I must confess I have been a bit delinquent about getting into a book as of late. The arrival of spring has pulled me outdoors and my neighborhood in Boston is blossom bliss. The Magnolias of Back Bay are the star of April and well documented but one can never seem to capture enough of their beauty, perhaps because it is so fleeting. They are losing their petals as I type this…

No matter how often I stand under their often umbrella that scales from white to fuschia, I am in ever-awe. They are quite a splendor.

See how they distract?

Where was I? Books yes…

Another flower has been a staple in my home since February, helping to usher spring, the tulip. I was admiring the composition and simple elegance of my most recent table bouquet and I was called to pull an old favorite off the shelf: “Flowers” by Robert Mapplethorpe. Like the tulip, Mapplethorpe had a true gift for composition and distilling subject into simplicity and pure elegance. He had quite a gift for capturing flower form and presenting it in an artful manner.

A book you simply can’t regret to have grace a table somewhere in your home. A reminder that art can come from the simplest form and present grand beauty.

Read my latest substack post for more on the glory of the tulip.