Art

Sarah Makes Stones

| Flower Roberts

I was quietly perusing the art exhibits at a local museum when I turned a corner to find a big pile of rocks in the floor.There was a short little fence around them.

Stones made by Sarah Vaughn

The fence was not just to keep visitors from stumbling over them, it was also to keep them from touching them. They were beautiful and textured in various sizes. The urge to pick them up was strong.

These weren’t just any rocks. These were river rock replicas made of glass by Sarah Vaughn. They looked so real, like a pile of favorite rocks on the northern shores of the Pacific.

In addition to the pile on the floor there was a long line of rocks made of wool. The artist made one every day during the Covid Lockdown. Some were lovely while others were little angry wads. I understood those.

Wool rocks to mark time during the Covid pandemic 2020

Then there was a table with a circle of dtones that had been broken and lost a part. Sarah had carefully mended each stone to be whole again. It reminded me of Shel Silverstein’s book The Missing Piece in which the broken character travels looking for its missing part until it realizes the experiences made it feel completed.

Mended broken stones

I spent some quiet time in that room full of the smoothed stones that Sarah made. Her skill is amazing. The stones spoke of transformation by time.

Stones of glass by Sarah Vaughn

Just WOW!

FLOW

The Stores of Italy

| Flower Roberts

It was hard to choose what stores to take photos of and even harder to choose which to enter.
Buying was not an option for most items because there were four of us traveling and eating, so photos had to suffice.
I will note that one of the women in the group purchased 12 pairs of shoes on the trip. Shoes there are wonderfully made and not that expensive. She showed us photos of her shoes over diner one night. They were all unique and beautiful.

Items made of alabaster.

We have a small cabinet in our library which we call ‘ The Italy Cabinet.’ All our souveniers were small and carefully chosen.

I did get a necklace and scarf for special occasions. These items mean more because we limited our purchases.

Stay tuned for floors, furniture, decor and maybe some fancy ceilings.

FLOW

Ornate Objects of Italy

| Flower Roberts

It was a bit overwhelming to be surround by art everywhere. Nothing was ordinary. I wanted to slow down and pause to take it all in. I am so thankful that I snapped photos of many items that caught my eye, so I could closely examine and research them later.

If you are clicking to zoom on these photos you will see there is a difference in quality of the photos I am sharing. We rented a big lens to put on my camera, so some photos have much higher quality than others. We rented a lens for our Costa Rica trip last July, also.

The lens makes a huge difference especially if the subject is far away. There is no need to own such a lens, so renting one is a great option.

I marveled at every interesting fixture, light or knob. I wanted to touch everything. That gets lost in the photos.

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This last object was quite a surprise because the companion piece by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro is in downtown Charlotte, my hometown. It’s a small world after all!

Background Details of Famous Masterpieces

| Flower Roberts

I learned that the master painters were in charge of painting the main subjects in paintings.
Then the apprentices would come behind to paint the backgrounds. It was obvious that a lot of effort was put into the small details in the periphery.
Of course this tidbit of information got me side-tracted…literally. I made it a point to search the margins for interesting details an apprentice might add to get noticed by his master.
I tried to photograph the whole painting and then the tiny details. Sometimes rude tourist were impatient with my careful attention to detail. Imagine such rudeness!

Whole painting below.
Baby Jesus on the ground.
Whole painting above.

Needless to say, I got carried away.

Another detail that got me side-lined was all the paintings in which baby Jesus is lying on the ground surrounded by unattentive adults.

We Americans like to keep our baby Jesus in Mary’s arms or the manger.

But what can you expect from a country that parks their babies in a stroller outside a store and goes inside to shop alone?

FLOW

The Glass and the Sky

| Flower Roberts

There was a spectacular sunset last week.

I watched it evolve as I was cooking.

Taking photos of it did not occur to me until my neighbor Nancy called to tell me to take my fancy camera outside to capture it.

As I rushed out of our library door, I snapped this picture of the glass matching the sky.

The sunset faded quickly.

Many photographers noticed the beauty in the sky and posted sunset pictures.

I am glad that we are watching the skies and looking for beauty and sharing it.

Let’s keep doing that.

It is important, especially now.

Flow on Glow

Twisted Twigs

| Flower Roberts

We visited Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, North Carolina today.

I was especially interested in a new artist installation that I had not seen.

‘The Magnificent Seven’ is by Patrick Dougherty.

This Stick Work piece was big enough for folks to walk through and play in.

I think it is a lovely addition to the garden.

FLOW at the Stowe

(More to come water features, planters, a magical tree and anoles)

Floral Floor Cloth

| Flower Roberts

I made this floor cloth over two decades ago when my children were small.

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How did I manage it? Why did I attempt such a thing?

I puzzle about things like this now that I am afraid of a pencil.

What made me believe I could make a floor cloth and paint my favorite flowers on it?

I think I get this from my dad. I get an idea and become possessed with it.

I found it folded and smashed under a pile in the workshop last week.

I laid it out on the gravel to examine it.

There were those flowers from gardens past.

The dahlia that disappeared and the Texas Star from my grandmother.

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The prolific Kwanzan daylily  that I should have declined and a Clematis I loved and lost.

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A white gladiola, a yellow Asiatic lily and a blackberry lily.

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A Japanese iris, bracken fern  and some bearded iris.

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Bearded iris, Cecil Brunner rose that got giant,  Bill Troutman poppy and a Sensitive fern.

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And my beloved pink foxglove.

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Maybe I’ll get possessed again and repaint it,

but first I need to get over my fear of colored pencils.

 

FLOW

 

 

Grandiflora: Gamrath Glass

| Flower Roberts

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens has a magnificent exhibit on display throughout the  grounds right now.

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It consists of many giant, colorful glass flowers created by Jason Gamrath.

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I will share just a few to give you a sampling of this wonderful installation.

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He made large-scale renderings of flowers with colorful glass.

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There were various types of orchids, pitcher plants, Venus flytraps and more.

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I loved the colorful Corpse flower.

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The pitchers in water were especially lovely.

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The flytraps looked beautiful but dangerous.

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These beautiful blooms towered overhead along the paths.

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I sure do hope I get to see the Gamrath Glass at night before it leaves on

September 29, 2019.

ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT!

Flower

 

In Love with a Statue

| Flower Roberts

I went down to Orangeburg, South Carolina to see some cousins and fell in love with a statue.

I rode down south with my sister to have a family visit among the roses in the Edisto Memorial Garden.

I planned this to be a rose post.

But then I saw her and the baby.

This is how it happens…

everything else disappears.

There was only me and the two of them.

Forget my family and the surrounding flora and fauna.

Statues by Zan Wells at Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg, South Carolina

There in the middle of all those roses stood two bronze angels.

Here is the marker.

I will leave the rest up to my photographs. I hope they do them both justice.

This pair and another set of statues are by Zan Wells. The next set will be my next post.

Helen Williams must be a very special person. This was a very special pair of people.

Flower