3 November

Beauty and Art. A New Voice

by Jon Katz

Portrait of Frieda, which I am considering for the “Portraits of My Life” show in Dorset, Vt. in January, an exhibit of my photographs. I’m going to put up some of the photographs I’m putting in the show on the blog, of course.

  November 3, 2009 – I met a fascinating man a few weeks ago – Keith Davitt, an artist writer and landscape designer (he also makes and sells exquisite water gardens.  He has written acclaimed books about landscape design, traveled the world designing gardens and giving talks on design. Like me, he abandoned city life for the country, and loves it, and like me, he loves to tell his story, has a lot of thoughts running through his brain, and is determined to get his ideas out.
  I don’t guess he sleeps a lot either.
  He’s just put up – yesterday – a new blog called Beauty and Art, in which he will explore design and notions of beauty and art in many ways in everyday life. He is putting together a direction for his writing and his blog, and I welcome him to the wondrous world of the blogosphere, recommend his very original writing and mind, and wish him and his new site well.
  He and I have been talking about blogs over the last few days – he made a lovely water garden for my desk, and it is bubbling quietly and peacefully as I write this – and I told him to be himself, be open about his own creative process and, most of all, put his ideas and energy into the blog, so that his natural audience will find it, as mine has found mine.
  Keith has a very individualistic, credible and creative way of looking at the world – he can dissect the design of a hanging plant, and my talks with him – this is a high compliment, I think – have caused me to look at design in a completely different way, not only in terms of landscapes (landscape designers are not gardeners) but of the everyday objects that surround us, but which we rarely consider. Photography has caused me to do this as well, so I identify with the idea.
  Keith’s site is just one day old, and he is still figuring out the graphics, content, and organization. I, for one, will have a lot of fun watching him put it together. And I will be there every day reading.  His interests are all over the place – books, design, culture, art – but beauty and are seems to be his focus.
 This blog will make you think about the world around you, and the objects and structures that comprise your life.

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