crisp – chilly, fresh:
The air was crisp and cool.
Notice the mundane spectacles all around us. Things that are there to be admired.
velvet – soft downy skin that covers a deer’s antler while it is growing: A deer rubbed the velvet from
his antlers.
Only when nothing happens can I fully see the beauty.
flourishing – growing well, healthy:
A forest is a flourishing habitat, full of many types of plants, animals, insects, and fungi.
stillness – the absence of movement or sound. They gaze into
the stillness of the landscape.
The image you have of a cloud will always differ from what someone else sees or imagines.
A pile of dandilion seeds huddle close together. The softness of the hairs and white colour is reminiscent of a cloud in captivity.
A collection of nine white spheres barely stand out against a light grey background. They seem weightless, like you could blow them away. Because we look from a somewhat higher vantage point, we have a good view of the scene. To the right of a group of four spheres lies a dead fly. The fly is about the same size as a sphere. Come springtime, the tiny spiders will emerge from each of the artfully spun balls. This is when the fly becomes their first meal.
The vertical lilac branch leans on its lateral shoots while two withered leaves twist around her. There is no obvious light fall, yet a faint shadow is visible on the light greenish-grey background. At three quarters of the total height, a horizontal twig cuts through the image. Like a balancing act she lays on top of the vertical lilac branch. Even though the number of ‘spikes’ differ on the left and right, everything is perfectly balanced.
thorny – having many thorns or thorn bushes: Tangled thorny
branches.
Even if you don’t see the violet sunsets or the shooting stars, they are there.
breathtaking – so beautiful that it takes your breath away: The
view of the valley from the top of the mountain was breathtaking.
A Honeysuckle twig which closely resembles the figure of a deer. You can see four legs, a tail, a head with antlers. The deer looks away while standing on a dark surface.
ethereal – otherwordly, light:
Early morning fog gives the lake an ethereal appearance.
.thgin tsal lwo na draeH !dloC
The long narrow leaves have dried up, causing their shape to be twisted. Different hues of raw umber, the back of the leaves lighter than the front. Together forming an almost equilateral triangle with a solid, impenetrable base. Towards the top, the shape becomes more free and less compact. You can even see through it.
eb ot gniog saw ti ekil dekool tI .evael ot dediced ew tub ,yad lufituaeb a
The colors of this unidentifiable mass are of complementary shades of blues and greens set of to bright orange at the base, where the mass seems to turn to liquid. The top of the mass is covered in a cobweb like texture filled with black glitter-like spores.
captivating – fascinatingly beautiful:
I watched the captivating clouds slide over the bright blue sky.
Two petals and part of a flowerbud can be seen. The petals show veins or ‘pencil lines’ which would have guided pollinators to the nectar. Now echoing the appearance of a pollinator itself. The petals –left and right– resemble the wings of a beelike creature and the flowerbud centered below the wings even looks to have a stinger.
Saskia Overzee Amanda Butterworth sammakingbooks.com hello@sammakingbooks.com Copyright © 2022 Saskia Overzee / SAM_making books Photos of Gerda taken by Jan. All other images: taken by or from Saskia Overzee’s archive. Concept, design and text: Amanda Butterworth Edition of 3 copies LUMA RENCONTRES DUMMY BOOK AWARD ARLES 2022
Like a golden thread throughout the book you see photos of a figure taken from the back as we gaze over their shoulder onto a vast expanse of nature. The figure serves not only to place the viewer within the scene, but also to act as a means of understanding the grandiose scale of the environment. With the figure acting as a surrogate for the viewer, one is able to see nature’s sublimity vicariously through their eyes. But nature’s beauty is by no means confined to the exceptional. It’s waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected and delightful of places, deserved of our precious attention. There’s endless fascination hidden beneath the surface and as we open up our senses, it’s revealed to us when the pages are torn open. When this act is executed with care and patience it will give the book a new character and a beautiful tactile edge.