Field Notes
A binnacle of Mariana's tasteful footsteps
A TROPICAL SENSE
March 18, 2020
On creating and letting elements guide the way.
Above: Camu Camu, amazonian fruit.
Above: Cacao Cobs
I had been commissioned to create 3 images for the cover of WOK, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Bogotá which holds some of the most admirable sustainable practices in the world. The vision I was meant to interpret and create meant I had to lose all structure and begin creating.
Above: Guanábana or Soursop-- my second favorite fruit
First choosing the surface. Then begin by placing the anchoring elements. From large to small, making a composition with movement and flow. Adding flowers, leaves, vines that attribute a botanical character and give an almost alive perspective.
Above: wild raspberries
More than ingredients, perhaps more than those necessary details, today, they become references of sustainability, of consciousness. A new project of which I am fascinated to be part of, which bets, sees and understands a context, a reality. WOK, Colombian restaurant and space that represents Asian food. A project that manages to work with the community, with the objectives of RECOGNIZING our roots and promoting the field. An ideal of sustainability that leads us to belong to be interpreters of what is ours.
Stay tuned for the final images...
All Field Notes
Summer movies to travel the world...
My great great grandfather was a medical Doctor right there in Salamina. The town’s main square has a plaque in his honor. My family is proud of our provenance in that little town that the locals also refer to as the “City of Light”, for the many poets, musicians, writers and artists born in that mystical place.
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I arrived at 4am, long before dawn to see the the arrival of milk coming from the near by farms. Dressed in full gear, at a nippy 43 F, I entered the space where blue cheese is made by hand by a man in his late 60's who has had the job for more than two decades. As we stepped into the space she murmured- no bad thoughts, words, or insults- cheese is very sensitive.
Ever since I saw Luca Guadagnino’s In the Mood For Love Milan became an aesthetic obsession for me. Not only is it a city that hosts one of the most influential shows in the World Il Salone del Mobile, but it is also one of the chickest and sophisticated places… all behind closed doors…
Words cannot describe the scents of the city’s waving streets, the beauty of the night market, the purples, lavenders and greens of the Atlas mountains. Here is a photo essay of a trip I made to Marrakech a few years back to shoot and style the James Beard Award Winning cookbook The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert. I traveled across the Atlantic with the brilliant Australian Photographer Quentin Bacon and with my dear friend Natalia to photograph the recipes for Wolfert’s book. Natalia and I shopped at the traditional markets inside the Medina, Schlepped baskets of eggplants, tomatoes and spices. We looked for props at the flea markets and antique shops.
Markets reveal a city’s heart and soul. On my last visit to Mexico City I was searching for flowers for a new fragrance campaign shoot. We started our visit in the rose section and as we walked about calla lilies, carnations, foliage and kitschy arrangements I understood a little bit more about this city’s passion for color and vibrancy
Before dawn, thick fog rolls over the Andes mountains in Bogota. A city perched at 9000 ft above the sea is cool and crisp, with swaying eucalyptus and pine trees framing her. The Paloquemao flower market opens when it is still dark and vendors unpack their treasures using flashlights and now, more and more, cell phone lights.
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Recent Field Notes
Summer movies to travel the world...
My great great grandfather was a medical Doctor right there in Salamina. The town’s main square has a plaque in his honor. My family is proud of our provenance in that little town that the locals also refer to as the “City of Light”, for the many poets, musicians, writers and artists born in that mystical place.
Right downstairs on 28th street at the NYC flower market is my favorite shop Dutch Flower Line. Spring in full force. Peas, tulips, Japanese Ranunculus, poppies...
Nature vibrates around us and yet we tend to miss its magic by being distracted in our digital lives. The wisdom and utter perfection of nature show us patience, balance, faith. It was not a coincidence to meet these people when in search for an object to give to our wedding guests. We wanted something that represented the lush tropics of Colombia and for this to be a present to always remember.
I arrived at 4am, long before dawn to see the the arrival of milk coming from the near by farms. Dressed in full gear, at a nippy 43 F, I entered the space where blue cheese is made by hand by a man in his late 60's who has had the job for more than two decades. As we stepped into the space she murmured- no bad thoughts, words, or insults- cheese is very sensitive.
Ever since I saw Luca Guadagnino’s In the Mood For Love Milan became an aesthetic obsession for me. Not only is it a city that hosts one of the most influential shows in the World Il Salone del Mobile, but it is also one of the chickest and sophisticated places… all behind closed doors…
Words cannot describe the scents of the city’s waving streets, the beauty of the night market, the purples, lavenders and greens of the Atlas mountains. Here is a photo essay of a trip I made to Marrakech a few years back to shoot and style the James Beard Award Winning cookbook The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert. I traveled across the Atlantic with the brilliant Australian Photographer Quentin Bacon and with my dear friend Natalia to photograph the recipes for Wolfert’s book. Natalia and I shopped at the traditional markets inside the Medina, Schlepped baskets of eggplants, tomatoes and spices. We looked for props at the flea markets and antique shops.
Markets reveal a city’s heart and soul. On my last visit to Mexico City I was searching for flowers for a new fragrance campaign shoot. We started our visit in the rose section and as we walked about calla lilies, carnations, foliage and kitschy arrangements I understood a little bit more about this city’s passion for color and vibrancy
Before dawn, thick fog rolls over the Andes mountains in Bogota. A city perched at 9000 ft above the sea is cool and crisp, with swaying eucalyptus and pine trees framing her. The Paloquemao flower market opens when it is still dark and vendors unpack their treasures using flashlights and now, more and more, cell phone lights.
