The perfume Chaparral is not a reference to the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, which sometimes goes by many name chaparral, as well as greasewood and la gobernadora. I named the fragrance after the California biome distinguished by wet winters, hot summers and drought-tolerant shrub land. This biome is also found in the Mediterranean, South America, Australia… Continue reading The alchemical trinity of Chaparral
Tag: Q
Oakmoss
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.” In my palette as an authentic nature perfumer, oakmoss is one of my most cherished base notes. The damp, forest floor quality of this lichen lends a rich, full bodied, earthiness that reminds me of Demeter. As you may recall, she is the ancient Greek Goddess of the harvest and agriculture who… Continue reading Oakmoss
Oak Tree Circle
Yesterday, just as I was about to head off to the perfumery a gardener with a chain saw almost starting going at the oaks on the neighboring lot. We were able to fend off the fellow by taking photos and calling the police. Since I’m not sure if this method of protection will be sustainable… Continue reading Oak Tree Circle
Celtic Tree Month of Oak
I’ve been diligently finalizing my paper for the proceedings of my presentation titled “The Tree of Life: A mystical approach to the art of botanical perfumery” for the Beyond Aromatics conference up in Seattle this Autumn. The paper is due today which happens to be the first day of the Celtic Tree Month of Oak.… Continue reading Celtic Tree Month of Oak
Agnes Obel
A customer sent me the following note and the link of this video. Wow, love this music! “Just wanted to tell you I wore Q to a concert on Saturday (wonderful Danish singer/songwriter/piano player Agnes Obel). It was a gorgeous heart-thumping, chakra-dancing and soul-caressing concert… and as I felt all that, I could smell Q… Continue reading Agnes Obel
The Return of the Light!
The Winter Solstice has arrived to the Northern hemisphere, marking the return of the SUN. The days will slowly start getting longer, inching toward more and more light and warmth. Here in the woodland Spring normally begins in January with the blooming of the rosemary, oaks and ceanothus. (Although this year the rosemary began earlier… Continue reading The Return of the Light!
A New Green Cloak for Spring
The last batch of the solid perfume synergy for Q ran out. As I pondered the formula and moved to make more I choose to reassemble the composition with an intention of creating a few subtle shifts. Sometimes when a fragrance formula gets translated from a liquid to a solid state the fragrance will shifts.… Continue reading A New Green Cloak for Spring
O is for Oak
Q stands for Quercus agrifolia the botanical name for the coastal live oak of California. At this time of the year the oaks are very heavy with acorns, proving a very busy time for the local squirrels. I’ve been dutifully gathering both acorns and acorn caps daily from the Quercus agrifolia on my property. The… Continue reading O is for Oak
The Giving Tree
Once there were four large oak trees and three smaller ones in a grove and they loved a girl. And everyday the girl looked out at the trees but didn’t really see them. Until one day, the girl learned about the value of native plants and old growth oak trees. The girl learned that the… Continue reading The Giving Tree
Inch by Inch
The fruit of the California live oak, the acorn, matures between August and October. From there, if conditions are right, a little sprout will eventually emerge. That little sprout, inch by inch, over many years will develop into a gorgeous tree. Like the California live oak, my perfume company continues to grow, inch by inch.… Continue reading Inch by Inch