radio silence/

  There will be a bit of radio silence on the blog for awhile - just pictures every now and then. I am reworking the writing for the chapters of Modern Originals and the deadline is breathing down my neck. So I am putting blinders on...

Be back asap.  xx

travel day/NYC bound

I love modern travel. Being able to put up a blog post as I fly to NY is rather nice indeed. We are above Wisconsin at the moment and I was reminiscing about where I was last year. This shot was above France somewhere. Isn't this image so painterly?
But today I am heading to NYC with 2 beautiful prints of Alvar Aalto's house in tow for the Noho Design District Plantworks show and a really great slideshow ready to go for my Talk on Saturday at ICFF. Hope some of you can make it out to one or the other of these events (or both!). Come up and say hi if you do!

ICFF talk/this Saturday, May 18th at 3pm/Javits Center, NYC

I am happy to say I am heading to NY this week. One of the reasons is because I am doing a talk at ICFF on Saturday at 3pm. I will be doing a slideshow and talking about the project that became Handcrafted Modern and now my upcoming book that I shot in Europe. So I will share a bit of a preview for those of you that can make it. Please come and say hello!

the beauty of decay/shacks

I fell in love with a shack when I was in Mendocino a few weeks ago. I don’t know what it is about old abandoned structures that have been left to slowly fall down but they are like a magnet to me. I see a diginity in them. This one used to be a garage by the looks of it. Two old tires side at opposing corners and one has been blessed by a friendly vine.

A bit of quiet news. I have a finished all the chapters for my book. I say quiet because there is still so much to do, but I see the book – images and words are down and it is looking beautiful. Just waiting for the edits and first design directions now…anxiously waiting…

handcrafted modern/outtakes/blunk

I guess it makes sense that all this work on my new book has led to reviewing my first one, Handcrafted Modern. There are so many images that have never been seen, including this one at JB Blunk's home. I have been posting some outtakes on Instagram as well so you can follow me there if you'd like. I'd love to have you. I'm lesliewilliamson on IG.

notes from the writing cabin/habits

I am a creature of habit. I know it sounds so very boring, but I have learned from traveling so much and just my general temperment that one way to get acclimated quickly into any foreign place is to get the routine down quick. For me that means 1) where can I take my AM walk and 2) where has the best coffee and opens early enough for me. Returning to Mendocino to the same writing cabin I used in January ended up being a great thing because the habits were in place and so "settling in" took no time at all. And yesterday I was reminded of another perk of my habitual tendencies - feeling known. At this point the coffee guy sees me and just makes me an Americano (bless him) and that gave me comfort. I am remembered. When I thanked him for remembering my order he said that not many women drank Americanos. So apparently that is my identity to him - "the Americano drinking woman". It kinda makes me laugh, but it feels nice...
Just an image from my other habit - my morning walk. Not bad, eh?

notes from the writing cabin/a thought

Sometimes the images I like the most have nothing to do with where I am shooting. They don't talk about the place at all but are just a nice moment.

notes from the writing cabin/wind

I am blaming it on the windy conditions that have been in place since I arrived in Mendocino last week, but I am a bit scattered in my thoughts. I am thinking about the beauty of small objects and my love of brass and copper beyond the big "trend" in those two things right now and of course all this leads back to Carl Aubock which is the chapter I am working on at the moment. Every chapter ends up being a excavation of my experience, and even though I take notes and write in my journal about my experiences, my true notes are my images. So I look and look and look at my images - especially the ones I would never show - because they jog my memories loose better than anything else.  But alas...still lots of notes and not even a good opening sentence. Ah well...back to work...

castiglione/editing

Argh! I am in the midst of editing and writing the chapter on Achille Castiglione's studio and I am just a touch frustrated. This small warren of rooms is turning me upside down! I cannot figure where to take the reader first and so I can't seem to put the images in sequence. It will all come to me, right? I know there is a logical answer but at the moment I can't see it.
Ah well...don't worry...I'll keep working. The answer is just under my nose I am sure... This image is a little preview - just another one that has been edited away.
Have a lovely weekend friends!

mendocino/writing

Just arrived back in Mendocino for finish up the chapters for my new book. Things are blooming and there is a breeze outside and the sun is dancing in and out from behind  clouds...perfect writing weather.

hands/

curio magazine/antwerp

Hello friends! I am back after a bit of a break and it feels good! I've missed you!
Today an image I shot in Antwerp. I remember shooting it and just loving all the lights happening in this one area of my friends home. The quality of light was gorgeous (as you can see...look at those cast shadows!) and I even love the cords - in fact I think I love the cords the most! More about these lovely friends soon...I have been meaning to post on them forever.
I did want to mention that the beautiful online magazine Curio has a Q&A with me in their new issue that just came out. I feel pretty fancy being such wonderful company as Roman and Williams, Ana Kras, etc. Very fancy indeed. If you don't know Curio yet, you are in for a treat. Take a look.

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!/and thank you!

ok...I can breathe easy, right? My Kickstarter is over and I exceeded my goal which is beyond amazing!! Now I get a rest?
Oh wait...I have a book to make. Right...
Haha...no complaints here! This is what I love to do, but I am going to disappear for a bit and work on finishing this book up. I have a bit more to do to get first drafts in to my publisher.
Have a beautiful weekend my friends and I will be back as soon as I can!
xxoo

kickstarter/last hours!

Just a few more hours to pledge your support for my project of photographing the homes of mid twentieth century architects and designers in Europe on Kickstarter! I have to say, I cannot wait for the clock to run out and I can breath a little sigh of relief. The support for my project has been so wonderful and now I just want to get down to work! I already have emails out to Germany, Sweden and I just found out about a couple more houses in Italy. The odds of these homes making it in the book are rather slim since my deadline is basically right now, but I have to shoot them! And you have all made that possible!
But today I keep working. I am editing the Aalto chapter. I confess I have been avoiding it. There are so many fantastic things I want to share and there is no way with the number of pages for each chapter. I can't seem to edit it down enough. Absolute torture...sweet blissful torture!

Kickstarter/24 hours left!

I am at a loss for words that my Kickstarter has made its goal and then some at this point. Wow! Thanks to everyone who has pledged their support and endured my emails. Fundraising is a new thing for me and it has been a trial by fire but all wonderful lessons I am happy to have in my arsenal!
You still have time to pre buy your book and/or some prints should you want to. Even though I am over my goal every cent goes right back into my work of documenting the homes of these wonderful mid century architects and designers. It looks like there is just one more set of 16x20" prints left too. Someone should grab that! My prints go back to regular price with the end of this Kickstarter. They won't ever be priced this low again.
Thanks for all your support you beautiful people!

Kickstarter/ 2 days to go/$700 to raise

You know that your Kickstarter is close to over when they start counting down in hours...So here we are with 50 some odd hours to go.
I have not yet met my goal so if you want to pre buy your first edition, autographed copy, now is the time!
Come on...who is going to push me over the edge...
: )

Kickstarter/$4000 to raise by Thursday!

I am in the home stretch my friends! Of the $41,000 I have to raise to finish my new book of European homes, I have $4000 left til the promised land! I am cautiously optimistic at this point! But because Kickstarter is "all or nothing", if I don't make it to my goal, all pledges go away and I am at square one with fundraising again. So I still have a bit to go.
PLEASE PLEDGE if you plan to do so! You can prebuy your book or if you want some beautiful limited edition prints you can pledge a little more. Just a heads up, the $500 for 2 16x20" limited edition prints is basically a 2 for one price (my 16x20" prints are usually $500 each. this price is exclusively for the Kickstarter).
I cannot wait to reach my goal and work full time on making this book as beautiful as i know it will be. Please help me get there with your pledge!
Thank you!!

Tonight! Handcrafted Modern Europe Sneak Preview/Heath SF

taking a moment to be grateful/

Things have been a whirlwind lately. I am getting ready to send off 10 chapters of my book to my publisher.  It is incredible how much time goes into writing and re-writing, reading and re-reading, editing and re-editing to make things exactly how I want them. Plus the Kickstarter is plowing forward - only nine days to go and a little over $9000 to reach my goal. I am hopeful I will make it (but it ain't over til its over, so please pledge if you intend to).
But today I just wanted to let you all know how grateful I am that I get to do this work and share it with all of you. Your unwavering support, through comments on my blog, emails (such beautiful emails!!), and of course my Kickstarter campaign means so much to me. I am at a loss for words.
This week some really wonderful blog posts in support of my work have posted. Caitlin Flemming and I did a little Q&A for her wonderful blog Sacramento Street. And those lovely folks over at One Kings Lane featured my project and the Kickstarter as well. So a heartfelt thank you to all of you. I look forward to having the Kickstarter all wrapped up and working on my book full time again. Lots to do and I couldn't do it without all of you!  xxoo

european moderns/the blurry stuff

Yes...a blurry picture today but I really love it. When I started on my European adventure photographing all the homes of architects and designers, I wasn't sure how much I could/should share. It is always a little dance with the internet and images and I just wasn't so sure of the steps. So I started taking these blurry shots of the houses I was shooting. Like a teaser image. I am a bit disappointed I didn't do this for all the houses because I am loving the ones I did take. Like this one from Carlo Mollino's kitchen. I am not sure if I love it because I know what the focused version looks like or if it is actually a good image. I guess time will tell.

A special thanks to Remodelista for including my Kickstarter fundraising campaign in their Current Obsessions post yesterday. It is nice to be obsessed over...  ; )
Less than two weeks left for my Kickstarter and about $11,000 still to raise! Exciting times!
Thanks to everyone who has pledged so far, you are all amazing!