BALANCE

A series of journeys.....

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes




BALANCE

is a means of maintaining a state of equilibrium within our life. We balance the pros and cons before making our final choices in everything we do. By asking ourselves the right questions, the final answers may determine many incredible life changing decisions. We consider, compare and assess until what is right for us peaks from around the heavy velvet curtains that have been blocking our view of reality and we are reasonably able to come out on to the open stage and perform in front of the world....for better or worse.

To have achieved true balance in your life is to have attained the proper definition of freedom......unrestricted and able to move, think, speak, imagine and believe without constant fear of rejection or malice. With this achievement comes responsibility. We become guides or role models, if you will, for others to look upon with hope mixed with a measure of envy....in a way....for to have reached such enormous heights, become stable in one's mind about personal feelings and obtain pure peace in our hearts, is indeed enviable. We now become the teachers and it is our responsibility and duty to guide others along the paths that will, hopefully, lead them to a destination of true balance in their own lives, if their desire for it is genuine and honest.

As in design, a harmonious arrangement or proportion of elements within it serves to please and heighten the senses, may it be in nature, art, decor, architecture, landscape.....we see a purpose to flatter and exhibit shapes and forms, collections and colors in such a way as to achieve a balance of nature in a world filled with, otherwise, human imbalance. A world often overshadowed by bias, lopsidedness, unfairness and inequality....human elements that only serve to corrupt the beautiful, natural design generously offered to each of us as we enter and re-enter this world. To eventually alter this gift of balance or to keep it intact is a decision we humans end up having to make....an exercise in free will. Wrong or right, through thick and thin, with contempt or respectfulness for others, these are for us to choose between no matter how fierce or practical outside influences can be.

If love be a counterpoise to hate, shall we reason that both emotions are needed to strike a balance? To be able to absorb one emotion, it is necessary to experience, breathe-in and feel the opposite one and embrace each with every fiber of our being allowing time itself to become champion of the cause. Look into the symmetrical energy of the face in front of you, your child, your partner, your friend and even your  enemy. See first hand the beauty and harmony combined to form a proportionate arrangement that is pleasing to the eye and the senses. Encounter the unique power we have to discern by way of our own values and emotions the measure of our hearts and strike that balance needed to push us forward; make us stronger, more understanding and, ultimately, whole.

Listen to the rhythm of your beating heart. Drink in the beauty that surrounds you with open eyes and challenge yourself each day to extract pure joy from a mundane, earthly existence.....absolute love from a life of spiritual well-being. Combine them, stir them together to create a potent elixir and drink deeply from this cup for its contents is certain to provide you with an abundance of happiness; a life crafted and creatively balanced by personal experience and conviction.





Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SCULPTURE: Caracole ~ 2014
ARTIST: Nadine Fourré
PHOTO © Jacqueline E. Hughes

THOUGHTS ABOUT ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

 A series of short stories.....

My Fairy Tale Dream Home

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Although I appreciate the crisp, clean lines of modern design, I remain, at heart, a lover of the classic style with an emphasis towards rich fabrics, natural wood and stone, crystal fixtures and, dare I say it......columns!  Greek and Roman architecture has always influenced my particular design scope in one way or another.

My fascination with certain colors.....blues, greens, shades of terracotta, grays and pinks, cream......all lend themselves to the classical style.  I can remember receiving a beautiful small porcelain doll for my fourth birthday from my Aunt Lou Lou.  She was young and stylish and carefree and I loved her for all of these reasons.  My precious doll, I named Lou Lou, had long, black hair, ice-blue eyes and crimson lips the exact shade of my Mother's lipstick that I loved so much.  Her tiny straw hat sported an even tinier pink rose above its wide brim and her petite porcelain feet slid into the smallest black velvet slippers I'd ever seen.  However, my delight with Lou Lou's appearance  settled around her lace, satin dress.  The use of color blew me away and I was only four!

The elegant deep cream-colored satin material of the main body of her dress was complimented by crisp, white cotton collar and cuffs that were squared-off and trimmed with the tiniest black velvet ribbon and cream lace.  Clean, simple and sophisticated described her attire! Being so young, I'm certain that I could not have told you why I liked this color combination so much; I could only understand that I did.



Our Front Entrance in Florida

Lou Lou's color palette is incorporated into my life to this day. The color scheme of our Floridian stucco-style home consists of a main body of taupe with arches and a square front column framed by white and the front entrance door is as black as Lou Lou's soft slippers.



Disney's Cinderella Castle

Every little girl believes or is told that she is a Princess at least once in her lifetime and she can't help but fantasize about living in the perfect home.....her castle!  Well, perhaps, her father the King's castle but, nevertheless, her imagination runs wild with the assistance of every Disney Princess holding her hand to guide her along the primrose path towards her personal allusions of grandeur and the eventual handsome Prince to fall in love with. And this, my friends, is every little girls' "rite of passage!"  Given all of this (she says with a sigh), European architecture has greatly impacted my design sense with regard to shape, materials and texture.

In 1990 we made our initial adventure into Europe!  Within the freedom of our rental car, we traversed the countryside passing ancient stone farmsteads surrounded by the sweetness of a newly harvested crop.  Makeshift picnic lunches of bread, cheese and fruit were enjoyed from stone outcrops overlooking the red tiled roofs of small French village homes located deep down in the valley or, while nestled within the gravity-defying hillside vineyards in Germany that majestically outlined the stunning Mosel River far below.



Neuschwanstein Castle as seen from Mary's Bridge

Trudging up the narrow path on our way up to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, located to the south-west of Munich near the town of Fussen and close to the Austrian border, I remembered how this particular castle was purported to be the prototype for Disney's Cinderella Castle.  Making it to the top and being amazed by the grand scale of this magnificent structure, I could fully realize the impact it had on Walt Disney, as well.  His fertile imagination incorporated the magic of Neuschwanstein Castle when he created the 'perfect home' for every little Princess lucky enough to visit Disneyland and Disney World.

We entered the vast cities of Munich, Paris, Bonn and London, falling madly in love with the people, the delicious variety of food and the opportunity to immerse ourselves within the 'energy' that only a vibrant, large city can provide.  Both Dan, a builder by trade, and I  expected to be blown-away by the expressive architecture of each of these grand cities and, we were not disappointed!



Brick Tudor Design

Years before, while attending college at Michigan State University, I would often pass-by the interesting homes flanking West Grand River Ave. linking this beautiful college town with the capital city of Lansing.  This is precisely when my love affair with European-style cottage designs began.  I learned that many of these homes fell under the Tudor Revival Architecture category that frequently employed a variety of materials including stone, brick, stucco and half-timbering.  I recall cascades of pink summer roses adorning the front entrances like aromatic shawls and fig ivy rooting into mortar and snaking along its prey until masses of shiny leaves shrouded the brick facade in a dense coat of living green.



Half-Timbered Tudor Design

While studying the history behind these fabulous structures, I have learned that the "cottage craze" began in America shortly after World War I and continued throughout the 1920's and 1930's. According to Stand-Out Cabin Designs, American soldiers returning from Europe at the end of the war were enamored with the French (and, particularly English) cottages they had seen while traveling abroad.  The ideas and images captured in their minds were subsequently conveyed to American architects, designers and builders who then interpreted and incorporated them in their new home designs.

I was hooked then and have remained so ever since.  Captivated early on by these cozy, European home designs, traveling to Europe to see this cottage style for myself was inevitable.


Stephen Fuller (Architect)

Several years ago the Architect Stephen Fuller of Stephen Fuller Designs near Atlanta, Georgia, attracted my attention because many of his elevation designs and floor plans corresponded with the cottage ideas I admire so much.  His use of several combinations of natural materials such as stone and wood display the profound influence of European architecture.  Though generally not precise copies, his "Americanized" versions are, nevertheless, characteristically picturesque and charming in their own right!  And, why yes, I do have a specific Fuller house plan in mind for any possible future reference....

Order, symmetry and balance.......check;
Fireplace, focal point in room........check;
Natural colors and materials.........check;
And, the use of elegant fabrics.......check and double-check!

Our Indoor Use of Pillars and Arches

That little girl at the age of four had been offered a look into the future through the icy-blue eyes of her favorite doll and instinctively connected how the use of color, texture, shape, light and style would become important factors in her life.  Today, I incorporate all of these ideas whether I am finding the perfect fabric for window treatments, repurposing old cabinetry into a new kitchen design or while taking pictures with my trusty Canon or convenient iPhone camera to be added to my various photo collections.

No matter what your particular style of design might be, sage advice for all of us would be to remember to trust your 'eye' and your instincts and together they are certain to take you on the most amazing adventures!

*What design style have you incorporated into your life?
*Do you have a wide color palette or prefer a white theme?
*Is repurposing items something you enjoy doing?
*if so, what is the last thing you've repurposed?


Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

THE POWER OF COLOR

A series of short stories.....





Proudly Displaying Our Nation's Colors:

"The red stands for the sturdy qualities of hardiness and courage.
The white stands for the honest virtues of purity and innocence.
The blue stands for the durable qualities of vigilance, perseverance and justice."

Judy A. Lee




.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Someone once asked me if my 'sense of sight' were to be taken away from me today, what would I miss seeing the most?  With little  hesitation, my reply was......color.

I'm being purely selfish here, however, as an observer of life, I've often thought about losing the ability to listen to the sounds of nature, as well as the man-made world around me.  Or, suddenly relinquishing the power to see the beauty of life that encapsulates every fiber of our being inside the complicated act of light receptors within our eyes.  Color: A property depending on the relations of light to the eye, by which individual and specific differences in the hues and tints of objects are apprehended in vision; any hues distinguished from white or black.  Courtesy of Webster's Dictionary.  Okay, that's as technical as I plan on getting.

 

Usually, I apply my observations towards certain characters that reside in my 'other world' of writing to see how they might react to various trauma and unfortunate circumstances.  I definitely  place myself in a precarious situation in the attempt to balance my 'real' world with my 'make believe' one.  Emotionally reaching-out to my characters has provided insight into my personal reaction to loss and failure.  And, without a doubt, this has greatly influenced my life.  How I choose to allow it to affect me is one of the main reasons I decided that abruptly leaving behind a world filled with brilliant color would turn my life upside down.

Once having had or experienced something positive and beautiful  makes the sudden loss of it even more devastating.  The 'designer' in me is shaking her head up and down right now. 

Wherever you happen to be standing or sitting at this very moment, take a long look around you; observe your surroundings.  Run your hand along the curvature of the  wooden desk you might be sitting at.  Take in the pronounced height and breadth of the room you occupy as you study the large framed painting on the wall hanging just to your left.  Step through the doorway to the outside and feel the warmth of the sun kissing your skin as you inhale the delicious sweetness of the flowers flourishing in your corner garden.  Concentrate on the vibrating humming sound of a honey bee in flight deciding which flower to feast on in order to  extract its sweet nectar and pollen before moving on. 



The Humble Honey Bee

Provided you are receptive of this imagery, each picture can elevate you to a much higher awareness of the world immediately around you.  The scenarios have taken our mundane existence and repositioned it in a loftier light through the use of words and colored visual images.  The glossy mahogany desk takes on its own style with a flair of sex appeal as it replicates the female form.  The room grows much larger in stature as you take-in the oversized silver-framed painting on the wall.  The power of the bright white sun is heightened by how warm your arm is becoming as your nostrils broaden to better inhale the amorous overtones of a single, red rose.  And, where would any of us be if it were not for the hard working honey bee, dressed in black and yellow striping, making his daily collections?

The power of color has always served to enhance and intensify the beauty of our world.

The power of color can illustrate the widespread devastation and havoc of natural disasters and wartime imagery.

The power of color illuminates and clarifies our surroundings via light and enlightenment.  The application of color transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary!  The use of color is an adaptation process that changes or modifies something to suit new conditions or needs.

Many artists will tell you, whether they apply paint, crystals, cloth or ancient stones to form their particular creations, that the personal adaption of color marks the individual set of emotions and style that characterizes their particular work.  From the brush strokes of a Monet painting to the many inspiring men and women who have an eye for the design and decorating of interior spaces....their use of color within their own style sets them apart from everyone else.

The power of color can be quite invigorating!

Have you ever seen a certain color and had it evoke a special taste or smell within you?  Perhaps the color orange conjures up the aroma of orange blossoms when you walked through an orchard in Florida.  Or, umber tones might remind you of the heap of cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on toast as a child.  The 'sound of color' can be just as real to us as a familiar song, reintroduced to our conscience mind, can elicit memories from our past. Walt Disney had a mission of bringing the depth and power of music to kids by introducing eight pieces of classical music and setting them to animation over seventy years ago.  The movie Fantasia has become a loving classic to many generations of fans.  From the deep blue, swirling darkness of the night sky a demon conjures up dark angels in "Night On Bald Mountain."  Mickey Mouse himself is the iconic "Sorcerer's Apprentice" who introduces us to marching brooms of golden straw and rising blue water that threatens his world.  This classic movie taught us to see the music and hear the pictures all in amazing color and stereo!!



Western North Carolina Mountains

Yes, losing the ability of enjoying first-hand the colorful, natural beauty of our world would terrify me after having walked among the deep green forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, photographed the smoky blues and grays of the Western North Carolina mountains,  observed at least forty shades of green along the Connemara coastline in Ireland and marveled at the azure seas of the Mediterranean off the southern coast of France!  If so, my memory and imagination would surely have to  become my best friends!

I have lived to witness the intense green and startling blues of my grandchildren's eyes!  I will never forget the picture-perfect rainbows arching high above the Caha Mountains along Ireland's Bantry Bay after a warm afternoon shower.  The myriad of colors that fill the burlap bags overflowing with fresh spices, oceans of sweet, cellophane-wrapped cut flowers (lavender, pink, yellow, red) and endless varieties of farm fresh cheeses displayed in colorful rows remind me of days spent at the open-air markets of France.

Life is color.  Color is life.  I will never neglect or take for granted the impressive power of color.  I have so much more yet to see.....

Farmer's Market in Asheville, North Carolina

Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved