Thursday, January 15, 2009

From the Archives


© Geoff Manasse 1982

This is one of my favorite pictures. Have you ever had a professional picture taken? It is quite a process. Unfortunately shortly after I had this picture taken I gained 100 lbs, my hair turned gray and I started wearing glasses. It is wonderful to look back though, and January is the perfect month to look both forward and back at the same time. All of the cloth in the picture are of Color Horoscope Weaving woven in 20/2 cotton (even my jacket). My looms at the time were a 45" 4 harness Herald and a 40" 8 harness Gilmore.


When I see this picture, I think of the word MASTERY. I had mastered normal body weight after months of dieting which I was able to maintain for exactly 24 hours.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your picture, you look very happy and content. Mastery and normal body weight - that comment speaks to me as one who is trying to lose the 45 pounds that keeps returning to my tummy! Bonnie, you are a joy - thank you. - Martha

Cate Rose said...

Great photo, Bonnie, and wonderful weavings. Forget about the weight -- you, too, Martha -- and be happy. As long as you're healthy. As another woman who has struggled with her weight over the years -- albeit 10-25 pounds -- it's meaning less to me as I age. I'm healthy, that's what counts!

Anonymous said...

And glasses are fabulous! I've been wearing them since I was less than a year old and I wouldn't change to contacts for the world. Who wants a flat naked face anyway??

Bonnie said...

Don't get me wrong, I don't look back with longing or regret. Even though I looked happy and content (and thin), I didn't like myself very much then---not the way I do now. And though I gained 100 lbs shortly after the picture was taken, I have very slowly lost 60 of those pounds. As I approach my 67th birthday, I enjoy excellent health and am filled with gratitude to still be weaving after all these years.

Valerie said...

What an interesting picture. I can't imagine what it was like to work with the professional photographer on this...there are so many lines to consider between the stripes in the textiles, the furniture, and the architecture.

As I look at it, I see that your color palette has shifted a bit since that time. But one thing that hasn't shifted, or faded, one single bit is your warm, amazing smile.

Oh...btw..normal!? Impossible to define and highly over rated. I'm certainly glad that your creativity or color and design sense aren't "normal". Maybe you are just consistently above "normal"?!

Bonnie said...

To Valerie: He took at least 20 Polaroid shots to get the placement of cloth and my pose just right. We looked at each shot and made adjustments. After that, she shot at least 100 slides. There were many to choose from. It is interesting that the one I used the most is one where I am not grinning and showing teeth--but for some reason this happier one popped up when I went to have the slides converted to digital.

Valerie said...

Well, I'm glad for the happy one!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! Colors, smile, space - all!