by Paula Panich
We are restoring the remnants of a 1921 chimney and fireplace here in Los Angeles, near Larchmont. The process is opposite of virtual — real bricks and mortar, hard-working skilled craftsmen and their hard-earned labor. We are looking at one of the most ancient workings of man — building a chimney to contain fire; restoring […]
Categories: Place/Gardens
by Paula Panich
On Saturday, February 14, my piece, “Remodeling fireplace habits in Southern California” (http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-fireplace14-2009feb14,0,872738.story) ran in the Home Section of the L.A. Times. New regulations regarding open-hearth wood-burning fireplaces are for coming up for Southern California homeowners, but I want to add a few thoughts about seeing those dancing flames. Here’s how I originally began the […]
Categories: Writing/Artmaking
by Paula Panich
In January 2002, during a trip to Kyoto to visit Zen Buddhist temple gardens, I fell in love with the shy-blooming (at least in that very cold winter month) lipstick-red camellia. I was stunned by a the sight of a single flower on a simple stone, placed by way of reverence. I had never lived […]
Categories: Place/Gardens
by Paula Panich
Chilly, misty, and wet — a perfect Southern California winter’s day. I headed over to the Huntington Gardens, which are stunning in the rain, especially the Chinese garden, The Garden of Flowing Fragrance, which opened to the public last year on February 23. Many things have changed in the garden in 12 months — the […]
Categories: Place/Gardens
by Paula Panich
Two months ago an article appeared in the New York Times Magazine, delivering, on that chilly Sunday morning, a bit of a shock. Titled, “What is Art For?”, the piece, by Daniel B. Smith, is a survey of the thought and work of the poet, essayist, and thinker Lewis Hyde.It felt to me as a […]
Categories: Literary Essays/Book Reviews • Tags: CA; Southern California Mountains, cabin in the woods, California, Idyllwild, landscape, Lewis Hyde, San Jacinto Mountains, The Gift, writing
by Paula Panich
Chance favors the prepared mind. Painters, writers, musicians, sculptors, photographers, all know this. For writers, to be gifted by chance comes not just in the practice of craft, but also in the practice of reading. To write is also to read, and a lifetime is required to become a skilled reader. Reading deeply isn’t easy. […]
Categories: Writing/Artmaking • Tags: CA, Daybooks, Edward Weston, Edward Weston's Daybooks, history of photography, Idyllwild, photography, San Jacinto Mountains, Southern California Mountains
by Paula Panich
For exactly three years I have been spending time in Idyllwild, Calif., in the San Jacinto Mountains, above Palm Springs. It is my escape from the Los Angeles overload of traffic, people, buildings, concrete, hurry, noise, daycare-next-door, hovering helicopters, hysteria. For two-and-a-half of those years, I have rented a little cabin in the woods, near […]
Categories: Mountain Stories • Tags: California mountains, Mountain Stories; cabin in the woods; San Jacinto Mountains, Southern California Mountains
by Paula Panich
On Sunday, November 2, my husband and I visited the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. It was my first visit. It is an exquisite place, yet another jewel among many in this city’s vibrant cultural life. The mission of the Skirball is “dedicated to exploring the connections of four thousand years of Jewish […]
Categories: Literary Essays/Book Reviews