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Behind The Photo | Omar

Portrait-of-Omar-an-artist-from-Senegal

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This is Omar, I don’t know his last name. I met Omar in Portovenere, Italy, on the July day I photographed these glorious roses left on the altar at St. Peter’s church. Omar was hanging in the nook at the back of the church where you can light candles. I snapped a quick photo of him there, but the church is quite dark already, and there was not enough light for a hand held shot, even at 800 ISO.

Omar and I got to talking and he said he was from Senegal and had come to Italy on a tight budget to attend university. I do not remember (or he might not have said) what his studies were focused on, but I know that his intention was then to return to his village and help make things better. Unless life has led him along other paths, he should be there by now, as this was quite a few years ago.

Omar asked me if I would buy one of his drawings and asked for 5 Euros for one. As it turned out, Omar is a very talented artist, and his pencil drawings represented beautiful detailed scenes from his home village and people. I told him he should ask for more than 5 Euros, but he said he just wanted to go buy himself a sandwich and a bottle of water. I chose one and gave him 20 Euros. He did not want to take it, but I insisted that his work was worth more than 5 Euros. I still have the drawing, though it now is safely packed away in a folder inside a tub with some of my own artwork at the bottom of a pile of other tubs. As soon as I get a chance to dig it up I will scan it and post it here for you to see.

I never met Omar again since that day, of course, and he remains one of those serendipitous encounters in which people come together for a moment to have some small or big impact on each other’s life, or maybe simply for their souls to say “Hi, I remember you from before.” and then move on.

I hope things are well with Omar and his family. And who knows, maybe one of you has run into him, or knows him and can give me an update!

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    Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers and to all those who have been mothering in some way.
Here is mine. She no longer looks quite like this, though this is how I think of her and I am sure this is how she thinks of herself.

The main thing is that she is still with us, despite all the challenges. I get to talk to her every day and will be spending more time with her in a few weeks. That is a blessing I don’t take lightly. 
🩷🌸🩷
M
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#loob_portraiture #mothersday #environmentalportrait #inthegarden #beautifulwoman #Italianmothers #portraiture #portrait #mothersday2025 #mothersdayweekend #mothersdayflowers #motherlove #motherdaughterlove #motherdaughterbond 
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© Monica Schwartz - all rights reserved.
    For those who have missed it or who don’t get my newsletter, there is a new post on the blog in which I share about my personal experiences with various holistic treatments and therapies on my wellness journey.

It is the 5th installment in my Self Help series, which begins with chapter one and dealing with panic attacks. You can easily find the previous 4 once you get to this newest one. The link is in profile under “latest post”, or you can comment WELLBEING below and I will be happy to send you the link directly.

Don’t you just love peonies?
Love and blessings,
Monica
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#loob_selfhelp #holisticwellbeing #mindfulness #healthyliving #anxietyrelief #deepbreathing #peonies #stilllifephotography #fineartphotography #selfcarepractice #mindfulpractice
    Good Morning!

The official rose month is just around the corner, and there are already roses blooming everywhere in my neck of the woods. Yesterday on my walk I literally stopped and smelled the roses: heavenly!

I wanted to let you know that the new Calendar Wallpaper will be coming your way tomorrow, and on Friday I will be publishing a new post, which will be first announced in the newsletter coming your way on the same day. 

So you might want to keep an eye on your inbox, and if you have not yet subscribed and would like to, you can easily do so at the link in profile, or you can comment SUBSCRIBE and I will message you the link directly.

Blessings and love,
Monica
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#loob_nature #roses #gardendesign #gardenflowers #gardenlovers #iloveroses #flowerslover #mayroses #mayflowers #mymomentswithflowers #gardenphotography #naturephotography #gardenlife #homesandgardens #gardentherapy #shinrinyoku #naturehealsthesoul #newsletter #nothingisordinary #springweather #mindfulpractice #earthmedicine #breathedeeply #sacrednature #theitaliangarden #naturalliving #natureloverforlife #countrylife #naturewalk #roseseason 
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© Monica Schwartz - all rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any way without written permission.
    Good Morning!

This exquisite Classic English kitchen in Southeast London caught my eye as it popped into my inbox a few days ago. 

I have not shared any home design inspiration for some time, for all the same reasons why I had not posted or sent out newsletters for sometime. But make no mistake: my love for interior design and architecture has not dulled one iota. Actually, it is even stronger.

Take a look on the blog (link in profile under Latest Post) for images, story and description of this moody-done-right kitchen.

Wishing you an easy rest of the week!
xoxo
Monica
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#loob_homedesign #kitchendesign #interiordesign #classicenglishkitchen #oldhouseappreciation #homerenovation #oldhouselove #historichomes #houseportrait #kitchengoals #kitchenremodel #georgianhome #kitchendesignideas #kitchendesigner #kitchendesigninspiration #londonarchitecture #kitchendesigntrends #moodyinteriors #moodyinteriorstyle #darkandmoodyinteriors #moodyinteriorsuk #moodyinteriorsdoneright #copper #homedecor #madeinengland #kitchencabinetry #customkitchens #copperkitchen #kitchencolorscheme #kitchencolorsideas 
@devolkitchens