Well, it’s not officially the year of the Dragon yet (we have the Rabbit until the 23rd of January) but I can already feel it: this year promises to be powerful, magical and perhaps, a wild ride.  I’m up for it…how about you?  Let’s jump on this magic carpet and go!

But while we’re still here with tranquil Rabbit, I’d like to take this opportunity to send out huge ‘thank yous’ to all of you who made 2011 an incredible, albeit challenging year!  Both the challenges and the triumphs help us grow…so, lets welcome 2012 together and all the growth and promise it holds.

image credit: dragon image found here;  baby new year image found here

Amazing!  Another year has screamed by and we’re here again reviewing what made 2011 a stand out year for us.  This year was filled to the brim with diverse projects and more exciting events than I can even recount but there are some highlights I’m happy to share.  As a perfumer and not really a ‘blogger’ in the sense of being a writer about perfume in the way so many of my friends and colleagues participating in this joint blogging event are,  I always find it a bit challenging to come up with a ‘Best of” list.  So, I hope that you will enjoy my funny little list.  But before I begin, I’d like to thank so many who have made a huge impression on me this year; who have supported my work and others who are producing wonderful works of art and love. This past year a much greater sense of community has grown up in through my own work / creative life and I am eternally grateful for that.  I look forward to 2012 and beyond with this new community and feeling of sharing.  I felt a tremendous amount of love this year and I just want to say thanks.

So, here’s my Best of 2011 list:
*best natural perfume I smelled this year: Riverwalk by Liz Zorn for the PLAP project.  To me, Riverwalk was a lusciously rich and deep chypre creation more so than a patchouli… but who cares?  It’s fabulously long-lasting, sensuous and just what I would have expected from my first Liz Zorn experience.  ( I loved it ).

*perfume I wish I’d had the chance to sniff but didn’t in 2011: Mona di Orio Oud.  Everyone, but everyone(!) loved this perfume and I for one will be on a mission until I get a sample or a decant to enjoy what has been called the ‘end of the story: perfect oud’ perfume.

*vintage perfume discovery of the year: Golliwogg de Vigny.  I know… it’s horribly un-PC.  It took me YEARS to get over the name and all, but I ultimately came to terms with my discomfort and dove in for the sake of my little museum.  I’m so glad I did.  While Heure Intime is probably the best known from this house, Golliwogg is the most surprising.  It is a wonderfully, *delicately balanced* fougere – eau de cologne with the kind of herbal twists and turns in the topnote that made Francois Coty famous.  My apprentice Amber and I have been exploring the variations of this design to our heart’s delight and it never ceases to please.  It has that perfect balance of naturals and synthetics mixed with modern and classical elements that make it a sadly forgotten classic.   I *love* this scent.

*most fascinating accord of the year: The Osmanthus / Tuberose concept devised by Mandy Aftel and myself for our “Letters” series.  When we started out, we were both less than enthusiastic about our choice, but by the end of the design, I found a real simpatico between the notes.  The leathery aspects of Osmanthus are coaxed out when paired with the heady, green waxy Tuberose note and if you wish to play on this field, it’s magic. The trick is, as is so often the case, in finding the perfect balance.

*best fragrant flashback moment: Candid by Avon.  My mother used to wear Avon’s Candid when I was a small child.  I didn’t understand it AT ALL when I was little but I did understand that it was ‘perfume’ which meant something sophisticated, grown up and beyond me.  I think it is actually the only green, aldehydic (sort of) chypre my mother ever wore and it made a huge impression on me, although I didn’t realize it at the time.  After that, my mom seemed to quickly move on to (and stay) at the fruity – floriental which I did, somehow, understand and with that move *her* perfumes lost all mystery for me.
When I saw and bought this little vintage bottle of Candid for my museum this summer, it was like I was propelled back to that mysterious land of ‘grown-ups’ and what perfume really meant.  This time I knew what I was smelling and it solidified in me that love for ‘true perfume’ and the unseen magic that it portrays.  (**disclaimer: Candid by Avon  is NOT, in any way, a long lost masterpiece of true perfumery.  This sense of it’s being “true perfume” is purely idiosyncratic and based on my childhood impression.  I think that most might find it, well, lacking.  My nostalgia is based on the imagination of a 4-5 year old).

*best new line of perfumes I came across in 2011: Nobile 1942.  I had the pleasure of sampling these perfumes at MiN in NYC at the Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2011 and found them all lovely; very traditional and palpably “Italian”.  I love that!  I loved the traditional use of citrus / fresh eau de cologne topnotes that sometimes moved into leather, others into spice and others staying right there on the Sicilian Coast.  So often I shy away after a few samples of a collection finding something that turns me off (hey, I’m picky!) but I really enjoyed each of the scents I tried from start to finish.

*the most fun I had this year with fragrance: creating the bespoke design for Carrie Meredith.  I have been creating bespoke perfume from my beginning in 1991 so you wouldn’t think that creating a bespoke design would necessarily be on a list of superlative experiences some 20 years later.  But working on an idea forged from the creative mind of Carrie Meredith (of eyeliner on a cat blog) and expressed so beautifully on my blog when she entered my anniversary contest, immediately transported me.  So, I was thrilled when random.org chose her as the winner of the perfume creation.  Her concept was perfectly designed for a synesthete: a sense of texture was always there and of color and tone.  Something sensuous like silk, and a little gauzy, blue-violet-grey, a little melancholy in tone; with dominant violet / orris notes as well as gourmand and animalic underpinnings.  The result is launching in January, so you won’t have to wait long to try it.  The perfume design came in only a few adjustments because working with Carrie was like having the ‘Vulcan mind meld of Spock’.  I felt like I could read her mind and she could read mine; like the perfume alone was a language and we both understood it perfectly.  This doesn’t always happen with a client or even a friend for whom you are designing.  This experience was easily the most fun I had all year in perfume.

* most disappointing line I tried this year: Jovoy, Paris.  I had such high hopes for this collection, as an amateur historian and burgeoning curator of a perfume museum.  There are such great historical pieces from this line from it’s former glory days. Sadly, the resurrection of the name and (sort of) bottle are about all that’s fabulous about it.  I thought that for  the price that they are asking for their perfumes, they could have spent some cash on good materials.  The fragrance designs themselves are not bad but it was so evident from smelling these that they would be immeasurably improved if some costly (or not so costly) naturals had been used instead of plasticky synthetics.  The presentation is still very beautiful but the juice… not so much.

*best perfume experience of the year: a tie: the PLAP (Peace, Love and Patchouli) and the Clarimonde project.  Both Monica Miller (of Perfume Pharmer) and Lucy Raubertas (of indieperfumes) outdid themselves this year in creating two of the most wonderfully creative and enchanting projects of the year.
First came the ‘PLAP’ project, as it became known, in the Summer with a full on competition as to which perfumer could come up with the most creative and enjoyable all natural patchouli fragrance using at least 25% patchouli in the mix.  No small feat.  And what came from this was a host of incredibly diverse patchouli designs as well as a full fledged community of perfumers and supporters.  It was miraculous and something that has stayed with us.
Next came the Clarimonde project in October and as the seasons changed, so did the mood.  We got the ‘brief’ which was the short story “Clarimonde” by Th. Gaultier filled with luscious imagery, color, texture, gothic themes, opulence beyond all measure and an otherworldliness that Lucy herself manages to embody in her 21st Century person.  Creating for Clarimonde was atmospheric and delightful (even though the perfume itself is quite rich and oriental).
For me, the PLAP project was earthy and sun-filled and Clarimonde was like walking on clouds.  Each was pure pleasure and some of the best perfume experiences I’ve had this year or at any other time.

* greatest perfume sadness: the loss of Mona di Orio.  I was not fortunate enough to meet this great artist in person as I had wanted to but she has left a legacy of grace, immense creativity and beauty behind her.  I am very grateful to at least know her work and hope that she is flying with angels as I write this.  Rest in Peace and know you are missed.

Thank you Trish at Scent Hive for organizing this blog event and inviting me to take part. I am glad to continue to be welcomed into the community of perfume bloggers with another wonderful joint blogging adventure:

Another Perfume Blog

EauMG

Perfume Shrine

Scent Hive

Smelly Blog

PerumeSmellin’Things

The Non Blonde

I hope that 2012 will be an exciting, creative, prosperous and health-filled year for everyone! I am looking forward to incredible new things!  oxoxo

Thank you Roxana Villa for the gorgeous image! <3

"Constellations", DSH; mixed media on canvas, 2010

Love and blessings…and a cozy, warm day filled with fragrant delights to you~

oxoxo,

Dawn

Now, for the best part:

the winner of the draw for the 3 ml mini sprayer or Pandora EdP is…

WARUM

Please email me at dsh@dsperfumes.com with your address and I’ll get that right out to you!

Thank you, everyone, for being a part of the first launch and your wonderful comments & compliments!  I feel you all being a part of this new perfume.

Not literally swimming but I did get lost in another world.  Maybe it’s all just Pandora…the new perfume that I have been working on that came together to launch on the site today.  I’m still under it’s spell… so I think I will just be posting the artist statement that I had prepared for it.  After all, what else can I say? (I’m sure I’ll think if something. )

Pandora: A Beautiful Evil

The “Beautiful Evil” is a quote from the story of Pandora as told by the Greek, Hesiod.  She is the all gifted, all giving one, a singular woman and synonymous with Eve in many respects.  It is she who opens humankind to the knowledge of good and evil and ultimately breaks the utopian ideal.  With Pandora, mankind has plagues but also knowledge and maturity.  She opens the door to truth and hope.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

I first began this design as a ‘project’ scent that had very specific criteria.  The gist of the original “brief”  was to utilize only materials on a set list.  This list was comprised of numerous, relatively new materials available to the natural perfumer circa 2011.  From this somewhat limited palette (of all natural materials) I derived most of my inspiration for Pandora focusing on a new way of interpreting a classic accord, Mousse de Saxe, out of these ‘new’ materials.

Along the way, my focus changed and the original project fell away, which released me from all limitations.  It was at this point that the name changed along with my focus… and the final concept emerged: Pandora.  It expresses a new and an old energy; something ancient and modern, too.  There is something “retro” in the mousse de saxe reference but with the addition of oakmoss (not on the list) and some subtle aldehydes and ozone (also not on the list) it’s right here and now.

In the final design, I utilized 97.5% botanicals and a mere 2.5% synthetic content.  It is that last addition that polishes the whole and brings it into complete focus.  Amazingly, it’s the synthetics that turned out to be the ultimate catalyst, both creatively and aesthetically.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

The notes for DSH Pandora are :

Top: ruby fruits (botanical accord), bergamot, aldehyde, spice notes, ozone, violet leaf absolute, davana, cassis bud, green and pink pepper
Heart: rose de mai absolute, juhi jasmine, linden blossom absolute, yerba maté absolute, cabreuva wood, orris co2, green tea absolute
Base: mousse de saxe accord (botanical) , cyperus, fossilized amber absolute, ambergris tincture, patchouli co2, vetiver co2, muhuhu, australian sandalwood, tonka bean absolute, oakmoss green, vanilla absolute.

* the image is Odilon Redon’s “Pandora”.  Redon is one of my favorite artists and on going inspiration.  Image found here.

And for some really wonderful writing and reviews of Pandora, check out the following blogs:

eaumg
scent hive
indieperfumes
eyelineronacat blog
thisblogreallystinksperfume
perfumepharmer (with special guest David Lincoln Brooks)
esscentualalchemy

oh true apothecary

A HUGE thank you to everyone who showed up and wanted to support the first launch of Pandora! <3 Much love to you all!!

ps: there’s a draw at the linked blogs for a 3 ml mini spray of Pandora EdP; be sure to leave a comment at all of the blogs to increase your chance of winning! hoo hoo!   *****We’re having a draw here as well, so please leave a comment to enter!***** the draw ends at 12 noon Sunday, September 18, 2011 (mountain time).

(and pps: We’ve also decided to do a little impromptu sale until the end of September: use member code “extra15″ to get 15% off anything at the site!)

the * blue-violet-grey hue

Today is a special day… not just because it is 9-11 or my birthday (yep: really) but even better, I am here to tell you a little about a most exciting project: carrie merediths’s bespoke perfume.  For those of you who missed my 1 year blog-iversary drawing, I offered up a bespoke perfume to the winner to commemorate the day.   Carrie meredith (from the fabulous “eyelineronacat” blog won he random draw, but I have to say from the start, I felt her vision as she described it in her winning post: “…I have many ideas for bespoke perfumes, but I’ll settle on this one for now, since it’s where I’m at in my creative head space: Iris, violet, milk, powdered sugar, ozonic note, bitter almond, anise, civet. The goal is a dreamy gourmand with a musky quality.”  That enigmatic vision has (nearly) become a reality at this point but we are still making minor changes to get it ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.

Being a synesthete, I had a palpable reaction to her description in my mind.  I saw a lovely swath of silk charmeuse in a blue-violet-grey color moving gently in a breeze.  The weight of the fabric and it’s lushness balanced perfectly with it’s hue and value.  This is what I have worked from when interpreting Carrie’s concept.  Of course, I have also worked from her note list and a sense of incorporating “classic Guerlain” sensibilities and a modern gourmand aesthetic to make her ‘holy grail’ perfume.  She mentioned that she is a huge classic Guerlain fan (who isn’t?) and also her love of the iris/gourmand.  All I could say is YUM.  So, the first run of samples was just to get the structure down.  It occurred to me when starting on Carrie’s perfume that I had had an idea in the back of my mind for some time which was to create a classic accord, a base really, that was a touch dry, a little creamy wood and warm in an orris/ iris mode.  So, I started with that.  It’s actually called: “blue violet grey accord”.  That is the center heart note of Carrie’s perfume.  I then worked my way out from there.  Here’s what we have so far:

bergamot, bitter almond, ozone note, violet leaf, aniseed, lemon, powdered violet, rose otto, *blue-violet-grey orris accord, sandalwood, honey beeswax, cocoa butter, cocoa bean, heliotrope, tonka bean, virginia cedarwood, vanilla absolute, green oakmoss, vetiver, civet.

"This one is just right!"

And I have to say that it is, so far, unlike anything else I have made.  How incredible!    I  just love this process… the bespoke is always completely unique and each perfume is full of idiosyncrasy; a very special beauty.  That is not to say that this perfume would only appeal to one person… no.  It is lovely, warm and inviting as well as chic and a little mischievous.  (Remind you of anyone you know?  I’m looking at you CM…:) ) I think it has real appeal and it is thrilling for me to work on this design with such a creative mind as Carrie’s.  What fun it’s been and it’s not over yet.  There are a few more mods as I mentioned before and then the big reveal: the name.  (Yes, we have a name but I’m not telling just yet.  I think the perfume needs to finished before we know for sure that this is a match of concept, name and essence.  But  I’m sure we’re going to get it , as Goldilocks says, “just right”.

ps: * this color, the blue-violet-grey hue I saw in my head is aptly called “perfume” from a super fun color /design website  just type in this code to see it:  B7A2D8

** image credit: goldilocks image found here

I have certainly noticed something: August is not my best month for writing.  I suspect that everything must go right out the window and I’ve gotta get my “freedom on” before the Autumn sets in and it’s practically Holiday time.  Plus I take a little time away in August to spend with my family on the shores of Cape Cod.  It’s bliss, really.  I always come back to Colorado wondering how I can get to spend even more time there next year.  I’m contemplating that right now.

So, now I am back to the studio and back to work.  I’ve actually got four, no five, new projects on my desk.   Well, one of them is Carrie Meredith’s bespoke design and you’ve all heard about that.  ( One of my next posts is going to be about what I’ve been working on for her.  You’re all going to LOVE it, I think).  But this is going to be a shorty.  I felt that I just had to get a little something up before September is here…tomorrow.  I’d like to at least try for a post or two when it’s August. So, I thought that I would just ramble on about some thoughts that I have been meditating on this past week or two… here goes:

1) Nothing,  I mean NOTHING takes the place of experience. You will never really know something through and through until it has landed in your lap and you have gotten your hands on it.  And it will take time to master it.  (I never understood this when I was younger.  Then, I thought that talent was the THING.  I think that I have been wrong about that).

2) People do crazy things.  I see it all of the time in small and large ways.  It seems silly to get shocked by anything at this point but I still do.

Believe it or not these two ‘meditations’ have produced what feels like deep spiritual lessons that continue to reverberate.  I’m still sitting with them.  Live and learn, my friends. <3

* photo credit: this image is actually of the South of France but it looks amazingly to me like the view from E’s uncle’s house on the ‘ocean side’ beach in Wellfleet.  I really liked it so here it is.

Something new and wonderful just now is this very cool correspondence I’m doing with Mandy Aftel called “Letters to a Fellow Perfumer”.   It is a series (I am number 3 in the line)  hosted at Nathan Branch’s blog out of which Mandy and I will each create a perfume while exploring our process of creation and materials.  It’s proving to be an exciting and  lovely exchange.  Another biggie on my plate has been working out the full-fledged conceptual scope and materials for Carrie Meredith‘s bespoke creation.  I don’t want to go too far into the details of this just yet, but I have “broken ground” and the first samples will be sent off to CM this week, so there will be much more on that, you can be sure.   Then there’s the new DSH website that is full steam under construction, plus, are you ready: the construction the ArtScent Museum room is complete.  I’ve hand-painted and worked on this room (with a lot of help, you can bet!) all July and it’s finally ready to have the display cases brought in.  Oh joy!   My labor of love is moving forward at last.

the room that will house the ArtScent Museum: all hand-painted gold. It's a jewel-box... with lovely prism-rainbows reflected on the wall. pure magic.

But what’s really topped my list this week is not a current work that I am designing or a new project but the official launch and beginning ‘reception’ if you will, of a collaboration that started almost a year ago with Jane Schub, a fascinating mind and exceptional designer.  Jane has been involved in many creative endeavors over the years and her latest work is creating remarkable nail colors under the name ‘StrangeBeautiful‘.  I have had the pleasure of making manifest some of Jane’s incredibly creative ideas in the past, but our latest mingling of the minds produced “Richly Perverse”, a true perfumed nail polish.  Richly perverse is a clear coat nail polish that has a fully designed fragrance; it’s not the kiwi or pear or bubblegum scented stuff you might find in regular ‘scented nail polish’.  It’s a richly perverse dream.

This week it launched at anthropologie.com and has already made it to the Today show!  How rad is that?  I am sure you are wondering…what the heck does it smell like?  Well… it’s an outrageous violet / leather with notes of absinthe, tuberose, orris, ylang ylang, sandalwood plus incense and tobacco in the drydown.  The leather note is black leather; yep, like a motorcycle jacket.  And the violet is powdered candy violet, all French and demure.  Mixed with the boozy breath of absinthe and narcotic tuberose, oh yeah, it’s a badass.  It’s sheer elegance riding a Harley.  If that messes with your head it’s par for the course.   That’s what happens when Jane and I get together.

Check out some of the ‘brief’ Jane sent me for inspiration:

“Richly Perverse

As we removed our clothing then inched our way into the unknown dark inky lake the conversation escalated, she said you don’t get it nor comprehend what I am saying; this is not a philosophical perspective but a way of life. Only when it is strange do I see something beautiful. She then said; I may not respect someone when they do not see it my way but I will never forget your thoughtful act of delivering my request for a freshly boiled lobster shell. Her ideas were a concept that took everyone by surprise.”

Oh, yes, Strange is Jane but so beautiful.   I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sharing my news and my life on this blog is a joy and I am very grateful for my subscribers and drop-ins alike.  It is you, dear readers, who share the blog and tweet which is what makes the wikio stats jump and get you a rating.  To pop in at number 10 for July, with so many very WONDERFUL, thoughtful, informative, glorious ( I could go on…) blogs out there, is truly incredible.  So thank you, peeps!  I am so happy to be able to interact with some of the best and most knowledgeable perfumistas , artists and down right great souls on the planet. <3

* image credit: amy winehouse’ love bite found here (no, I didn’t know it was she until I looked at the site more closely.  I just liked this image…)

Ok.. the opportunity to get the word out here on my blog about my ongoing series called ‘sense’ at BMoCA (Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art) has come and I am seizing it!  I started this work in January and one thing or another always came up to interrupt me when attempting to write and post about it.  Not this time.  *TONIGHT at 8 pm I will again be doing a ‘sense’ presentation*, working with and interpreting another artist’s show; this time it’s called W3FI (pronounced WEE-FY) and it’s part of an installation called the Biodome project.  The W3FI installation speaks to the interconnectedness we all now experience as we interact on the internet.  The internet in its more mature stages is now a place that what you say and do have consequences and we all have a responsibility to do right in this new global community.  The concept of ‘persona’ is an underlying element of the project and this is where I will be coming into the mix and talking about how scent has always been used to communicate persona and how we do and can consciously use it in the modern world.  It’s going to be exciting.  And I am excited to be talking about this *BEFORE* the actual event, even if it is tonight.  So, if any of you are going to be in Boulder tonight, please come to BMoCA and experience scent in a new way and in relation to the W3FI / Biodome Project.

Now, this also brings me to another great pleasure, which is to start publishing posts I write months ago when I did my first sense talk and then my second.  These were more direct ‘multi-sensory’ art interpretations, so less conceptual and intellectual, of visual art into aroma.  Below is a 2/3 finished piece but it will have to stand as it is, since it’s been too long since the event for me to finish that line of thought.  I hope you will bear with me and still find it an interesting read.  I dated some of the passages so you would be aware of what was written in January, 2011 , April, 2011 and my little tidbits added now.  Enjoy~

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sense at BMoCA 1:

{4:2011} If I was really on top of everything in my world I would probably have written posts about my events at BMoCA (Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art) *before* they happened…but as life is easily running wild around us and time seems to be no different, I’m instead reporting about these magical evenings instead of promoting them ahead of time. And, since there’s so much juiciness to the ‘sense’ events, I’m making two posts. I’m looking forward to a potential third this summer. There’s been talk of it but we’ll have to see.

Kiki by Stephen Batura, 2010

{1:2011} : “Experience Stephen Batura’s work in a whole new way – through your sense of smell. Renowned perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s scent interpretations of Batura’s paintings bring a whole new dimension to the exhibition while exploring the realm of scent as art.” (excerpt from BMoCA Calendar)

Although it was a cold and dark evening in January, about a dozen intrepid art enthusiasts made it to BMoCA to hear me talk about creating aroma as art (in it’s conception; construction and use to express ‘the muse’ that can show up as a painting, sculpture, music, movement / dance or as a scent). It was wonderful to describe the construction of scent as architectural (the base is the foundation, the middle notes or heart as the rooms and walls that create the space to move within and the topnotes as the roof, or the part of the structure that moves upward, touches the sky and finishes the shape) and to speak to the correlation and associations of aroma to color, shape, line, juxtaposition and texture.

Being synesthetic, to sense these artistic criteria in scent comes easily to me and I am always intrigued to find out how many others have the same sensibility (or not). It’s also incredible to introduce these very new concepts to people when referencing art as many have never conceived of aroma design as on par with or similar in anyway with painting and sculpture in particular.

Prospero by Stephen Batura, 2010

So, for the talk I started with the basics: top, middle and base notes. As we smelled our way through the selected raw materials that I brought to illustrate the concepts: Virginia cedarwood as texturally soft but dusty, sheer but dense and color wise, a wash of alizarin crimson; oakmoss absolute 5% dilute has an earthy, velvety texture with a black-ish – green hue (well, green oakmoss does…brown oakmoss is another story); bergamot has a zesty, sparkling and “popping” texture like sparklers are in fireworks with a cool, light bluish green wash of color and a pale yellow undertone; black pepper has a thin, black linear quality and a subtle texture as anything peppery will, but it is smoother than you might expect; and Siam benzoin has a lovely rusty-golden ‘hue’ with a lush velvety texture that can be a bit sticky when undiluted but just like pure silk velvet when diluted to about 10%.

{7:2011}   Sadly, I stopped here and I am not exactly sure how to finish this post properly now that it is 6 months later…   I will say that samples of these art project perfumes will be available on the new site as soon as that gets finished, too.  But that is a whole other project.

{1:2011}  The good news is that immediately after this first sense evening, I was invited back to work with the museum again to interpret and create ‘aroma sculptures’ for Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira’s work. * see sense at bmoca 2 (coming up next).

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image credits: bmoca link for info on the w3fi installation here 

bmoca link to the batura show – for propsero here

denver post link – for kiki here