Garden seeds might seem out of place in an art gallery — but not to me. Seeds are a nice fit in Small World Gallery.
Drop into the gallery and you’ll see a beautiful display, full of heirloom garden seeds just waiting for the right hands to scoop them up and cherish their diverse histories. These particular seeds are linked with my career at National Geographic in research, writing and photographs going back 25 years.
In 1994 I began work on our story on...
One of the first things you see when walking into Small World Gallery is the colorful rack of greeting cards featuring my photographs from around the world. It’s been a fixture in Small World since the beginning in 2002. And it is something else in the world of National Geographic photographers: rare!
Time and again I watch as people browse the collection, some drawn to the Flint Hills and Kansas cards, some to exotic locations like the Arctic or the Pyramids, some burrowing into my Scotland collection, and some just finding a personal connection — cats, windmills, sunsets, long roads.
When we opened Small World Gallery in April 2002, it would never have occurred to us that we would offer Jim’s prints in 40 inches by 12 feet. Or create our own jewelry designs using ancient Roman Empire glass or rare stone cabochons. Nor did we envision stocking unusual vintage kimono jackets from Japan via a designer in Colorado. Or wool-cashmere jackets sewn by an Eastern European designer.
It’s 2018 and now the gallery is offering... shoes.
Jim and I are happy to be back in the gallery and in Lindsborg after two weeks away on a business trip to Scotland.
After having accompanied Jim over 25 years on some of his storied Scottish journeys, I have become a bit of an aficionado myself. I find that many Kansas qualities also dwell in some parts of Scotland. That is especially true when comparing the far northern Scottish isles of Orkney and our own Lindsborg.
Now, you may ask: What could landlocked Lindsborg possibly have in common with town in sea-locked Orkney in Great Britain? The comparison is positively elegant.
For me, an exciting part of Instagram is being able to share the thought process behind our designs. We can share sketches, inspirations, musings and insights connected to our small world.
Jim volunteered to start photographing our jewelry for the website and Instagram. I always love getting a chance to watch him work. I don’t think he fully understands what he signed up for; he just does such a great job. I think he will have a permanent position as jewelry photographer, haha.
“You can’t possibly do everything.” ……. “Watch me try!”
My newest jump of inspiration has been trying to make a...
