seen but not heard: in full bloom

After weeks of being pummeled by blizzard after blizzard, where snow ceased to be measured in inches and moved to feet, I have finally thawed out, collected my thoughts and a few highlights from a period of near photolessness. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, that is, when the white stuff wasn't coming down hard enough to soak me to the skin, I would go out exploring while it was still pristine. We have since devolved into crusty blackened mountains of snow pushed to remote corners of shopping center parking lots and chunky gray slush puddles lurking at every crosswalk.

ice nest © Laura Kicey, All Rights Reserved.

When cabin fever had just about squelched the life out of me, after blizzard number 2, I started chatting with a male model signed with Wilhemina. My car still buried, I mused to him how much I'd love to shoot a model in this snow, if only he were closer. Much to my surprise - I found he lived less than a mile away and we decided to get together the next day for a spur of the moment test shoot wandering around town.

photography: laura kicey / model: brenden von medicus for wilhemina / wardrobe: model's own

the hunter © Laura Kicey, All Rights Reserved.

A very brief reprieve from precipitation happened to coincide with Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown, so Pete, Goldberg, Shanners and I convened for some dragon dancing and explosive vegetable matter. Go Tigers!

a pagoda is born © Laura Kicey, All Rights Reserved.

A walk in West Philly yielded a fresh construct in green and cream.

tower of babel © Laura Kicey, All Rights Reserved.

And I survived five years on flickr with a little self portrait to celebrate.

icicle © Laura Kicey, All Rights Reserved.

Last but not least, I've started shooting again for Terrain this year - Spring MUST be drawing near, I can smell flowers! - and most recently went to the Philadelphia International Flower Show to document their booth in the marketplace. It was the first time in the nearly seven years I've lived here that I have ever been and much to my surprise, the entire back wall of the booth was a grid of photo prints of photos I have taken for them over the past couple years. Like a mini gallery show of my work!

Back of the Terrain booth / Philadelphia International Flower Show © Laura Kicey for Terrain at Home, All Rights Reserved.

I had always heard good things about the flower show - granted most of the displays were not entirely complete while I was there - but I really had quite high expectations in terms of inventiveness of the displays... and I was for the most part disappointed. Terrain's booth was not in the display category (they were in the area where items were for sale rather than amongst the judged displays) - but it was very beautifully put together as a retail display (and I'm not being biased). There were a couple standouts, including the display by Moda Botanica.com/ which was pretty phenomenal and took best of show. They stacked 6 large cargo shipping containers and created room-like displays within it, utilizing mirrors, packing materials, graffiti, wheat paste art, and an intricate framework of fluorescent intertwined sticks with coordination orchids, among other dazzling things.

moda botanica - best of show

moda botanica - best of show

I was also wowed by a display comprised of hundreds of tiny glass globe vases suspended by nylon thread, filled with a gradation of colored water and cut flowers in a complimentary gradation of colors.

hanging garden

Overall, I felt like a lot of the more elaborate and/or large displays were rather lacking in actual flowers, leaning heavily on greenery which seemed counterintuitive - as it is a flower show. Perhaps they will fill them out a bit more upon completion. If you are horticulturally inclined, or already planning on going to the Flower Show already - it starts February 28. Enjoy!

Labels: art, constructs, fashion, flowers, happiness, michael, photography, shannon, winter

Saturday, February 27, 2010

in full bloom

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