Often, we want everything to match, to look the same, to be part of a set that goes together.
But it is so much easier, and can be just as beautiful, when things don't match, don't look all the same -- when each piece, though it shares characteristics with others, does not look like an exact copy of the rest.
I found this spontaneous arrangement of vintage bobbers and other fishing accoutrements at an antiques mall and was captivated by it. These old bobbers show the patina of age and use, adding to their colorful charm. This is my photograph that I titled "Old Fish Stories." Find it here: https://jon-woodhams.pixels.com/featured/old-fish-stories-jon-woodhams.html
"Bouquet of Flowers," Maria van Oosterwijck, second half of the 17th century.
Van Oosterwijck (1630-1693) was a Dutch painter of still lifes, mostly florals. She was quite a success, and a canny businesswoman, marketing her works to various crowned heads of Europe. She was a professional painter at a time when few women were, but she was still denied membership in the Painter's Guild because of her sex.
By all accounts, she was a deeply religious woman, and many of her paintings include symbols, either through color or other means, of her religious views. Butterflies were to mean the Resurrection, for instance.
She never married, but dedicated herself to her painting. She raised her nephew, and taught one of her servants to paint and be an artist herself, so she could be self-supporting. I like that aspect of her; not only being independent and self-determined, but helping others to be so as well, even if she was denied some opportunities because of the prejudices of the time.
The first Yerres sculpture biennial took place from 14 September to 2 December 2007.
Blending all artistic sensibilities, from figurative to abstract, bronze to wood, terracotta, cardboard and metal, the biennial showcased the vibrancy of sculptural creation in France.
The Caillebotte estate is an ideal place to exhibit such work: the vast gardens are magnificent, and the orangery can accommodate the more fragile pieces.