Looking for midwinter inspiration, I took Rob to our favourite flower store, Panda Flowers in Edmonton one day last week. Was it a coincidence that I ended up buying an arrangement similar to the one in Matisse’s Pascal’s Pensées? Once, I even owned the book in the composition, but apparently it didn’t spark joy, so I let it go (long before the Netflix show…).

So instead, I used Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Gaskell / Pascal. I don’t know, the almost rhyme appealed to my odd sense of humour. And also, it’s a good book, and yes, I’ve watched the mini series (and recommend).

I wasn’t trying for any super faithful kind of homage, just a loosely constructed one. But I’m amazed by those photographers who are able to recreate the modern world based on a historical painting. For example, Maisie Maud Broadhead. This is quite honestly a very deep rabbit hole I could all too easily disappear down.

Is there a painting you’d like to riff on in your photos? or in words? Which painting calls to you right now?