September 2013: Landscapes

How can a piece of land be so sacred? How can a bit of earth draw us back again and again?

We can’t help feeling that the dirt, rock, and sand on which we stand are witness to the stories of our lives. That the events of the past have left marks on the soil like memories. If the fields, forests, and hills could talk, what would they remember?

Our September collection features three memories of cherished landscapes: of childhood autumn walks through a forest of mossy oak trees, of a verdant seaside town where a mother’s dream was realized, and of crackling, dry summers spent among olive and lemon trees.

Pleasant Promenade by S Poncet — When Sabine Poncet Hernandez was a child, her family lived in the Loire Valley of France, amid majestic oak forests and Renaissance castles. One of her fondest memories is of autumn walks through the forest with her family under a canopy of changing leaves, and those walks—those "pleasant promenades"—were alive with the smells of the land. When Sabine saw her mother's watercolor painting recalling those long-ago promenades, she was inspired to create a work of art in her own medium: perfume. Pleasant Promenade's rich, mossy base has a classical, elegant feel that captures the sense of timelessness one feels on a walk through an ancient forest that stood long before we arrived and will remain long after we are gone.

Siam Proun by Olympic Orchids — When Ellen Covey was a young teenager, her mother longed to live in the south of France. And so, as part of a long, global sojourn that spanned countries and continents, the family moved to Provence. They traveled from the chill of a Switzerland autumn and emerged into the warm, lush landscape of the Mediterranean, where herbs and vegetables and fruit trees covered the earth. There, they lived in a villa called Siam Proun, which means "we are sufficient" in Provençal. Years later, when her mother was ill, Ellen created Siam Proun to transport her mother to one of the happiest times in her life.

Tzora by Anat Fritz — Although a Berliner, Anat Fritz has spent many of her summers on an Israeli kibbutz called Tzora, where the crackling, dry earth manages to sprout lemon, olive, and pomegranate trees. Anat was inspired to create a scent that combined the unique elements of this landscape—Biblical home to Samson and Delilah—into a warm, dry, minimalist scent that could transport her there from anywhere, at anytime.

We hope you love this collection as much as we do—and as much as our three artists love the landscapes that inspired them.