My Castle, My Home →
Artful and Memorable Gatherings
Once upon a time, in a castle far away, lived a woman who was a photographer….
This is a vignette about a part of my life following my college years. I lived in the West Village in a ‘charming’ (buzz word for small) one bedroom apartment for about twenty years. I always felt grateful to be living on my own, in the heart of Greenwich Village, surrounded my so many restaurants, cafes, beautiful winding streets, and little shops. Above all else, I was pursuing my dream to be a photographer.
Early on I made a decision to keep my fine art photography projects separate from how I’d earn my income. During this time I apprenticed many commercial photographers in New York City (and San Francisco). After a few years, I landed up with some of my own home design accounts and also working as an independent contractor and freelancer for the big design houses and studios where I was a photographer and at times a set designer as well. Overtime, I expanded my client base to include corporate, not for profit and arts and antiques clientele. One of my personal goals was to put some money aside each year so that I could travel abroad. Upon my return I was often inspired by the exotic places I had visited and would transform my apartment into another place or time, drawing from my travel experiences. My idea was that I would host several dinner gatherings for friends and family during the course of two months usually around the winter holidays. First, I’d decide on the designated time or place, then I’d design and hand sew a beautiful tablecloth. I’d use various materials or hand painted muslin to create a tented or cavernous space and then embellish the space until I felt transported myself. Of course, the final step was I’d plan the appropriate menus and set my table. After several weeks, usually a couple of months, I’d take everything down and remember feeling that I had a huge apartment!
My place became a stage for which I would often make a beautiful table cloth and use materials to enhance the sense of time or place. Once my place resembled my vision of that which I was trying to replicate, I would then immerse myself in planning my menus for the winter, especially while my place had become something and somewhere else. I called my place ‘My Castle’ or My Castle on Waverly Place.’ I had been told by many people that when they stepped into it, they felt as though they absolutely felt transported. These ‘artful and memorable gatherings’ always gave me great joy and have become a visual description of a bygone era that was very special to me.