23.1.12

pitcher of water



Last Friday night, I caught a great show on BBC Four, on the making of Simon & Garfunkel's album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Every song from that album has resonated throughout my life (the Boxer, especially) and I'm going to try to find you songs to illustrate posts. This one might not make any sense, but somehow to me, the line 'sail on silver girl' seems apt for black and white photography. After all, weren't the original negatives made somehow with silver in the process?







I did this shoot as a favour for someone who I have lost touch with (I forgot her name!) - she was a graduate fashion student who I met, streetshooting - and my models were both friends I'd also met on the street, for my blog. I am so grateful to my blog on so many levels but especially, for the friendships that have formed, like Estelle, whose birthday is the day next to mine, and whose blog is Serendipity 2307: both the numbers 23, and 7, are also my 'magic numbers', and while she is only 22, she is an old soul, and a true and loyal friend.



In this wonderful show on the BBC (Imagine: The Harmony Game) Paul Simon - who contributes throughout, as does Art Garfunkel and everyone else involved with recording the album - said that one of the sound engineers - I love this, his expertise is sound - labelled the recording 'pitcher of water' because that's what he heard when they said it was called 'bridge over troubled water.'

Guess you had to be there.

I took this photo while cooking, in the late afternoon light, at my parents' winter home in Florida - now my widowed mom's. The glass pitcher was from Italy, and was a wedding gift, and there was something about the light that felt so spiritual. I had this powerful memory of being very very young, almost a baby. I can't explain. And I'm glad the shot is so blurry: it feels, to me, like one of those early photographs, perhaps by an unknown photographer, at the turn of the century. The Twentieth Century, I mean.

And this was a big weekend for me: I finished my novel just before Christmas, but this weekend, I revised it enough that I feel I'm ready to show it around. Find an agent, get it published. New territory for me but then again, so was starting a blog. Creatively, I have to always keep pushing the envelope. That's why I loved that show so much: to hear Simon, and Garfunkel, talk about their friendship, their harmony, the creative process. Together, they created a masterpiece, and this song - a Pitcher of Water - exemplifies the height of musical perfection, for me.

11 comments:

San said...

The pitcher picture is amazing! And congratulations on the finishing of your novel.

Crossing my fingers for you to find a agent/publisher and getting published.

Have a great week.

Love Food said...

Beautiful pictures.

I didn't know you've been writing a novel, that's amazing! Good luck with it and I'll be sure to buy a copy once it is published!

Lydia xxx

Anonymous said...

Mesmerising pictures and post. x

V. Mirasol de 'SERENDIPITY' said...

Amazing post!!

xoxo

V. Mirasol de 'SERENDIPITY'

jill said...

Thank you, V. Mirasol!

Thank you Amy, Lydia, San: hope you're all well and I'll keep you posted. Haha: get it? Posted? ; ) Sorry! xo

Estelle Chemouny said...

I still love those pics so much, I remember how much fun we had despite the cold :)

x

Estelle

Emily said...

Estelle looks very beautiful in the photos Jill. You have a way of capturing a person's escence :)

Congrats on the novel... When can we see it?!!

xxx

ediot said...

Wonderful post. i like the mix of words. music and stunning photographs. Estelle is stunning

hope you have a great weekend
x

Pearl Westwood said...

You know Ive never heard the whole album I must do it now! Cant wait to read your novel xxx

The Foolish Aesthete said...

Such beautiful photography, from the monochrome shots to the "pitcher of water" (OK, I am laughing so much at that sound engineer's impression).

Love Simon & Garfunkel. I first heard of them through one of my first boyfriends in high school who kept giving me their tapes (remember tapes?!). My own family listened more to the Beatles and Joan Baez or Nana Mouskouri.

And congratulations on finishing your novel!! How cool is that. Best of luck shopping for an agent & publisher. We can't wait for a sneak preview.

Jenny xxx

Michelle said...

The bags look great.