And unexpectedly, I find that secret space. That place of natural beauty and freedom which I crave to find.Just a mile from the town centre, I pass a pond and pub beside a village green and trudge up along twisting paths towards Ashtead Common.
And here, I find lush grass to tread amidst ancient trees. I look out from darkest woodland onto ripening cornfields under open skies.
I run happily for half an hour in looping backtracks and then, around the corner of a clearing, a deer darts into the forest right in front of me.
I lose myself, far too literally, and it’s not an hour, but ninety minutes which detain me from my desk. It’s three miles more than an easy five which bring me tired and muddy back to Epsom.
I feel flush and flustered, and the office air stands tense and still and unforgiving in the early summer heat. I ponder that there’s no commendation, surely, for any newly-hired explorer who can’t find a mid-sized suburban town in broad daylight, and from point blank range.
Here, not twenty miles from Tower Bridge, I’ve discovered my secret space. And more than that, I’ve found a home.
This entry was posted in 2007, life and times, music, summer, Surrey and Sussex, training. Bookmark the permalink.	
Thank you, Jonas. It takes a while to adapt to any new environment, and getting to know the lie of the land roundabouts is always a good way to settle in.
The trick, though, is probably to do this without contriving too many two hour lunch breaks in those early weeks.
I can empathise with your need for natural beauty, Roads. I would now hate to be confined to a city without easy access to the country!
Many thanks, Sarah, and congratulations on your promoarts site, too. It looks great and there is some marvellous art there, as well.
And what a pleasure it must be to have a vignoble as sponsor ! That’s a really excellent move – just can’t imagine why I didn’t think of it before …
Roads – that was lovely. I know exactly how you feel and can imagine how difficult it must be to be cooped up in some stuffy office.
I am very fortunate in that I am able to walk to work (it takes me 35 minutes ) and my journey takes me through a park full of cheeky red squirrels and along the banks of the Isère (foot and cycle paths – no traffic). Just listening to the water lapping and the birds singing put me in a wonderful mood for the rest of the day and gives me strength…
Hello: this time it’s Diane not Sarah! I read your editorials and found the peace and serenity needed before a long day’s work.
Epsom – childhood memories far far away….but your writing brought them back with a wave of images and perfumes long forgotten.
Many thanks. You’re very lucky to walk to work, and it’s amazing to think of that water in your River Isere flowing down to you in Grenoble all the way from the reservoir at Tignes-les-Brevieres, and all those beautiful mountain streams and glaciers far above.
It’s more than high time for an artistic soul to raise the tone around here, so I hope you’ll stay a while.
The three paintings on that post were sold for Cancer Research….they were the three I liked the most, becoz when you give a present – it should be what you love the most!
Like all artists I so happy to know you like what I do, and actually en ce moment I’m working like a madwoman – just feel inspired…….
I love your blog – its like a lovely wander down a cool lane when your are tired and fed up at the end of the day, you just click on to your roads of stone…..and you feel all relaxed. It’s beautifully written to, so please excuse my appaling english.
Sarah and I are getting on our horses again to organise an evening for sick children – so if you could give us a mail contact we would write to you and tell you all as we go along. For the time being I’ll be mainly bashing down people’s door to get funding…..ouuuups
Thanks again, Diane. You did really well to donate your favourite works to charity – it must have hurt, so very well done.
Cancer Research is a cause which is very close to my own heart, as well. Bonne chance with raising your funds for sick children, too.
The cult of Karl Lagerfeld now extends to furniture. The fashion designer and restless creative has just unveiled his first collection of sculptural designs with the renowned destination Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris, which runs from October 9 through December 23. And we have a first-look at the installation.
The Architectures series is directly influenced by Greco-Roman design principles, calling on canonical proportions and the golden ratio. This is not a demure gathering of first-attempt work; the Kaiser went headfirst into a strong, disciplined collection. It includes gueridons, tables, lamps, consoles, fountains and mirrors—all influenced by antiquity, which Lagerfeld notes in his quest for beauty and modernity. The precise proportions, exacting columns, and purity in form are all apparent in the space, featuring a strict backdrop of black.
It’s smart scenography, given that marble is Lagerfeld’s material of choice. Each limited-edition piece is carved from either Arabescato Fantastico, a rare white marble with dark grey veins, or black Nero Marquina marble, prized for its subtle white “brush stroke-like” surface. The pieces were created—from first cut to polishing—by Italian craftsmen. And special attention was paid to details like the lampshades, which were painted by hand using traditional techniques, adding to the well-choreographed tension of old and new (a Lagerfeld specialty, given his creations for the historic house of Chanel).
We’ve seen a lot of fashion/home design crossover (with mixed results) but this project was directed by the designer’s own vision – not the other way around. Which is to say, this is not a Chanel-does-home experience. The line was also developed by French-Lebanese architect and interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman, who collaborated with Lagerfeld on the renovation of the Hôtel de Crillon.
And, like most Carpenters Workshop Gallery exhibitions, the collection is available in extremely limited editions. Only eight pieces have been produced in each marble color. Additionally, there are four artist proofs.
Despite the distinctly ancient influences, the pieces are unadorned and read as contemporary designs. A client with the right eye and very good interiors, should find a piece or two that will play nice at home. But the undeniable fact is that only a few major collaborations like this have outsized appeal—fashion legend plus taste-making gallery. Win-win. The chance to own a first edition Lagerfeld is a tempting offer (the exhibition runs from October 19 to December 22).
“The pieces from the body of work Architectures reflect Karl Lagerfeld’s spirit; strength, elegance and culture combined with an ethereal desirability,” says Carpenters Workshop Gallery co-founder Julien Lombrail. “As a tribute to canon of beauty, these functional sculptures are conceived within the aesthetic equation developed since the Greek Antiquity. This collection will remain an artistic testimony of one of the most influential creative minds of our time.”