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.

grandma project/prints

While doing an unexpected/emergency flood clean out of my closet (groan) I ran across my bag of prints from the last time I was at the darkroom. These two stopped me. I have had to set aside the project on my Grandmother's house for so long that it actually pains me. But, alas...
These prints are of my Grandfather's garage. It had been cleaned out and a couple days after I shot these, the sale of the house closed and it was subsequently ripped down. My writing "Leslie was here" probably dates back to when I was 8 years old. That chalkboard was some sort of time capsule for me. How often do you have a record of your writing and drawings in such a transitory media a chalk? It makes me happy to have shot this. A self portrait of sorts.