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CONTENTS
Tailored Safari
6
THE INTIMATE IN THE INFINITE
At Shambala Private Game Reserve, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of
Johannesburg, visitors can tailor their safari to their personal tastes.
Speed of America
10
THE APPEAL OF HOT RODS
Article excerpted from Hot Rods by Alan Mayes (Motorbooks, 2010).
Field of Cherries
16
WASHINGTON, D.C. CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
The Cherry Blossom Festival marks springtime in the nation’s capital,
and represents the relationship between Japan and the United States.
Honey, Honey
22
THE ART OF BEEKEEPING
After being introduced to the beekeeping lifestyle at thirteen years old,
Ted Dennard has had a relentless passion for bees.
Sandwich Sampler
28
DELICIOUS PICKS FOR ANY MEAL OF THE DAY
Recipes excerpted from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes by Alison Lewis ©
2011 Robert Rose Inc. (www.robertrose.ca) Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.
Hip Sophisticate
36
ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE IN A MODERN WORLD
Californian designer Rozalynn Woods creates a home that melds
hearty and rough with elegant sparkle.
Reality Show
44
THE ART OF ADAM VINSON
Sometimes described as a trompe l’oeil painter, Vinson likes painting
elements like masking tape to further fool his audience.
22THE ART OF BEE KEEPING
and
settings jump out as romantic because they
go far beyond our everyday lives into the
worlds of our imagination. A South African
safari—with many exhilarating yet relaxing
options—easily moves into that romantic
world of the imagination.
Cer tain journeys, characters ,
Tailored Safari
T H E I N T I M AT E I N T H E I N F I N I T E
text: MARTHA STEGER
photography: SHAMBALA GAME RESERVE
At Shambala Private Game Reserve, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of
Johannesburg, visitors can tailor their safari to their personal tastes.
It’s not just any South African safari that can
accomplish this feat: Some safaris are cookiecutter experiences shared by large numbers
of guests, set schedules, and game drives rigidly set for two or four o’clock. At Shambala
Private Game Reserve, a two-and-a-halfhour drive north of Johannesburg, only eight
Zulu-style chalets exist for guest accommodations, so you definitely won’t be sharing
your experience with a crowd. You’ll choose
the times you want your meals, whether you
want a game drive before or after breakfast,
and whether you sit down in the evening to a
silver-service dinner or an open-air barbecue.
WILDLIFE VIEWING
Shambala covers 30,000 acres of natural
landscape in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. Located in the picturesque central region of the Waterberg Mountains, where the
climate is sub-tropical and pleasant for most
of the year, it is home to Africa’s famous Big
Five—the leopard, lion, elephant, black and
white rhino, and buffalo. Other wildlife inhabit these grounds like numerous antelope
species, including the endangered sable antelope, black impala, and tsessebe, plus the
Cape mountain zebra, cheetah, spotted hyena, hippos, eland, ostriches, and a unique
population of Nile crocodiles.
The South African fall (the American spring)
is the optimum time for seeing wildlife: The
animals are more active when the weather
isn’t as warm, and they’re more easily seen
when the grasses aren’t so high. While closeup game viewing in a very small group, with
highly qualified, experienced guides and
game rangers, is the biggest thrill of Shambala, visitors are not permitted to go on unaccompanied walks among the many species
6
of wildlife roaming freely on the reserve, for
safety reasons.
TRAVEL
The elephants, on which Shambala guests
take early-morning game drives, were originally relocated here from Zimbabwe, where
their existence was under severe threat. They
are trained and cared for by their experienced
trainers, with whom they have a close bond.
Each elephant responds to its name and has
its own personality—but elephant-safari
manager Fritz Lichtenberg cautions these are
wild animals that spend the majority of every
day out on the savannah.
Count on seeing a few animals that you might
never have heard of previously—blesbok, duiker, gemsbok, kudu, nyala, and steenbok. You
will easily spot the tall, elegant giraffe, herds
of wildebeest, and troops of zebra, but bush
pigs are harder to see as they trot through the
underbrush with their stiff, little tails pointing upwards. Caracal and large-spotted genet
are among the smaller cats, and you might
even be lucky and see a porcupine with its
quills erect, or a leopard tortoise lumbering
along. A guide will point out the conservancy
camp for raising various species of animals,
such as the wild dog, whose numbers have
greatly declined.
As for birds in this bushveld setting with the
Frikkie-se-loop River running through it,
you awaken to the plaintive calls of the fish
eagles, see the regal steppe buzzard and redwinged starling among others during the day,
and go to sleep with the soft trilling sound
of the nightjar, a relative of the seldom-seen
but often-heard North American whippoorwill. When you’re out on a safari, you’ll note
the red-billed oxpeckers on the rhinos’ backs,
which remove insects as the large animal
kicks up dust in walking.
© Martha Steger
Located in the picturesque
central region of the Waterberg
Mountains, where the climate
is sub-tropical and pleasant for
most of the year, it is home to
Africa’s famous Big Five—the
leopard, lion, elephant, black and
white rhino, and buffalo.
ARRIVING, RELAXING, DINING
Along Route 33, after the town of Vaalwater
but before Shambala appears, purple lavender grows in the native sandstone soil in
summer, as well as young peach trees and
AL 7
“
With its own private entrance, each chalet, decorated in chic
Afro-French Provincial style, is spacious, with a dressing room leading to a
large bath and an enclosed outdoor shower.
Johannesburg and Cape Town:
vineyards. You’ll take a slow drive through
shallow waters to the distinctive entrance for
Shambala, at once impressive for its thatched
Zulu-dome design and completely natural for
its surroundings that allow wildlife to thrive.
(Wire mesh covers all thatching throughout
the camp to prevent baboon damage.)
It’s hard to resist an afternoon’s open, landcruiser safari upon arrival at Shambala; but
the schedule is completely tailored to you. If
you want a spa treatment or a refreshing dip
in the plunge pool first, a driver and guide
will oblige you with the driving safari sometime before dinner—or you need not take a
drive at all on your day of arrival.
A single or couples’ spa treatment including
extracts of the indigenous fynbos plant is a
luxurious way to wind down in the bushveld.
Take something from the spa’s refreshment
bar out onto the wooden deck adjoining the
treatment rooms, and enjoy the views of the
riverbed, with the sound of the water as the
perfect backdrop for relaxing.
The world-class chefs here will seek your food
preferences upon arrival—a three-, four-,
or five-course dinner of African delicacies
such as game, South African lamb, boerewors (spicy, South African farmer’s sausage
seasoned with coriander and cumin)—or
whatever your heart desires. Each course will
be paired with a wine from classic vintages
of the renowned Western Cape wineries and
international wine estates. Trying the traditional South African dessert (a milk tart, flavored with vanilla and cinnamon) is a must,
as is sampling Amarula, the South African
liqueur made from a fermented, indigenous
fruit, distilled to get the alcohol content, and
then mixed with cream.
8
“Bookends” for a South African Journey
After dinner, enjoy your Amarula or some
other nightcap in the lapa (cooking/dining)
area, where a fire is lit every evening to take
in the great African sky. You’ll note Venus
higher above the horizon in the southern
hemisphere than it is in the United States.
Even a few minutes in the African bush
under the Milky Way is magical; and, depending on the weather and time of year,
you can have a grand view of the Southern
Cross constellation.
With its own private entrance, each chalet,
decorated in chic Afro-French Provincial
style, is spacious, with a dressing room leading to a large bath and an enclosed outdoor
shower—a fanciful experience where you can
hear the squawky Hadeda Ibis in the savannah beyond as you shower. The doors from
the bathroom open out onto a wooden deck
with views of the surrounding bush—an inspiring way to open a new day.
Your imagination gets many indulgences
at Shambala: A chef will pack you a gourmet picnic for an unforgettable lunch in the
bush. But the pièce de résistance has to be the
sundowner cruise on the Steyn Dam, where
you enjoy refreshments while the hippos flirt
with you as their eyes bob up and down from
beneath the water’s surface—and the bushveld slowly turns to dark. Before you depart
Shambala, arrange to drive by Nelson Mandela’s Centre for Reconciliation, which Mr.
Steyn had built for the African leader and
Nobel Peace Prize winner. Seeing it reinforces the English translation of the Tibetan word
Shambala: “paradise on earth.”
AL :: www.shambalagamereser ve.com
Martha Steger is a Midlothian, Virginia-based member of the
Society of American Travel Writers.
South African Airways offers excellent service into Johannesburg’s Tambo International Airport from the States.
The Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas, and Spa in Johannesburg—
voted the World’s Leading Hotel every year since 2001—
makes an excellent base for your stay before and after visiting
Shambala. Owned by the same major South African business
leader who owns Shambala (Douw Steyn), the hotel is located
on a quiet, tree-lined avenue in the Sandhurst suburb, close to
Sandton, the city’s upmarket business area.
© Saxon Boutique Hotel
© Saxon Boutique Hotel
above
An outdoor sitting area at the Saxon Boutique
Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.
above
Pastries and cakes are served for high
tea at Saxon Boutique Hotel.
below
Dining room tables set for mealtime at the
Shambala Game Reserve.
below
Judy Maconachie, the Irish gardener
at The Last Word, stops to admire a
flowering shrub on the hotel grounds.
Originally designed in 1990 as a private residence for Mr.
Steyn, this idyllic spot with ten acres of gardens is where Nelson Mandela edited his best-selling autobiography, A Long
Walk to Freedom. Staff will arrange for your airport pick-up
and your transportation to Shambala. Premium Presidential
Suites and the Nelson Mandela Platinum Suite include the
service of professional butlers, who are in attendance at all
hours. The full breakfast buffet and a few hours at the hotel
spa are not-to-be-missed experiences. A well-stocked library,
decorated in African motifs, is a haven of peace and quiet.
To make your South African journey complete, add two
nights in Cape Town, a two-hour flight from Johannesburg.
Plan to use The Last Word Constantia as a very gracious, intimate, five-star accommodation and a convenient base for
enjoying local vineyards, tranquil gardens (one of which is at
this hotel), and, of course, the scenic beauty of Table Mountain and Cape Point. The hotel employs an excellent driver
who speaks very good English and knows his way around the
Western Cape for your personal explorations. If you’re tired
and don’t care to venture far after returning from an active
day, Peddlars on the Bend, next door to the hotel, offers an
excellent, reasonably priced menu including British favorites
such as fish and chips.
© Martha Steger
www.saxon.co.za
www.thelastword.co.za
www.flysaa.com
AL 9
CULTURE
Speed of America
THE APPEAL OF HOT RODS
text: ALAN MAYES
photography: AS NOTED
Article excerpted from Hot Rods by Alan Mayes (Motorbooks, 2010)
by and for a
chosen few. Not everyone has the personality or stamina to drive a hot rod. They are
extremely basic; little more than wheels, an
engine, a steering wheel, and a seat plus the
bare necessities required to hold those elements together in a functional vehicle. Or, in
some cases, a dysfunctional vehicle. Most of
them are noisy, they often rattle, they may be
dusty, and sometimes they stink of gas and oil
and exhaust fumes. The prim and proper will
not like them.
speed and power fueled by their experiences
in war. Well, that’s the popular story anyway.
Hot rods belong to America. They were invented in America; they were developed by
Americans, utilizing American cars and
American ingenuity. There are hot rods in
other countries, of course, but nearly all
of them are built from American cars with
American engines and American speed
equipment. Even in Japan, New Zealand,
France, or Sweden, hot rods are American.
No Toyotas, no Volvos, no Peugeots; just
Fords, Chevys, Plymouths, and Willys, with
few exceptions.
Ever hear of a guy named Henry Ford? He
and other early automotive pioneers were
building hot rods—stripped-down versions
of their production cars—as early as 1901 in
order to create publicity and raise funds for
their fledgling car companies. Those were the
beginnings of hot rods, and early hot rodders
followed in that vein.
HOT RODS ARE CARS MADE
Hot rods were the brainchildren of American servicemen returning from World War
II. These were restless men with extra money,
a lot of time on their hands, and a quest for
10
That story doesn’t explain all the hot rodded
Model Ts that were running on tracks and
back roads in the 1920s and 1930s. Nor does
it explain the 1930 Ford roadster that has
been a hot rod since 1936, nine years before
the end of World War II (and five years before
the United States even entered the war). The
truth is, hot rods have been around in some
form almost since the automobile’s birth.
The glamorous, sunny, and warm climate of
Southern California was the original hot bed
of hot rodding. The area’s dry lake beds offered miles of wide-open, flat spaces where
hot rodders could test both their mettle and
their metal. Drivers worked on their cars
during the week and drove them back and
forth to work too. Then on the weekend,
© Craig Mayes
above
Make: 1929 Ford roadster (rat rod)
Owner: Lou Lewis
Builder: Gary Monday/Lou Lewis
Engine: 1973 Chevy 350
AL 11
Far-out paint schemes;
unfathomable driving
positions; crushed-velvet,
diamond-tuck, overstuffed
seats; tires wider than those
on any drivable street
vehicle; and chrome,
chrome, and more chrome.
Rolling fantasies, that’s
what show rods were.
speed and power
California was only one of many hot rod
hubs, though. Rodders in the East and Midwest were doing the same things but testing their cars on the beaches of Florida and
South Carolina or on Michigan’s frozen lakes
or Kentucky’s back roads. No matter where
they were, the procedures and results were
the same.
Stripping the non-critical parts—fenders,
running boards, extra seats, tops on roadsters,
bumpers—was the same as buying horsepower except that it was free for a few hours
of labor spent unbolting all those heavy parts.
Taking off ten percent of the car’s weight was
12
extra money, a lot of time on their hands, and a quest for
Traditional hot rods, as a matter of definition,
follow tradition—specifically the traditions
set forth by early hot rodders. Those were
pretty simple. Basically, they took an early
fueled by their experiences in war.
they’d drive out to the dry lakes and test the
week’s work. On Sunday, after all the racing
was done, they’d go back home and start the
whole cycle again.
the equivalent to raising the horsepower by
ten percent. Lowering the weight not only
made the car go faster, it made it handle better, and it stopped better too because the
brakes were slowing down a smaller mass. Of
course, that mass was capable of going faster,
so it might have been a tradeoff! More horsepower was added by hopping up the existing
engine or swapping in a more powerful one
from a different car.
Most guys did their own work and helped
their buddies do the same. Early hot rod
clubs, some of which have survived sixty
years, were formed around this camaraderie. They shared tools, knowledge, and skills
to help fellow club members accomplish the
goal of all hot rodders: to go as fast as possible with what they have.
Plainly put, a
traditional hot rod
transcends time frames.
Even looking at its
details closely, it will
be difficult or
impossible to discern
exactly when it was
built. That’s because
it will have a timeless
design and execution
that ignores all fads and
short-lived trends.
The name “traditional hot rod” has been bandied about quite a bit lately, and not necessarily with a lot of clarity. It’s used to describe
everything from old survivor hot rods from
the early days to fiberglass street rods to rat
rods to ‘57 Chevys. Obviously, unless “traditional hot rod” is a vague term with all the
meaning of “car,” those are not all traditional
hot rods. Also obvious is that there is no “official” meaning of the term, but rather a generally accepted understanding shared by a
majority of hot rodders.
Plainly put, a traditional hot rod transcends
time frames. Even looking at its details closely, it will be difficult or impossible to discern
exactly when it was built. That’s because it
will have a timeless design and execution that
ignores all fads and short-lived trends.
© Mitzi Valenzuela
These were restless men with
TRADITIONAL HOT RODS
car, usually a roadster or coupe, and stripped
it of every unnecessary part that didn’t make
it go, stop, or steer. Then they did everything
in their power (and budget) to make the car
go as fast as it would go in a straight line or
on a curvy road.
With one or two exceptions, most of these
cars seldom, if ever, see a trailer, and they
are driven quite a bit because their owners
built them for that purpose. They rightly assume that it is pointless to build a hot rod
that is not going to be driven. Where’s the fun
in that?
SHOW RODS
Ah, show rods. What gearhead among us
does not have memories of attending a World
of Wheels, Autorama, Motorama, or Cavalcade of Customs as a child, staring longingly at the wild creations on the other side of
those velvet ropes? Show rods were the mainstays and the drawing power to those indoor
car shows, often held in colder climes in the
top left
Make: 1934 Ford pickup (traditional rod)
Owner: Scott Karuza
Builder: Fred Stoke/Scott Karuza
Engine: 1966 Chevy 327
right
Make: 1929 Ford roadster El Tiki (show rod)
Owner: John Cooper
Builder: Tom Culbertson
Engine: 1955 Oldsmobile 324 V-8
© Craig Mayes
AL 13
winter. They also sold millions of model kits
for companies like Monogram and Revell.
© Alan Mayes
© Anna Marco
top of page
Make: Fritz Schenck’s Outlaw clone (show rod)
Owner: Fritz Schenck
Builder: Fritz Schenck
Engine: 1950 Cadillac 331
above
Make: 1929 Ford roadster (rat rod)
Owner: Sammy Vildosola
Builder: Sammy Vildosola
Engine: 1968 Chevy 350
top of page right
Make: 1931 Ford roaster (traditional rod)
Owner: Roy Caruthers
Builder: Roy Caruthers
Engine: 1949 Ford flathead
14
Lowering the weight not only
made the car go faster, it
made it handle better, and it
stopped better too because the
brakes were slowing down a
smaller mass. Of course, that
mass was capable of going
faster, so it might have
been a tradeoff !
Far-out paint schemes; unfathomable driving positions; crushed-velvet, diamond-tuck,
overstuffed seats; tires wider than those on
any drivable street vehicle; and chrome,
chrome, and more chrome. Rolling fantasies,
that’s what show rods were. They still are.
Show rods are the result of artistic inspiration. Ironically, they also serve as artistic inspiration for others.
RAT RODS
Cars defined as rat rods make up probably
the single most polarizing category to ever
enter the realm of hot rods. Their wildfirelike spread and acceptance have taken the
rodding world by storm, pulling new fans in
and alienating some old-time hot rodders at
the same time.
Although some of the milder rat rods are similar in appearance to what were once called
beaters or jalopies, the more radical vehicles
are a game unto themselves. The term “rat
rod” was originally coined as a derogatory
distinction, but it has since gained acceptance as a general term, though certainly not
an easily defined one.
It’s somewhat humorous that several individuals claim to have coined the term or built
and owned the cars that started the trend. As
far as the name goes, who knows? And how
would we be able to tell? As far as the cars
themselves, the cars that some people claim
to have started the trend are no different than
cars that have been running around hot rod
circles for fifty years—bare-bones, primered
cars with a little road wear, some dust, and
maybe a few dents; in other words, hot rods
that have been on the road awhile and driven
hard. Look in any of Albert Drake’s excellent
books chronicling the early days of hot rods,
and you’ll see the same cars.
Rat rods of today have transcended the traditional hot rod category and have become
somewhat of an art form. Some owners
at one end of the spectrum think that any vehicle (even a ‘94 Chevy S-10) that’s in primer
or rusty is a rat rod. Those people are wrong.
The other end of the range goes to great effort
© Alan Mayes
Hot rods belong to America. They were invented in
America; they were developed by Americans, utilizing American cars
and American
to create a one-of-a-kind car that is sometimes
barely drivable. Open, ear-level exhausts; rust
(sometimes even “helped along” by applying
salt water to the bare body); severely chopped
roofs; missing windows; floorboards full
of holes; and uncomfortable seats are the
norm at the radical end of the spectrum.
Mad Max would be afraid to ride in some of
these cars.
ingenuity.
© Anna Marco
AL :: www.motorbooks .com
above
Make: 1928 Ford pickup (rat rod)
Owner: Rod Hadfield
Builder: Rod Hadfield
Engine: 1948 Lincoln V-12
AL 15
trees have
become synonymous with springtime in
Washington, D.C., with the National Cherry Blossom Festival acting as the unofficial
marker of the changing of seasons. People
worldwide gather at the nation’s capital during the weeks surrounding the peak blooming period to watch the swarm of cherry
blossoms burst open and spread like wildfire
across Potomac Park, framing the already
impressive landmarks and architecture in a
sea of pink and white. Although the natural
beauty of the budding trees takes center stage
at the annual festival, it is the historical story
behind the trees that has people gathering in
the first place.
Flowering cherry blossom
Long before the blossoming trees graced the
Potomac banks, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore
and Dr. David Fairchild began planting seeds
for the present-day “field of cherries.” Influenced by the beautification movement sweeping through the nation’s capital at the turn of
the century, the renowned travel writer and
the agricultural explorer for the United States
Department of Agriculture (respectfully) had
fallen smitten with cherry blossoms during
visits to Japan, and both longed to transform
Washington’s Potomac Park with the lively
foreign blooms. Scidmore spent twenty-four
years pitching the notion to government officials to no avail, while Fairchild used the
flourishing Japanese cherry trees he planted
at his Maryland estate to gain press attention
and popularize the plant. By 1909, the idea
finally began to take root after a note to the
then First Lady, Mrs. Helen Taft, sparked full
support from the White House.
News quickly spread that the First Lady
wanted to adorn Washington, D.C., with imported Japanese flowering trees, inspiring the
Japanese government to donate 2,000 cherry
trees in honor of the growing friendship between the two nations. Led by Dr. Jokichi
Takamine (a world-famous chemist) and
Yukio Ozaki (the mayor of Tokyo), the gift
intended to show appreciation to the United
States government for the kindness shown to
16
Field of Cherries
HISTORY
WA S H I N G T O N , D . C . C H E R R Y B L O S S O M F E S T I VA L
text: MARIE PENN
photography: NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
The Cherry Blossom Festival marks springtime in the nation’s capital, and
represents the relationship between Japan and the United States.
Although the natural
beauty of the budding
trees takes center stage
at the annual festival,
it is the historical story
behind the trees that
has people gathering in
the first place.
AL 17
Japan during the Russo-Japanese war. Unfortunately, when the botanical shipment arrived to the States in 1910, the trees suffered
from insects and disease, and had to be destroyed in order to protect American growers
against foreign pests.
Japanese ambassador, planted the first two
cherry trees on the northern bank of the
Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, solidifying the cherry blossom tree as the living symbol of friendship between the Japanese and
American peoples.
Undeterred by the setback, Japanese officials
donated a second batch of 3,020 cherry trees
from twelve varieties two years later, supervising the selection of trees to assure the
U.S.D.A. that the specimens were pest-free.
Deemed to be ideal, the second freight was
graciously accepted on behalf of the United
States. On March 27, 1912, First Lady Taft
and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is
held every spring to commemorate this enduring friendship. Considered to be one of
the nation’s greatest springtime celebrations,
the festival spans several weeks, straddling
March into April, and includes daily events
promoting the beauty of nature and international camaraderie. More than one million
people visit with friends and family annually
to admire the blossoming cherry trees and
relish in the array of diverse entertainment.
© Ron Engle
Cherry-Filled Culture
More than one million people visit with
friends and family annually to admire the
blossoming cherry trees and relish in the array of diverse entertainment.
© Simon Williams
The festival kicks off with a fruitful display
of cultural excitement—from Family Day
and the Opening Ceremony to the performance stages that line the National Mall,
there is something for everyone to enjoy.
One of the largest spectator events during
the festival is the energy-filled parade which
bursts down historic Constitution Avenue in
a grand spectacle of music and showmanship.
Gigantic blossom-shaped balloons and Japanese lanterns swarm the sky, accompanying
the two-hour procession of grandiose floats,
celebrity talent, and special production
numbers. Following the parade is an equally monumental affair—the Sakura Matsuri
Japanese Street Festival. As America’s largest
one-day exhibition of Japanese culture, both
contemporary and traditional elements are
represented throughout the marketplace, live
performances, and hands-on demonstrations
of Japanese arts and culture.
One of the largest spectator events
during the festival is the energy-filled
parade which bursts down historic
Constitution Avenue in a grand spectacle
of music and showmanship. Gigantic
blossom-shaped balloons and Japanese
lanterns swarm the sky, accompanying
the two-hour procession of grandiose
floats, celebrity talent, and special
production numbers.
© Ron Engle
18
AL 19
“
Participants are invited to submit images
that capture the essence of the festival—be it the
natural beauty of the environment, the
unparalleled entertainment, or the community
spirit that permeates through every event.
© David Luria
© David Luria
Blossoming Ar tists
The performing arts continues to energize
the crowd throughout the entire festival,
using lively interactive entertainment to enhance the experience of being surrounded by
beautiful cherry blossoms. The daily eclectic
performances on the Sylvan Theater Stage
feature music from soloists and bands, performances from dancers and drummers, and
much more. The Cherry Blast: Art and Music
Dance Party is one of the many venues where
you can delight in multiple displays of the
arts in one shot. Thanks to the creative work
of D.C.-based curators in the realms of music,
20
visual art, and performance, the multimedia
event gathers the sounds of the latest bands
and musicians for people to enjoy while exploring an art gallery of display exhibitions.
While savoring all of the artistic experiences
at the National Cherry Blossom Festival, attendees are encouraged to pick up a camera
and participate in the annual photo contest.
Participants are invited to submit images that
capture the essence of the festival—be it the
natural beauty of the environment, the unparalleled entertainment, or the community
spirit that permeates through every event.
Festival For Foodies
Area chefs know that nothing triggers community spirit quite like food feasts. So to
celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival, restaurants offer Cherry Picks—alluring
entrées, desserts, and cocktails that boast a
special cherry twist—throughout the signature springtime event. The festival’s Pink
Tie Party fundraiser features an eight-course
progressive tasting menu geared around
some of these delicious cherry- and blossominspired dishes, prepared by rising-star chefs
who represent Metro D.C.’s diverse neighbor-
hoods. Another popular culinary tradition
is the Gala Dinner Cruise aboard the Odyssey. While gliding along the Potomac River,
guests can take pleasure in a wonderful evening filled with great food and entertainment
while drinking in the nighttime views of the
breathtaking cherry trees.
Centennial Celebration
As monumental as the festival is every year,
event officials anticipate the 2012 National
Cherry Blossom Festival to be an unprecedented and once-in-a-lifetime celebration,
marking one hundred years since the historical gift-giving of cherry trees. To honor the
beloved botanical treasures, and to celebrate
this living reminder of international friendship and the beauty of nature, the centennial
festival plans to expand into an epic fiveweek spectacular, from March 20 though
April 27, that will unify and electrify the city,
the nation, and the world. Signature events
will be enhanced with creativity and innovation while ground-breaking programs and
new highlights, like a historical tree planting
reenactment, will be added to ensure that
this year’s exposition amazes and delights
the community with timeless traditions and
rich cultural experiences. The extravagant
production throughout the Centennial
National Cherry Blossom Festival is sure to
set the right tone for the next one hundred
springtime celebrations to come.
AL :: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
AL 21
NATURE
for honeybees
is infectious. From his narrative description of how worker bees fan their wings over
nectar-filled honeycomb cells to boost sugar
concentrations, to how he goes on and on in
great detail about the subtle nuances within
the varying types of honey, one can’t help but
want to view the honeybee through the same
enamored perspective.
Ted Dennard’s passion
Honey, Honey
THE ART OF BEEKEEPING
text: ELLIE LAWRENCE
photography: SAVANNAH BEE COMPANY
After being introduced to the beekeeping lifestyle at thirteen years old,
Ted Dennard has had a relentless passion for bees.
Those few jars flew off the shelf,
and Dennard’s rich honey quickly
became a hot
commodity.
For a man who has followed honeybees his
whole life, this fervent sentiment comes naturally. Ted was first introduced to the lifestyle
at thirteen years old when beekeeper Roy
Hightower approached the Dennard family
in search of sites suitable for gathering honey
from white tupelo trees. After receiving permission to keep his bees on their one hundred acres of forested property off the coast
of Georgia, Roy took the young boy under
his wing; and together, they would spend
their weekends in the swamps diving into the
hives. “I never thought that much about bees
before Old Roy came along. But once he did,
I was completely interested. I couldn’t wait to
go out and look in a beehive,” describes Ted.
“What I remember hooking me was just pulling a frame of honeycomb out of the bee box,
and putting it against the sun. There were
different colored honey in different parts of
the frame—kind of like how stained glass
looks. There were red honey, amber honey,
and even green honey. You’d put your finger
in one and taste it, and it would taste different
than the next one. It was so cool to me—it’s
still cool to me.”
There were different colored
honey in different parts of the
frame—kind of like how stained
glass looks. There was red honey,
amber honey, and even green
honey. You’d put your finger in
one and taste it, and it would
taste different than the next one.
It was so cool to me—it’s still
cool to me.
And so a young apiculturist was born. Ted
kept Roy’s bees throughout high school and
into his collegiate career. While attending
Sewanee, a small liberal arts school in Tennessee, Ted rented a cabin from a retired
minister and fellow beekeeper, who taught
the student endless facts about bees while
they worked the hives. “I learned the love of
22
AL 23
honey through Old Roy, but I learned how
fascinating honeybees were from this retired
minister,” Ted remembers, as he goes on a
fact-filled tangent about queen honeybees.
(Did you know that the queen can lay 3,000
eggs a day?)
fateful day back in 1999 when his roommates
held an intervention to convince the hesitant
salesman to sell his home-extracted tupelo
honey at a friend’s store in Savannah. Those
few jars flew off the shelf, and Dennard’s rich
honey quickly became a hot commodity.
After graduating college with a philosophy
and religion degree, Ted followed the insect
overseas to Jamaica where he taught beekeeping to village farmers for the Peace Corps.
“There were over one hundred beekeepers
whom I visited, some more regularly than
others, and I taught about that many kids
in schools,” recounts Ted. “I would be up in
some small, remote mountain community—
teaching beekeeping, working with beekeepers, building beehives, and climbing big trees
to cut hives down. It was beautiful and fun
hard work. And at that point, I learned to
love the keeping of the bees and the actual art
of beekeeping.”
In between his day jobs, Ted would bottle
his honey in their kitchen—squeezing the
honey out, spinning the frames in an extractor, filtering the collected honey through
cheese cloth into a bucket, transferring the
bucket’s contents into an iced tea pitcher, and
finally pouring honey into jars affixed with
hand-painted and color-copied, taped-on labels. After two years of selling his product in
over twenty-five high end grocery stores and
cheese shops, Ted was ready to concentrate
on the business full time.
Although deeply engrossed in the hobby, Ted
followed every avenue except beekeeping
when it came time to start a career. “When
I was thinking about what I was going to do
with my life, I literally wrote down on a piece
of paper everything that I loved and was passionate about, and I just crossed out beekeeping,” admits Ted. “I never wanted to do it for
money. I didn’t want to ever adulterate that
love for bees and beekeeping.” Instead, he
chose to juggle multiple miscellaneous jobs
to fuel his pastime—operating a wilderness
adventure company in Colorado, resurfacing countertops and bathtubs in the Georgia
heat, taking adjudicated youth out on weeklong wilderness therapy trips, and even mildly flipping cheap houses with his brother.
When asked how the beekeeper, steadfast
about keeping avocation out of his vocation,
ended up establishing a thriving honey operation, Ted answers truthfully: “I am one of
those people who backs into just about everything they do in life, and this business was
no different. I did not mean for it to start—it
just happened.” The beekeeper narrates the
24
In between his day jobs,
Ted would bottle his
honey in their kitchen—
squeezing the honey out,
spinning the frames in
an extractor,
filtering the collected
honey through cheese
cloth into a bucket,
transferring the bucket’s
contents into an iced
tea pitcher, and finally
pouring honey into jars
affixed with hand-painted
and color-copied,
taped-on labels.
“I told myself I am going to give this business one year. If it is going to fail, I want it to
fail in the first year. I am not dragging this on
anymore. I need to figure out what I am going
to do in this world,” Ted rationalizes. In 2002,
armed with his first price sheet and no business plan, he quit every other job and focused
only on honey. Ten years and four Savannah
Bee Company retail stores later, Ted has successfully expanded his reach to include ten
varieties of honey along with a line of natural
and organic body care products.
THE AR T OF BEEKEEPING
Whether in the Caribbean mountains or
standing in the Georgia swamps, gathering
honey has always been more of an art form
for Ted. To harvest rare tupelo honey, for instance, he takes his few boxes of bees—each
stack of boxes being one colony, comprised
of one queen and up to 80,000 workers—and
moves them to where the trees are about to
bloom. “The tupelo tree only grows in the
rivers, along the banks of rivers where the
Cyprus trees grow, from the South CarolinaGeorgia border down the coast and over to
West Florida,” informs Ted, whose honey is
mostly derived from trees rather than ground
flowers. “So you’re having to wait around in
AL 25
the swamps—which has its own haunting
beauty—as you watch and watch for the trees
to bloom. Once you see these flowers opening,
the bees start bringing in the tupelo nectar.
“The bees have something called flower fidelity, so once the bees determine the best source
of nectar, that is where they go to until that
best source is no longer available. Then they
move onto the next best source of nectar. You
have to be really watchful,” he continues. “It
is a lot more of an art than a science. As soon
as they stop bringing in the tupelo honey—as
soon as you see those flowers dropping off or
the bees have moved onto a different source
of nectar—you take those honey boxes off,
isolate and separate them, and then extract
that honey together so that you pretty much
guarantee you’re making pure tupelo honey.”
The modern process of extracting honey uses
the same tried-and-true equipment that has
been in place forever—a box with eight to
ten frames, a veil, and a smoker. The smoke
covers up the alarm pheromone, which warns
the other bees to be on the defense, while the
beekeeper removes the honey-filled frames.
“Every hive has its own personality. You
might have one that is as sweet as pie, and
you might have another that will sting you
right as you pop the top,” explains Ted. “But
you’ll get stung no matter what when you are
‘robbing honey,’ as we call it. At some point,
you and the bees are just overwhelmed; and
the bees just quit stinging, and you stop caring if you get stung anymore.”
Even in the midst of this chaos, Ted views
beekeeping as a zen-like activity. “Similar to if
you’ve ever rock climbed or scuba dived, you
are not thinking about anything except that
moment. You just get lost in it,” the southern
man illustrates. “There is something almost
therapeutic and meditative about going in
beehives—the colors of the bees, their little
shaking movement, their sound, and the
smell of the ripening honey. You’ll think
you’ve been working the bees for an hour,
and it will end up having been four hours.
26
“
They are just enthralling little creatures, and
the more you learn about them, the more you
appreciate them.”
The same can be said about the variety of
honey available at Savannah Bee Company—
the more types you taste, the more you are
able to appreciate the subtle characteristics
that make each one unique. Every honey
has its own flavor. The tupelo has a buttery
sweetness that you taste on the back of your
tongue where as the orange blossom honey
has more of a candy-like sweetness with a
hint of citrus. Ted reports that the only factor which determines the color, texture, flavor, and fragrance of the honey is the flower
nectar. The sourwood nectar, for instance, is
collected from sourwood trees growing in
the high elevation of the southern Appalachian Mountains and is light brown in color
with a slight purple tint—this darker honey
has a gingerbread-maple spice combination
of flavors that has won the World Honey
Show multiple times. The black sage honey,
on the other hand, is really light in color, and
is made from sage bushes in the lower Sierra
Nevada mountains of Southern California—
its mineral, earthy taste is almost polarizing,
and people either love it or don’t like it at all.
“When I look back at my life,” reflects the apiculturist, “two things amaze me: first, the fact
that one little contact with honeybees at thirteen years old has expanded to become such
a huge thing to me; and secondly, the fact that
it took me this long to figure out that this was
my calling in life.” But in the end, discerning
palates are thankful his meandering journey
panned out so sweetly. People nationwide are
enjoying Savannah Bee’s raw honeycombs,
beeswax hand creams, and every artisan honey in between, while the humble beekeeper
rejoices in being able to share his passion
with everyone he meets. Perhaps in doing so,
he’ll be passing along the lifestyle to the next
generation of beekeepers, like Old Roy did
for him way back when.
There is something almost therapeutic and
meditative about going in beehives—
the colors of the bees, their little shaking
movement, their sound, and the
smell of the ripening honey.
The modern process of
extracting honey uses the same
tried-and-true equipment
that has been in place
forever—a box with eight to ten
frames, a veil, and a
smoker. The smoke covers up
the alarm pheromone,
which warns the other bees
to be on the defense, while
the beekeeper removes the
honey-filled frames.
AL :: www.savannahbee.com
AL 27
FOOD
Sandwich Sampler
D E L I C I O U S P I C K S F O R A N Y M E A L O F T H E DAY
text: ALISON LEWIS
photography: COLIN ERRICSON
Recipes excerpted from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes by Alison Lewis © 2011 Robert Rose Inc.
(www.robertrose.ca) Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Californian
SERVES 4
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SANDWICHES. I LOVE THE SIMPLICITY OF GOAT CHEESE AND
MAYONNAISE AS THE SPREAD ON THIS COLORFUL VEGETARIAN SANDWICH.
ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced yellow squash (about 2 small)
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 large)
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices multigrain bread (1/2-inch thick slices)
2 avocados, thinly sliced
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
28
cooking instructions:
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
•
•
•
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and goat cheese. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Place squash, zucchini, and tomatoes on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in preheated oven, tossing occasionally, for 20 to 25
minutes or until tender.
Spread mayonnaise mixture equally over one side of bread slices. Top 4 slices equally with roasted vegetables, avocados, sprouts, and remaining bread slices, pressing together gently. Serve immediately.
AL 29
Greek Pita Pocket
SERVES 4
This Greek-style sandwich is a delicious combination and is so easy to make.
We love making these on busy weeknights.
ingredients:
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon plus 2 teaspoons juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper, divided
12 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
4 (6- to 8-inch) pitas with pockets
1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 teaspoons reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese
cooking instructions:
• In a small bowl, combine yogurt, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, dill, and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the lemon pepper. Set aside.
•
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, sauté beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up meat with a spoon until beef crumbles, for 5
minutes or until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, Greek seasoning, remaining 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon of lemon pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through.
• Place pitas on a work surface. Spread yogurt sauce equally in each pita. Place lettuce, beef mixture, and feta cheese equally in each pita.
To make your own Greek seasoning: In a small bowl, combine 1⁄4 teaspoon
each dried oregano, dried parsley, dried garlic powder, and salt.
30
AL 31
Huevos Rancheros Wraps
SERVES 4
The first time I ever had huevos rancheros was in Boulder, Colorado, when I
was in college. I ate them every Saturday morning while I was living there.
I love making these still today.
ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 can (14- to 19-ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato, sliced
1/3 cup sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 cup salsa
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 avocados, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
cooking instructions:
• In a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté eggs for 3 to 4 minutes or until scrambled. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet over low heat, combine beans, tomato, olives, and red onion. Stir in salsa, and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated and slightly thickened.
•
Place tortillas on a work surface. Divide egg mixture equally
in center of each tortilla. Arrange cheese, avocados, and cilantro equally over top. Fold both ends over filling, and then roll up tortilla. Serve immediately.
Tip: Cilantro, also called Chinese parsley or coriander in its dried
form, has a pungent flavor and fragrance and is used in many
cuisines. Choose bunches with leaves that are bright and vibrant
with no sign of wilting.
Tip: Don’t forget to drain and rinse canned beans to get rid of
excess salt.
32
AL 33
Warm Apple Pecan Wraps
SERVES 4
This twist on an apple turnover dessert is great served in a warm wrap.
ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, divided
3 1/2 cups diced apples (about 2)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup pecan halves
4 (6- or 8-inch) flour tortillas
Vanilla ice cream, optional
cooking instructions:
•
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until melted. Add apples, maple syrup,
cinnamon, and salt. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring
occasionally, for 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in pecans, and cook for 2 minutes more or until heated through.
• In a separate skillet, heat remaining butter over low heat. Add tortillas, one a time, and heat, turning once, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Place tortillas on a work surface. Divide apple mixture equally in center of tortillas. Top with ice cream, if using. Fold ends over filling, and roll up.
Tip: When selecting apples for recipes, 2 large or 3 medium apples
yield about 3 1⁄2 cups chopped apples.
Tip: I used Braeburn apples, but Granny Smith or Gala apples work
great, too.
34
AL 35
Hip Sophisticate
DESIGN
A N T I Q U E A N D V I N TA G E I N A M O D E R N W O R L D
text: ROZALYNN WOODS
photography: GREY CRAWFORD photography
Californian designer Rozalynn Woods creates a home that melds
hearty and rough with elegant sparkle.
Was there a distinct moment when you
realized that designing was your passion?
My entrance into the field of interior design came about unexpectedly. Shortly after
graduating college with a double major in
public relations and music, I purchased and
decorated my first house. I was immediately
drawn to the whole creative process that surrounded interior design, and the end result
of my finished home left friends and family
wanting me to decorate theirs as well. Inspired by the encouragement, I began contemplating a shift in careers.
While I possessed a natural knack for interior
design, I realized there was much to learn, so
I enrolled in the design program at U.C.L.A.
Upon graduation, I worked with a high end,
high style designer in Los Angeles, where I
acquired hands-on experience of the business. I eventually became a partner in the
company and now have my own firm.
Art. We traveled to Portugal to purchase antique Portuguese tiles; and there, in a remote,
off-the-wall antique store, we found a polychrome figure representing one of the Three
Wise Men. We later found out that it was the
missing piece to a well sought-after set, worth
more than all of the furniture in their house!
It was a really great experience traveling to
so many places in search of unique items for
their home.
Accumulating meaningless
items defeats the purpose of
design, so I typically don’t
insert elements into a home
for the sake of building up a
space. There should be reason
for each piece—whether it is
for comfort or design or both.
Describe your style:
I would consider it to be a clean, sophisticated style that translates to many types of architecture and lifestyles. My projects are highly
influenced by both the clients—who they are
and what their lifestyle is like—and the architecture. However, in the end, the house always tells me what it wants. At the same time,
I do not like period work, so I strive to bring
in a mix that not only reflects the architecture
and the clients’ tastes, but also represents a
current point of view.
Talk about the first home you designed
for a client:
The home boasted a Mediterranean style of
architecture; and the clients, who were inspired by their frequent travels, wanted the
décor to reflect more of an international feel.
So right out of the chute, we were buying
things from all over the world, rather than
limiting ourselves to just Los Angeles. We
bought a pair of lamps that were decommissioned from the Metropolitan Museum of
36
My style remains pretty unique in that I like
to incorporate décor that has some intrinsic
value to it, by using antique and vintage pieces or unique original designs. Accumulating
meaningless items defeats the purpose of design, so I typically don’t insert elements into
a home for the sake of building up a space.
There should be reason for each piece—
whether it is for comfort or design or both.
AL 37
What do you hope to accomplish
through your work?
My goal as a designer is to create an appealing aesthetic where my clients can feel good
in their space.
What were the clients looking for when
they approached you to design their
home?
The young couple wanted this house to function in two ways: first, it needed to be comfortable and function well with a family (they
have three young children); and secondly, it
needed to be stylish. The clients also liked
to push the boundaries to create something
unique and unexpected. Because they are
well traveled, they’ve become very aware of
design—and as a result, wanted their home
to reflect something fresh and new.
What was the space like before you began
the project?
The home was untouched, with nothing remarkable or interesting about it, so the clients decided to do a major remodel that
would better meet the needs of their young
family. Throughout the project, I worked
closely with the architect and the landscape
architect to ensure that my design decisions
coincided with the function of their work and
vice versa. It was a really wonderful team.
Items like the Alison Berger
sconces on the walls in the
living room and the pendant
light in the powder bath strung
with long ropes of cut crystals
create the necessary sparkle to
balance the darker, richer colors
and heavier scale.
Describe the ambiance you hoped to
achieve:
Upon entering the home, I want to engage
the owners and guests so that they are interested in their surroundings. I also want the
space to feel inviting, be comfortable, and yet
hold an element of surprise. It is nice when
people experience an “Ah-Ha” moment as
they uncover the unique treatments and design features of a space.
Sum up the theme that united the décor:
The theme we were trying to express can
be best described as hearty and rough, yet
elegant with a hint of sparkle. We used that
vocabulary to dictate most of our design
choices. It was really important that we create the balance between these two elements—
between the hearty and the rough with the
style and the sparkle—because a person loses
visual interest when you have one without
38
the other. The combination of contrasting
textures supports the hearty/rough vocabulary that we were trying to express, as does
the color scheme and scale of the furniture
in the living and family rooms. Items like the
Alison Berger sconces on the walls in the living room and the pendant light in the powder
bath strung with long ropes of cut crystals
create the necessary sparkle to balance the
darker, richer colors and heavier scale.
Talk about the color scheme:
I learn something from every project I work
on, and with this project, I learned how to
work in a completely different color palette
than I am used to. The clients chose the color
scheme, which was a deep, rich aubergine
mixed with wonderful earth tones and some
oranges and reds. Throughout the home, we
AL 39
“
On the couch, we mixed
two hand-printed Fortuny pillows with a fluffy, Mongolian lamb pillow.
transformed what would normally be just a
regular, dark eggplant color, into a color of
interest by using a gloss finish on the walls.
This was especially successful in the living
room because the gloss immediately added
life to the space which prevented the area
from becoming too dark and heavy. In places
like the kitchen, we were able to go with a
very dark stain on the cabinets as well as dark
countertops thanks to the abundant natural
light that shines through three out of the four
walls. The aubergine and earth tones were
reflected throughout the house by using various shades and hues in that color palette.
40
Talk about elements In the living room:
What inspired the tent-like walls in the
Because there isn’t a lot of pattern throughout
the home, we made a conscious decision to
layer contrasting textures in the same color
palette instead. On the couch, we mixed
two hand-printed Fortuny pillows with a
fluffy, Mongolian lamb pillow. (Although
the Fortuny pillows do have pattern, the
mostly monotone color scheme throughout
the room helps keep the impact subdued
and the design cohesive.) We also brought
in a metal coffee table with a sexy shape
and a gilted Bergère chair from the 1800s to
add dimension.
pool house?
The inspiration for the pool house circles
back to the clients desire to hire a designer
who would incorporate a fresh approach
to design while still creating a comfortable,
functional space. Thinking creatively, I pondered how wonderful it would be to create
a tent out of this room. I pulled some pictures of late nineteenth century rooms that
had been completely covered in upholstered
stripes to show to my clients. Needless to say,
they loved the idea, so we bought yards and
yards of awning stripe linen and upholstered
AL 41
When I design dining rooms, particularly when they are
to
square shaped and small in size, I like
envelope the guests in a cozy, jewel box-like environment.
the whole space. The architect, who designed
the structure, added a really cool ladder to
give access to the loft bed, and also installed
a Murphy bed along the back wall. While the
space works as a guest room, it also functions
quite well as a little pool house—we installed
a built-in, metal kitchenette with a refrigerator, counter space, a microwave, and metal
shelves to house plates and glasses.
dining room fit those criteria, so we upholstered the walls in a pale aubergine silk, and
in an effort to keep the palette pretty similar throughout the room, we surrounded the
dark, round table with fully upholstered dining room chairs, done in a pale silvery-purple
(the same hue as the walls). The chandelier of
fifty hand-blown glass bulbs incorporated a
touch of sparkle for balance.
Describe the elements of the dining room:
Talk about the kitchen area:
When I design dining rooms, particularly
when they are square shaped and small in
size, I like to envelope the guests in a cozy,
jewel box-like environment. This particular
The design vocabulary resonates throughout the kitchen—from the bold, heartiness
of the dark cabinets with the old-world steel
upper cabinets (which is a modern spin on
4242
antique Belgian breakfast table with a zinc top and some wonderful wicker
chairs that blend really well with the casual atmosphere of the kitchen.
We also included an
a material used in the late nineteenth century for kitchen countertops and containers)
to the glisten of the Alison Berger pendants
hanging above the island. The rough, antique
flooring brought over from France, juxtaposed next to the black wood and metal cabinets, adds visual interest. We also included
an antique Belgian breakfast table with a zinc
top and some wonderful wicker chairs that
blend really well with the casual atmosphere
of the kitchen.
the headboard of the bed, and then the design for the rest of the room fell into place. I
do not recall what initially inspired the idea
for the headboard; it just felt like the right decision to make in order to create a space that
would work well with the rest of the house.
Everything falls into place after you make
that initial decision in terms of a direction
for the room.
What inspired the headboard in the
unusual ideas?
master bedroom?
The clients were very receptive to most of the
unusual ideas that we presented. They loved
those unexpected design elements, like upholstering the whole area of the pool house
or using high gloss paint on the walls in the
living room. It was really fun to be able to
work with people who were open to design
that pushed the traditional boundaries a bit.
They wanted a comfortable home, but they
also wanted that “Ah-Ha” moment!
AL :: www.rozalynnwoods .com
Did it take a lot of convincing to get
the clients on board with your
We decided to use antique Swedish doors for
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Reality Show
ART
T H E A RT OF A DA M V I N S ON
text: ADAM VINSON
photography: ADAM VINSON
Sometimes described as a trompe l’oeil painter, Vinson likes painting elements
like masking tape to further fool his audience.
Describe a memory that you attribute to
your passion for art:
Every kid draws; I think it’s a fundamental aspect of a child’s growth. I do remember my mother always encouraging my
interest in drawing by supplying me with
sketchbooks and pencils, and I remember
being totally elated when she got me a subscription to American Artist magazine at
age eleven.
Tell us about your journey as an artist:
I decided to pursue traditional painting immediately after graduating high school. I conveniently lived blocks away from our community college and knew of a reputable painting
instructor there, so the natural step was to
enroll in their commercial art and illustration
program. After finishing that curriculum,
44
I began studies with Anthony Waichulis,
a renowned trompe l’oeil painter, who had
recently opened a studio for the instruction
of drafting and painting. After finishing the
program at The Waichulis Studio, I continued
my studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of
the Fine Arts in 2002.
it, to read about it, and to talk about it. The
motivation and inspiration comes from being
engaged in it.
Describe for us your oil paintings:
Why do you choose to use oil paint?
In terms of materials, I paint in oil and primarily on panel as opposed to canvas. I’ve
always enjoyed the sturdy support rather
than the bounce of canvas. As far as the imagery goes, I’ve been referred to as a trompe
l’oeil painter (trompe l’oeil meaning “to trick
the eye”), and although I do a fair amount of
work in this style, I do also enjoy traditional
still life and portrait work.
Oil paint is a traditional painting medium. It
has a long, rich history that appeals to me. I
like the way it smells and the way it feels, and
I like the versatility when painting with it.
What is your motivation for creating
these pieces?
We all have things we enjoy doing above all
else. Those things we look forward to. Painting is that for me. I love to do it, to look at
What inspires you to achieve such a
photo-realistic quality in your paintings?
It seems I’ve always been driven to recreate
what I see in an accurate way. Studying with
Anthony Waichulis gave me the formal vocabulary to achieve the aesthetic sensibility
I’ve always wanted while also garnering the
ability to analyze and edit what I see so that I
can best translate it into a painting.
AL 45
inspired simply by seeing something that triggers an idea for a composition or a color
relationship, or I can hear something in a passing conversation that inspires a theme or narrative.
I can be
How do you pick the subjects of your
artwork?
Inspiration seems to come in all shapes and
sizes. I can be inspired simply by seeing
something that triggers an idea for a composition or a color relationship, or I can hear
something in a passing conversation that inspires a theme or narrative. There is no rhyme
or reason to the process, and I think that that
is true of any creative endeavor.
has definitely evolved over the past ten years,
but that is expected of any creative process.
My goal is to take the intangible idea, create
an armature in “real life,” and then use creative editing to paint it.
I usually start with a drawing and work
out compositional ideas; and when I begin
painting, I try to stay loose and think in abstract and geometric terms before rendering
the painting.
Talk some about painting elements like
What do you find visually inspiring that
you can’t wait to recreate in your art?
Inspiration is the seesaw on which ideas balance. When I find something that excites me,
I usually just go for it. For example, I’ve been
thinking about painting a Japanese umbrella
for a while now, and I finally have the time
to take on that project. Maybe tomorrow I
might find a traffic cone interesting, and I’ll
file that away for another time.
What challenges do you face as an
masking tape to enhance the subject of
Describe for us the atmosphere when you
artist?
the painting:
are painting:
Since much of my work is in a trompe l’oeil
style and the ultimate goal is to fool the viewer into believing that the painting is actually
depicting real objects, masking tape becomes
a handy tool to convey this illusion. It’s flat
and recognizable, and it holds objects up well
and believably enough to get the point across.
I do also use tape as a compositional element
to direct the eye around the painting.
I use artificial light when I work, so that affords me the ability to work at any time of
the day and in any setting. I find my most
productive times of work to be early morning and late at night. It’s a solitary practice,
so I usually listen to the radio to keep up
on current events and sometimes music as
background noise. Other times, I just prefer
silence when I work. I like to keep materials
fairly orderly and clean. I’m not a fan of mess.
The biggest challenge is juggling the creative
appetite with the logistical and business aspects of advancing the work from the studio
to the market. Aside from dealing with the
mental filing of ideas and creative challenges
to actually bring a painting to fruition, there
are the sometimes laborious clerical and custodial responsibilities to tackle as well.
How would you say your art/your style
differs from other contemporary artists?
Talk about a moment within your career
There are many painters who work with the
same aesthetic intentions. Where we differ is
in what we choose to paint, how we paint it,
and what we want to say with it.
that you will never forget:
What is the most fulfilling part about
your work?
In my experience, a painting has a surge to
it. It’s by-the-book in the beginning, it really gets interesting when everything is being
fleshed in, and then there are some exciting
moments before the finish. It’s those exciting
moments that are most fulfilling to me.
Describe the process of creating a
painting:
Once the idea is set into motion, I need to
find the best way to illustrate it in life so that
I may translate it into a painting. My process
46
There are many moments, but one that seems
to come back to me from time to time and
one that helps me relax when the work starts
to become overwhelming is a memory of
being around eighteen or nineteen and just
learning how to work with oil paint. It was
foreign and new, but it was exciting. Remembering the smell of the paint and the innocence of thinking about its endless possibilities is a real treasure to me.
What is your favorite subject matter?
I find the human face to be challenging and
exciting to paint. It’s recognizable, and it can
give the viewer a sense of familiarity. The face
is so identifiably proportioned that when it
looks “off,” it really looks “off.” Therein lies
the challenge.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you
be doing?
I don’t even want to think about that. Sometimes I think it’s the only thing I can do, and
that’s why I’m still doing it.
Talk about your life outside of your work:
There’s that saying that states if you love what
you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
So for now, I still love what I do. It’s probably
my biggest passion. Aside from that, I love
music, running, and spending time with my
family and friends.
AL :: www.adamvinson.net
I find the human face
to be challenging and
exciting to paint. It’s
recognizable, and it can
give the viewer a sense
of familiarity. The face
is so identifiably
proportioned that when
it looks “off,” it really
looks “off.” Therein lies
the challenge.
AL 47
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King of Prussia, PA
www.remindermedia.com
(866) 458-4226
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The Shanner Financial Group
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1100 First Avenue
Suite 200
King of Prussia, PA 19406
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123 Main Street
King of Prussia, PA 19406
The Shanner Financial Group
Shanner Financial
1100 First Avenue, Suite 200
King of Prussia, PA
www.remindermedia.com
(866) 458-4226