Figure 8

“It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages,
at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone.”
~ Erica Jong

I did some product shots of all eight liquid perfumes this morning. I find the differences in the color of each perfume capitivating...much like the essences which go into their creation. The spectrum moves from the forest green of "Q" through shades of umber and amber to the sparking orange of Vespertina.

From left to right: "Q", Vera, Sierra, Chaparral, Aurora, Lyra, Rosa and Vespertina.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™

The Garden, part 2

Last Friday was the first day of the Native Pant Sale at the Theodore Payne Foundation. We are re-doing our landscape to incorporate as many indigenous plants as possible. Early last Friday my mom and I trekked out to Sun Valley to purchase natives. I arrived back in the Santa Monica Mountains with a treasure trove of new friends to plant into our clay soil.
The first weekend sale is for members only. I purchased quite a few Ceanothus, which will cover the majority of the front slope, intermingled with Yarrow, Manzanita and Sage and Island Alum under the Oaks. We will need to return again for more plants. Planning the garden has been like formulating a painting or perfume. All the elements of design must be employed; texture, repetition, contrast, scale and a unifying theme.
The Ceanothus consists mostly of 'Yankee Point' with a few 'Heart's Desire' and 'Centennial'. Eventually we will also plant more Oaks as well. I plan to experiment with all of these for the tinctures in my Californica series of perfumes. Some are already in Vera and Chaparral. The new perfume to this series, Rosa and Sierra, also contain local native tinctures. Rosa and Sierra will be available soon. Thank You to all of you who have sampled them and are patiently waiting for the quarter ounce liquid perfume. Californica samplers will be available as well.
The Native Plant Sale at the Foundation opens to non-members this Friday. I suggest getting there early with a list and plenty of time. Plastic for the interior of your car, gardening gloves, full water bottle and a notepad are also a great addition for the trek. If you need help, seek out Louise, she is very knowledgeable and friendly. While you are there sign up to be a member. Membership helps support this important non-profit. Members get a discount on plants and classes, as well as receiving the Poppy newsletter filled with native plant garden tips.
Why go native?
1) Aesthetic Value: A native garden is stunning and fits the authentic beauty of California.
2) Once established native plants require very little water!
3) Genetics, these native plants only exist in California, the genetic material thrives here. Why create a garden with plants indigenous to the east coast of Europe when we have a plethora of 6000 species of plants. Natives are considered "Pre-European", they evolved without human impact. By continuing to plant natives we avoid genetic contamination and cross pollinating.
A paradigm shift is required when we first begin to look at natives. The color and texture palette is quite different. Similar to the adjustment when we shift from synthetic to botanical perfume. We make a choice that positively impacts our health and the wellbeing of the land.

A really beauty filled native garden to visit is the one at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden located in the foothills, up Mission Canyon Road. Not to be missed is the Redwood Forest residing next to the
dam. SBBG offer several docent guided tours which I highly recommend.

When you become a member of the Theodore Payne Foundation you will be given a fantastic book, conveniently in both English and Spanish. Another fantastic book is California Native Plants for the Garden.
The Theodore Payne Foundation
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

This photo was taken in 2005 at the SBBG. The structure in the background was created by Patrick Dougherty.
Patrick Dougherty Installation

Ojai Lavender Festival in Review

The Ojai Lavender Festival on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 was a joy to participate in. This was the 4th year of this celebration of Lavender, the 1st in 2004 with illustrious presenters including Suzanne Catty and Michael Scholes.

The air was permeated with the herbaceous, fruity scent of lavender at Libbey Park when we arrived at 8:30 am. Sandy and Roland Messori of Rivendell Aromatics, had already set up most of their extensive booth and I suspect the majority of the glorious vapors were wafting from their beautiful lavender bouquets and plants.

At 1pm I delivered the keynote presentation on The Art Spirit in Aromatic and Visual Art at the outdoor stage, under a large canopy of coastal live oak trees. It was quite an honor to speak out for the oaks with their presence surrounding us all. I had momentarily flashes of Treebeard and the Ents from the Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.

The talk began with a personal history as an artist working in the mediums of paint and essential oils. I gave an example of how the creation of a visual image and a perfume share the same process, although the tools of the trade vary, in the end you are left with a constructed artwork.

I also shared how the Quercus perfume manifested through a series of synchronistic events, inspired by four oak trees. Quercus was the first perfume of the Californica line with a portion of proceeds supporting the California Oak Foundation

We explored a few elements from the history of aromatherapy and ended with a reminder by Joseph Campbell to "Follow Your Bliss!"

The day was very full with a constant stream of visitors at the booth, recognizing the artwork from various publications and wanting to experience the perfumes. All the perfumes were very well received. Vera, the fragrance created specifically for the festival, and Quercus were the favorites at this event. Visitors included fans, friends, students, clients and Robert Tisserand, shown in the photo above. It was a treat to finally meet him in person and share our perfumes.

My gratitude to Greg, Martha and all my friends for your support as well as Brad and Chiara for the photos!