Best known for her sensual pictures of women as well as tantalizing images of culinary fare, McCarson Jones, above, opens a new exhibit April 29 on another subject she adores – gardens./Photo by Jennaye Derge
Garden of delights
McCarson Jones showcases secret sanctuaries
by Stew Mosberg
Local photographer McCarson Jones is probably best known for her sensual pictures of women as well as tantalizing images of culinary fare. However, another less familiar subject she adores is gardens; serene, hidden-away spaces that provide respite for weary souls.
Just the FactsWhat: “Gentil Gardener,” a photography exhibit by McCarson Jones |
“I love gardens,” she admits. “They have always given me such peace, and I’ve always wanted to do an exhibit with gardens as a theme.”
It should come as no surprise that one of Jones’ favorite places in Durango is the “secret garden” adjoining the Rochester Hotel. Although it is generally reserved for guests, it is frequently the scene of private parties, fundraisers and concerts. It also should come as no surprise that she chose the garden as the site for her latest exhibit, “Gentil Gardener,” which opens April 29.
“It feels appropriate to have a garden show at this time of year since it is the season of spring,” she explains.
 Jones found an altar to Madonna and child, below, in Monopoli, Italy. The photograph is part of her new exhibit, “Gentil Gardener.” |
As a devotee of gardens, Jones sniffs them out wherever she travels. Fortunately for us, she has documented many of them through her digital lens. The exhibit includes 22 images of some of her most serendipitous discoveries throughout Europe, Argentina, Australia and Uruguay. However, the photos in the exhibit are a mere sampling of her collection. “I probably have about 2,000 garden images taken from the time I was 20, until now,” she says.
The vast number in her personal archive led to the publishing of a book, Gentil Gardener – A Collection of Sculptured Spaces, which contains 193 photos of garden imagery from Europe, along with accompanying text. The book will be for sale at the exhibit, along with her photos, which represent about nine years’ worth of her travels. They vary in size from a diminutive 5-by-5 inches to a 3-by-3-foot stunner. Jones has surrounded each in recycled gold frames that add a delightfully rich quality to the work.
In addition to the book and framed art, Jones will be selling note cards featuring photos from the collection as well.
Each of the Rochester photographs exudes a peaceful, quiet, resting place, inviting the viewer to sit for a spell. However, viewers will
note that not all of the spaces qualify as a traditional garden. Some are simply flower pots filling a balcony under a fading mural of the Madonna and Child. Others have a slightly voyeuristic point of view, such as the one looking down on an enclosed space occupied by a weathered, wrought-iron divan with autumn-colored cushions and an adjoining table. That one was taken at the Hôtel Particulier in Paris, “a private location down a nondescript alley way behind a locked gate,” she says. “This hotel caters to the well to do and you often see Hollywood stars relaxing on the terrace.”
Finding a favorite among the 22 pictures is difficult at best, but when asked, Jones selected three for different reasons. An admitted Francophile, she chose two from France as her tops picks: the aforementioned one taken in Paris, and another taken when she was in the French countryside photographing a wedding in Sadillac. Put up in style at a Chateau, Jones experienced the luxurious locale more as a guest than a hired hand. The photograph depicts an old rounded stone building with a small, stained glass window abutted by creeping vines and roses.
 Paris’ Hôtel Particulier. |
The third favorite is an Argentinean image from her March trip to Buenos Aires, taken while she explored the cemetery where Evita Peron is buried. The photo focuses on a pale yellow wall with a hanging vine seemingly reaching out toward the stark crucifix on the adjacent wall. “I spent an afternoon meandering around the tombs and admiring the beauty and care of the cemetery,” she explained, and then as an afterthought added, “When people rest here, they rest well.”
As a collection, the Gentil Gardener evokes numerous emotions: lyrical and poetic; charming, sensuous; stark; simple; mystical; spiritual; and exotic. Each of the gardens she has chosen, whether wild or cultivated, suggests stories that lurk beyond the fences or down a shaded path. A few of the magical spaces border ancient walls or surround fallen leaves, but all beckon the visitor to learn more or walk through the gates and sit for a moment. Come see the gentil gardens and share the secret.
 This photograph, “From the Earth,” is a part of Jones’ new exhibit, “Gentil Gardener.” In it, a hanging vine seemingly reaches toward a crucifix in a Buenos Aires cemetery – the same one in which Evita Peron is buried. |