After Christmas, my partner and I will be embarking on our first direct mail campaigns to a select group of photo editors and art buyers, which should be an adventure in and of itself. I’ve got some beautiful portraits that I’ve been itching to share when I find a few moments to edit personal work. I’m looking forward to encountering the unexpected and doing some much-needed visual exploration in the coming weeks – Cheers!

There is a beautiful and timely essay by Ray Bradbury in this week’s issue of the New Yorker. I hope you’ll take the time to read it. Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the Martian Chronicles:

“One minute it was Ohio winter, with doors closed, windows locked, the panes blind with frost, icicles fringing every roof, children skiing on slopes, housewives lumbering like great black bears in their furs along the icy streets.
And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town. A flooding sea of hot air; it seemed as if someone had left a bakery door open. The heat pulsed among the cottages and bushes and children. The icicles dropped, shattering, to melt. The doors flew open. The windows flew up. The children worked off their wool clothes. The housewives shed their bear disguises. The snow dissolved and showed last summer’s ancient green lawns.
Rocket summer. The words passed among the people in the open, airing houses. Rocket summer. The warm desert air changing the frost patterns on the windows, erasing the art work. The skis and sleds suddenly useless. The snow, falling from the cold sky upon the town, turned to a hot rain before it touched the ground.
Rocket summer. People leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky.
The rocket lay on the launching field, blowing out pink clouds of fire and oven heat. The rocket stood in the cold winter morning, making summer with every breath of its mighty exhausts. The rocket made climates, and summer lay for a brief moment upon the land….”
― Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles

Check out this retrospective of Sendak’s life in the New York Times.

“But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go – we’ll eat you up – we love you so!”
And Max said, “No!”
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye.”
― Where the Wild Things Are

Check out the New Yorker’s write-up, favorite photos and interview with Alec Soth here, and the group’s Postcards From America Tumblr here. There’s an eerie familiarity that compels me to go back and revisit the places I’ve been before.

BTV 50 is a portrait project of entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and more who are making Burlington a great place to live. You don’t have to be big and important, you just have to be contributing something to the community. If you are interested or want to nominate someone, shoot me a message or email monica (at) monicadonovan.com. Or, you can just send me an email to say hi.:)

Thanks everyone!!

They have a great collection of items up for auction (and more still being added!) including photo equipment and a bunch of awesome framed prints. I donated a piece from Iceland (featured on the blog earlier this summer). So, whether you’re looking to fill up empty wall space or add to your camera bag, come on over and check it out!

The last two months have marked a departure from my sole focus on growing our wedding photography business, Eve Event Photography. I now also have several personal projects on my plate, as well as a long-term sustainability multimedia project that Judd and I are working on together. Our upcoming trip is mentioned in a recent Seven Days article about Reciprocity Studio. I’m looking forward to using the blog as a sounding board for new work and for sharing random stories. A photo a day is the goal, but my track record suggests otherwise. Stay tuned and hope you are all well in the new year.

Salt pile on a Vermont winter day.