It has taken me an embarrassingly long time to get the incredible images up from last years FORAGE & FERN workshop! Try as hard as I might, getting things done with an active two year old around is just as challenging as everyone says it is! More fool me for daring to think I could keep up with what was already a crazy busy schedule. I can literally take zero credit for all the beauty you're about to see. We had only just picked up our daughter Rylee from Thailand 6 weeks before the workshop began and I literally wasn't permitted to take her out of the country nor would it have been fathomable to leave her for so long at such an early stage in the adoption and our bonding process. It actually turned out to be an incredibly difficult week for me, and it broke my heart not to be on Galiano Island experiencing the workshop again and getting to see some of my very favourite people in the industry. But enough of that – let's move on to the beauty that got created.
There are four posts in total that will be up over the next week and they're all the brain-child of the incredible Annie & Whitney from THE WELLS MAKERY. They are magic makers of the very best kind! These stunning images are all by Jacob of BRUMLEY & WELLS who is one of my all time favourite photographers! I truly can't say enough good things about this team – including CHARLA STOREY, PONDEROSA & THYME, JONATHAN CANLAS and BELINDA OLSEN from THE FIND LAB, the incredible venue BODEGA RIDGE and DENISE ELLIOTT who created the gorgeous beauty looks across all shoots.- who kept things afloat and represented Magnolia Rouge for me at a time when my hands were tied and I couldn't be present – to say I'm thankful for them is an understatement.
I asked the wonderful Annie to write up more about this shoot. "For this year’s Forage and Fern workshop, we chose the theme “Forth”, which is defined as “Out from a starting point and forward or into view. Onward in time. Moving forward.” This word encompasses the idea of moving forward in adventure, in our relationships, in our craft and in our style, which is something we really wanted people to experience at the Forage and Fern workshop.
Visually, we brought these elements to the week with clean, mid-century modern lines balanced with earthy tones and a bit of abstract texture. We wanted to bring something slightly fashion forward, but still classic. Something playful but still elegant.
But more important than these visual elements was what happened in conversations, at dinners, in the cabins and over coffee. We personally grew immensely from our experience with other vendors and with the attendees, and we are still talking about what we learned and applying those things to our work. Tender conversations were shared all week, delving into the heart of what makes us artists, how our losses and triumphs have shaped us, and what it really means to work in this industry. Many tears and laughs were shared, and massive strides were made.
For the lifestyle shoot, we wanted to depict a couple enjoying a stylish vacation on Galiano Island, enjoying a luxurious morning with coffee on the deck, and then venturing out on their motorcycle in style, the way we see our grandparents in old travel photos. How did their shoes manage to stay so white, and how did they manage to pack those massive coats into their suitcases? The past will always be magical, and we wanted to mix that magic into these scenes with a modern twist. We love the idea of taking classic ideas and running somewhere totally new with them… in this case, with an oversized suede jumpsuit and a very mean motorcycle."
STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS ON THIS YEARS WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK!
