holidays past and dreams of special moments still to be created…

I love the ooh ahh feeling of opening up papery boxes to reveal precious gems from seasons past. Vintage mercury glass ornaments are my absolute favorite and I have collected them for many years. I love their fragile delicate patina and their charming shapes.

Years ago one fall I was untwining an old vine that had clung to an arbor. I wound it off round and round my arm with the intention of tossing it with my garden clippings. Yet without intention, I had created a perfect delicate wreath!

So a few month later I tied some wide satin vintage ribbon at the top, and with a few gentle little hand stitches attached an old mercury glass ornament to the ribbon so that it was perfectly framed by the vine. The whole thing is featherlight, and I can secure to a door with just a pushpin!

Of course I am inspired by nature so love to bring in natural elements foraged from my own back yard, old berry branches, boughs, cones that have fallen on our patio.

I’ve always preferred just pure white or green florals in any setting, they are just so elegant. Fragrant greenery like flat seeded eucalyptus is lovely for the holidays and paper white narcissus are a favorite of mine. Each year I hope to force some bulbs in advance but never seem to do it in time so end up picking some potted ones. This year I have them displayed in simple burlap covered vases. White flowers, candlelight & the heady perfume of flowers set such a soothing tone any time of the year.

forest floor ornments heather roo

Ornaments of natural forms are so fitting for a tree too, though many years we have not had a tree at all and I have just displayed them in bowls or on branches, which is great for a small space. As you can see I even use birds nests & natural sea forms as containers for my treasures.

Soft homespun materials like wool felt are so inviting for the winter season. I love these wool felt spheres I found for my shop this year, they are in my favorite ethereal palette of blues and greens.

Antlers are such a wonderful natural form too, I search for ones that have naturally fallen from the deer in their seasonal shedding. with their undulating forms they are beautiful incorporated into a vignette any time of the year but especially fitting around the holidays.

When I say search for them most times I pick them up from antique dealers and collectors, but my dream would be to find some naturally fallen on a forest floor! I mix them with silvery mercury glass & hand crocheted garlands for that eclectic look I love of earthy mixed with a bit of metallic. I love their driftwood tones & each antler is like a unique sculpture.

Most importantly, wether you just light a candle, feast with friends, go all out with sparkle & lights for the holidays, it’s the feeling you create and the symbolic time you spend celebrating and connecting with whatever this season means to you and your loved ones that matters most.

I wish you all peace, joy, abundance, inspiration and love for the season and the new year ~ Heather

all images copyright Heather Ross 2012

autumnal textures

Posted on November 30, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

I’ve been meaning to write a post for so long! I’ve been immersed in life, work, getting ready for the holiday season in the shop, planning an upcoming move for a new boutique and doing a rebrand! On rare unscheduled days I’ve tried to connect with nature & get out in the world to restore myself, to find new treasures, to go harvesting, and to spend time with loved ones. My hands don’t feel like typing on a laptop ~ they are a little too tired from tying bows and snipping twine, folding, sorting, and lifting, scrubbing and shooting and placing and primping!

I’ve had a few wonderful day excursions with my sister Janet & my sweetheart Craig to historic Fort Langley. We were grateful to receive some bountiful earthly gifts from a lovely old farming fellow who lives remotely and grows all his own food. It was so exciting to see him pluck such glorious fruits from the ground and pass them into our hands. So I will just share some images from these days that show the best of the season so far…the autumnal glory, the wintry transition, and natural treasures found on lovely walks and leave the typing at that!

home { made }

Posted on October 22, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

This weekend we had the pleasure of staying at our friends home on the Sunshine Coast. We love the time we spend with artists Rob Studer and Beth Hawthorn at Roberts Creek.

Their home is a cool yet cozy convergence of rustic homestead meets groovy mid-century modern with homespun family projects on the go all the time.

What I love most about their place is that things are M A D E here. It feels alive. When I come here I want to cook with goods foraged from their garden, walk to their meadow to greet the welcoming deer, curl up with a book. Or pick up a ball of yarn and knit, relax and chat while I smell fresh bread dough rising.There is always compelling conversation and curiosity at play in this household.

Our city friends turned country folk have carved out a home and a life here that is in creative flux at all times. On their bucolic property they also built a majestically imposing glass studio built from salvaged saw mill materials. They are mindful of the footprint they are leaving on this land, and the legacy they are creating for their children.

Their children are encouraged to create and there is evidence of this all around. Scissors and glue, wool felt and wood, crayons and kraft paper. Both Leya and Marcel, much like their parents, enjoy working in many modes and mediums. Model making, felting, knitting, drawing, building.

Beehives, birds nests, bird skulls, and books abound. The home feels ‘engaged’.

Recently Marcel, just 6 years old, became fascinated with the making of primitive tools and with the help of his father crafted many beautiful hand made items using traditional methods. My partner, film maker Craig Anderl made this adorable video on the process.

While the home abounds with natural elements and texture, it also has minimal restraint, a graphic edge, a modern sensibility.

Rob works primarily in glass but also makes amazing installations with wood, metal, found objects. His work is greatly informed by his experiences with the natural environment. Beth works with ceramics, graphics and is also very hands on crafty with textiles. They have a company called This is it. We are grateful they open our home to us and allow us to get our fix of earth and sky and encounters with wild creatures. It in turn feeds our own creative process for when we return to the city.

All photos shot on location at the home of Rob & Beth by Heather Ross copy right 2012

Juxtaposition

Posted on October 14, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

I love the word juxtaposition. I like both how it sounds and what it means. The structure of the word itself is like a juxtaposition ~ ’juxta’ is kind of punchy and then ‘position’ rolls smoothly off the tongue. A whole chapter in my book will explore the theme of artfully juxtaposing objects and elements to create compelling groupings and vignettes.

In art design and music, the negative space of a composition is as important as the positive. As an editorial photographer I am always mindful of this, for graphics and words need a place to rest too. One needs to look at not just the forms, silhouettes, shapes etc of a grouping, but the spaces created between them. In Japanese this is called Ma.

If you imagine cutting a shape out of a piece of paper, you have the shape, but then you also have the rectangular sheet of paper left with the shape cut out…this is the Ma, the negative space. Ma is something to be experienced, like intervals in music. It is a pause for reflection, it is quiet space. For me, one of the most important aspects of striking the right note in the juxtaposition of things, is finding the Ma. I love to combine eclectic elements, rough with smooth, old with new, organic forms with linear etc. These combinations are tactile and intriguing.

But if just clumped together, grouped without a lyrical sense of vertical and horizontal direction, if not given room to breathe or if just placed all equidistant, the result can be boring, busy or confusing. With intuitive intent I push and pull and adjust my compositions until this perfect pause of space is formed.

This applies to my photographs and paintings as well. I want some tension, some areas that maybe even feel rough or slightly unbalanced, some areas that transition smoothly, gently, and then the magical space that invisibly holds it all together.

All styling & photos by Heather Ross

Foraging

Posted on August 28, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

One of my favorite things about summer is foraging. I always say it’s not summer unless I’ve swum in the ocean at least once and picked blackberries! It’s just so grounding to go down some trail or out into your own backyard & cull some fresh picked delights! I am fortunate enough to have community gardens one block from where I live. The gardens run along old abandoned railroad tracks and blackberry bushes thrive there.

Today was officially a ‘day off’ but started with meetings and that slightly tense feeling of just too much to get done. I was going to settle into some afternoon work on my patio but recognized a certain restlessness, a pull to get outside and unwind, take in the last days of warm sun. So I grabbed a container and meandered up the street { in sandals and a skirt, not exactly picking gear! } It was warm and sheltered, the grass was dry and golden, the air was sort of musty sweet and immediately I felt peaceful. I was grateful that I had known exactly what I needed, and took the time out for this simple satisfying pastime.

Picking requires, patience, persistence, perseverance. Not so different than antique picking actually! Looking for that firm yet ripe berry among the brambles is not unlike the hunt for a great find amongst rubble. Just yesterday I was out and about and got some great treasures. Most of them are still in my car though I can’t wait to go through them in detail as I bought them in such a flurry.

Here’s a peek at a few of the smaller items { including a great old Kodak darkroom clock and a sugar shaker from Montreal } tucked into a fabulous old weathered suitcase I found. I got a few old decorative doors that will be sanded down to show some of the glorious painted color underneath. Some of the finds will stay as is, but others will be converted for ‘added value’ so to speak. Same with the blackberries. I will stew them tonight into a warm sweet compote, sprinkle raw oats, brown sugar and some fresh grated nutmeg atop and eat them just like this.The raw oats soak up the hot juice and soften quickly, creating a simple lighter version of a blackberry crumble. Ah…these are the moments of summer to cherish.

process

Posted on August 19, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

I’m busy these days with so many projects, of a few of which I can’t share quite just yet but wish I could! Meanwhile I feel such an urgency to get going on the actual book The Natural Eclectic, in fact I wish it was published already! When I opened up my shop over 11 years ago, it seemed a novelty to customers to discover birds nests, seashells, old bottles and papery boxes filled with tarnished vintage ornaments & the like in a ‘store’. I would explain my aesthetic, my love of nature, my attraction to old objects with patina and lustre, my roots in an artisan process where things were made lovingly by hand.

My style was not a reaction ‘against’ anything such as mass production, it was my authentic love of what I’d always been drawn to since I was young. Back then I recall how curious people were with the items used in my vignettes, which often at the time were just for my displays and not for sale. They seemed enchanted, yet tentative about what sort of role or place these sorts of objects could have in their home. Thus the idea for my book, and the name ‘The Natural Eclectic’ came along, a long time ago. Now this style seems to have been embraced by so many, in fact it feels like a movement. I am thrilled by this yet also feel that tug in my belly to get my book finished and share what I have to share before it seems commonplace! Ikeas new catalogue has styled it’s furnishings with old bottles & birds nests & tattered books hmmm. I suppose this is typical insecurities of any artist…will I have anything new to share, will people care, will it be meaningful, and matter and touch other’s lives? Friends reassure me I have something unique to share with my photos, my words, my styling, my ‘eye’ for things. Their encouragement is appreciated, so I must just get going! Meanwhile, so many other creative jobs are calling and interjecting distractions. A great problem to have indeed!

I have been taking advantage of some dry warm weather here and working outside on a few messy projects which has been wonderful. I can’t share the end results just yet, so I will just show the beads of sun and pools of paint. Magic in their own right.

Cloth

Posted on July 29, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

Last week I wrote about the theme of authenticity, and the thrill of finding a Hans Wegner chair with the original upholstery underneath a newer faux python vinyl. I mentioned I’d been meaning to write about some pillows I had made up out of old Italian hand woven linen towels. They were given to me while visiting my sister Janet who currently lives there…they came from an old stone country house, probably stored in an old armoire and never ever used, their hand woven nubby loveliness just waiting one day to be discovered. Rustic, simple, raw, a little uneven in their weave, slightly yellowed..they were perfect!

In the markets of Jesi, Italy I found a cotton trim that complimented them perfectly, and upon returning home decided to get sewing! It felt so good to put my hands to cloth again. I washed them all, air dried them in the sun, press them and the prewashed trim back into shape { they had rumpled and crumpled into another existence } and then got going on my mum’s old sewing machine in her basement!

I kept one as a tea towel, just adding as simple band of trim to the bottom, The work was so satisfying…seeing the project from beginning to end from when my sister and I first envisioned transforming them into pillows down to the final moment when I stuffed them full and tied the closures.

Feeling the fabric under my fingers, choosing the thread, the approach, crafting away. This is another example of authentic process ~ the mindful creative act of making unique things by hand with love and care. I suppose the true test of the success of this endeavour is when I set them up on my patio settee to photograph. Within moments my adorable cat Griffin was on top of them, gently kneading his paws into their weave and making himself cozy { he’s drawn to texture just as much as I am! }

As fond as I was of the small collection, I brought them to my shop . It’s hard to part with beloved treasures but it is what I do for a living! within just a few days a stylist purchased the tea towel for a Campbell’s Soup commercial. Their campaign is all about homespun nostalgia, which everyone seems to want again these days. I appreciated that they chose the ‘real thing’ and never questioned the cost. They could tell the difference and it was exactly the note they wanted to strike.

Thanks to my sister for the wonderful cloth and to my mum for the use of the sewing machine.

Authenticity

Posted on July 23, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

‘Cultivating a life of elegance & authenticity’ is the tagline for The Natural Eclectic. We hear the word authentic used a lot these days..but what does it really mean? A person that is authentic is one who is honest, genuine, trustworthy. Someone who presents themselves as who they really are. In design and craftsmanship, the same applies. There’s certainly a demand and desire for mass produced items that have been made to resemble natural materials or aged treasures – nothing wrong with that -but there’s just something so charming and satisfying about the real thing! Knowing it was carved by human hands, seeing the patina burnished from years of love, noticing the irregularities caused by the unique man made processes involved.

Yesterday I found an old Hans Wegner chair. While mid century design is not really my thing, I did grow up though with the iconic ‘wishbone’ chair which is an amazing example of great design. My parents bought eight chairs from Denmark 50 years ago and my mother just found the old receipt of $180 for all! I do hope to adopt them one day as I find them elegant and timeless.

While the chair I found yesterday was a different style and was covered in a new fake python vinyl, I knew instantly with it’s great curved shape and joinery detail it was the real thing.

Underneath we found the original upholstery, which we think is vinyl as well. Somehow though, knowing it was the original seat covering, made it such an exciting find! It was the ‘authentic’ choice of the designer, even if the material choice itself was ‘fake’ so to speak.

The vinyl was probably the first choice due to it’s practicality. So when I think of or use the word authentic, I use it in the sense of ‘how it was intended or meant to be’ and not fooling, pretending or passing something off as one thing when it it really another. Not being false or deceitful about origins.

The vinyl has lots of marks on it, which purists may not like, but I love all the fading, scrafitto and speckling. It resembles a delicate etching or gentle water color painting.

In my boutique I like to mix new with old. Old that really is old, new that is new, clean fresh and contemporary. I embrace both. I also love to craft things with my own hands even though I know I could be more profitable going another route. It’s just so satisfying to have a concept and see it through to the end, making it myself, feeling the materials. People respond to this. They know the difference. I was going to write this post about a series of pillows I just made from ‘authentic’ old woven towels that were from my sisters old farmhouse in Italy. Then I found the chair and it seemed like the right metaphor for the theme of aunthencity. So I will share the pillows that I made by hand on my mum’s 50 year sewing machine for my next post : )

All Photographs Heather Ross 2012

tactile

Posted on June 3, 2012 by heatherrossnaturaleclectic

I never really knew how much texture influenced me and my work until it was pointed out by others just how texturally strong my photos were. There is so much I could say about texture, and will say about texture in my book. For now I will let a picture speak a thousand words and share some recent images of my trip to the beautiful tactile country of Italy.

Here in the landscapes, the food, the artisanal goods, the architecture, the rural towns and the cloth of life one cannot escape an abundance of texture. When editing this post and all the images I chose I questioned some of them and their pertinence to the theme of ‘texture’. We tend to think of texture as nubby, bristly, grooved etc but when taken texture into consideration it is the qualities of all textures and surfaces, and the play of different surfaces that make things interesting. The fava beans are waxy against the dry chalky terra cotta. The glass smooth against branches and linen. The poppies velvety against the prickly wheat. I hope these images will not just speak as travel photos, but more as an inspiration board that could inform ideas for a design palette, a painting, a wardrobe, a table setting, a textile, a way of life.

heather ross { natural eclectic }

cultivating a life of elegance & authenticity

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