Greetings from India

My father recently was in India for two or so months on a work assignment over the Holidays. I have always been enamored with Indian textiles and art, and he brought me back a box of treasure from his adventures.

It was similar to when I was a kid. My dad would take off for a few weeks to work in different countries around the world, Mexico, Japan.. (dad, fill in the blanks here) and would always bring home gifts of toys or clothes from other-worldly cultures. It was a really special time, his homecoming, a renaissance  of family of sorts.

One of the qualities I adore about Indian art, textiles and crafts is the handmade quality.. Especially items made by women, throughout time in every country, their ability to pass down skills of handmade items has been a staple economic resource for women throughout time. Embedded in this skill is the keen sense of color, tactile experience, pattern and composition. I love this embroidered purse, it's detail is overwhelming (in a good way) and draws the eye immediately. Im curious about its origin, even down to what the artisan was thinking about while producing this. I wonder what the parallels are between our work and lives..

The three white motifs are carved wooden stamps. I cannot wait to experiment with these on paper or fabric.. Anyone who knows me even a little knows about my love for rubber stamps, I was so excited to see one of my favorite creative tools translated into such a unique, beautiful and simple realm. 

I keep the wooden elephant on my vanity to remind me of family and what it means to be a part of one. Have you ever researched the family hierarchy of elephants? 

The cobalt Buddha head, hand painted. A gem

Also there were two lockets, one made of silver and another of copper. Within them are very tightly wrapped papers with Hindi words and designs. Each had a different paper wrapped up inside. I dont know what these mean, are used for or what they are representative of, and would be interested to know if anyone has any insight. Their tiny-ness is so curious..

We have such an amazing collection of Buddha heads

Such detail in the wood carvings. I am amazed at the attention to detail and beauty. I love the smell of the wood as well, it makes me think of exotic places where I dont know the language and everything I see is new.

In a New York kind of way..

I recently took my first trip to New York for a work event and was firstly, in love.. and secondly, romanced by the new and antiquated architecture squeezed in tightly next to one another. What a beautiful, and starkly 'real' city.

It makes me wonder what life would be like on the day to day..

Pine Mountain Bouldering

out and about

Hello friends, I'm happy to show off some of my recent work making an appearance in a couple of print and web outlets.

On the web, photos of Ultimate Frisbee in Wisconsin and Ultramarathon runner Jeff Browning (whom you may remember from an earlier post) grace the screens of Patagonia's Team/ Event Sales pages.

Photo left to right: Stephanie Helguera, Heather Klausner, Stephanie Helguera

In print, the brand new Patagonia Team Sales catalog used an Ultimate Frisbee shot for their double truck front page, which outlines the company's mission statement and an intro to field shorts. Below, my day job makes an appearance in a popular gossip magazine, resulting in more gossip.. but mostly about how fabulous this new bra is, created by Fashion Forms®

Photo left to right: Amy Kumler, Stephanie Helguera

Full page ad for Fashion Forms® in Us Weekly, Sept 12, 2011 issue

Surf Mama

Something I love about Gisselle is that no matter where we are, she's probably wearing a bathing suit.

 

She asked me to take some photos of her for her graduation with a degree in early childhood education. She told me about her dream of having photos done off the side of this road in town, in a spot she always passed and thought about. 

Up and coming adventures for the woman include teaching in Costa Rica for nine months with her 5 year old son in tow. Bathing suit required.

Pure Michigan

To me, summer in the midwest is uniquely it's own entity. It is often characterized by the smell of bonfire in your hair for days, largely anticipated social festivities and special small moments with someone you missed through the cold winter and distant spring. I took a lot of photos when I recently went back to Michigan for my Mother's 49th and a half birthday party, but I think the photo booth told the story best.

car camping

Heading up to Pine Mountain after work on a Friday is a beautiful mini adventure.  Pack up the car with Thermarests, sleeping bags, books, journals, blankets, pillows and a cooler. Make a quick stop to Trader Joe's for wine, cheese, oatmeal, some instant coffee and head up the mountain deep into the Sespe wilderness. At around 6,000 feet in elevation, old growth Pines make wandering trails and sweep down the mountainside, scattered boulders lord over great camp spots, perfect for climbing and hiking around.

On this particular mission, we were a day ahead of a nasty spring storm heading over the ridgeline. This wind and cold was surprising, but tolerable in full jackets and puff pants. We slept so cozy in the car, watching millions of stars through the moonroof and listening to howling winds whip around the trees and the car. The original plan was to find a trail to run before heading back to town but since it was so cold, we decided to leave Pine Mountain and see if Rose Valley was more runnable. Here are photos of the sights at our campsite and down the mountainside that day.

Spring winds whip dust around the valley floor