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there's nothing like the dappled light under old live oaks bent down, grey moss swinging in the warm breeze. ancient moods and languid beauty .
photographs and words by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
what i love so much about edisto is all the wild beauty that abounds there. where there's not a house or some kind of habitation, it looks as wild and primeval as if man had never set foot. these are the open marshes and sky on the half mile walk to botany bay, remnants of old plantations and unchanged for a hundred years or more. wild and free.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
next to christ church on edisto, there is a wonderful community building, equipped for cooking or meetings. i love a red roof faded by the hot hot sun.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
this church is still in its original location, which dates to 1685. it is one of the oldest presbyterian congregations in america. the present church was built in 1831. proud and stately, it has a large, moss-draped cemetery where many of the original plantation owners are buried with names like seabrook and whaley. there is also a small prayer chapel under a live oak.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
couldn't resist the color schemes here. a bight blue summer sky fading everything in sight. more diebenkorn inspirations in olar, sc.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
on the grounds of the old presbyterian church on edisto island, there is a little prayer chapel under an immense oak. there are two benches inside and a little place to write a prayer request and thumb tack it to a bulletin board. the air is hot and still. the light is beautiful
photographs and words by rebecca wood
this place is a mindblower, down in olar, sc. wonderful bones. so many diebenkorn-esque shots from here. and the bathroom is a whole other blog. . .
photographs by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
i always pass by this classic carpenter gothic style church when i'm on the way to edisto. it was built in 1856.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
in the pre- air conditioned age, every southern home had a porch. when the heat built up too much in the house ( which it did ), you retreated to the porch for a cold glass of tea and, hopefully a breeze. the porch offered a respite from the heat indoors and out. it functioned as a place of leisure, but also as an outdoor workspace to shell peas and shuck corn. utilizing the front porch increased visitation between neighbors and passers by, and served as a pleasant place to entertain company.
here's some of the southern porches in my neighborhood -
photographs and words by rebecca wood
if you're ever heading down hiway 64 from augusta to edisto, stop in olar, sc. and take a look. lots of great spaces to inspire. maybe we need to move down there and start a commune. this one was killing me with its' red painted brick and faded trim.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
this state park is located on beech island, sc. it is just south of augusta, ga. it was built in 1857, and served 3 generations of hammonds. it is situated on a high hill to capture the breezes. the central hall has 14 foot ceilings and is over 20 feet wide; it was used for balls and grand occasions. the doors at each end could be opened to get some pleasant ventilation going. there are grand views out the second story doors. it was modernized with bathrooms in the '30's, but otherwise is still in its original shape. there is a slave cabin on the premisis and an allee of old magnolia trees.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
time for my annual visit to edisto island. i always make a trip out to botany bay, a 4800 acre park. it's the combined remnants of two old plantations, 'sea cloud' and 'bleak house'. finally there was one man living there that had inherited it all. he ended up donating to the DNR. it's a half mile walk to the beach, over expanses of marsh grass. once you're there, it's 2 miles of undisturbed natural beauty.
the shoreline is changing, and the salt water is encroaching on the woods by the beach. the oaks and palms aregradually dying. they fall over into the surf and are sanded clean in no time, becoming bleached bones on the beach, becoming endless stark beauty.
photographs and words by rebecca wood
photograph by kristin karch
if you are looking for some inspiration this summer, head on over to 'MADE', at the hudgen's art center in duluth, georgia. it is a group show of powerhouse women: natalie chanin of alabama chanin, susan hable of hable construction, rebecca wood of r.wood studio, and rita mae pettway, one of the quilters of gee's bend. there is a 48 foot long wall of the history of rebecca's ceramics, starting with the very first one. there are wonderful, large botanical drawings by susan hable, as well as a couple of hand painted chairs and an inspiration wall. alabama chanin shows her famously hand stitched outfits and the pattern cut outs that they must use as a guide. there are 8 colorful quilts.
this show is wonderful not only for the creative output exemplified, but for the strong current of female energy that it embodied. drawing, sewing, decorating, making plates and quilts for the home - these are the feminine arts. no man could make this. everything in the show is fused with this wonderful energy. it's a very organic show how it all works together. go and see for yourself! the exhibit will be up through sept. 24
words and photographs by rebecca wood
photograph by rebecca wood
