Sculpture adds an extra dimension to a garden.
Who can forget the impact of seeing a Henry Moore set against the green lawn outside the gallery of modern art in Edinburgh, or the Andy Goldsworthy pieces at the Botanics and in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park or a visit to Little Sparta the home of the late Ian Hamilton Finlay?
Sculpture also works on a domestic level, although usually on a smaller scale. It can be a foil to planting. It can draw the eye through to another part of the garden or act as an exclamation mark. It can mark out a place as significant and although the plants may change the sculpture remains more permanent.
Have a look at the visual impact of the sculpture made by Tony Sutton is his garden.
Sculpture can be made of many different materials.
This first piece stood (and still stands) in front of our old house in Orkney. It was made in situ in slate by artist and friend Callum Whitelaw who lived in Orkney at the time. In addition to it's height a hose was built into the sculpture so that water could ripple down the structure, changing the colour of the slate and catching the light. If I could have put this on a pallet and brought it with us to our new garden I would have.
Moving to our present home we have several pieces by the Orkney artist and sculptor Frances Pelly.
The four bronze pieces called "Nousts" were exhibited in The Pier Art Centre in Stromness, Orkney.
A Noust is described as follows: Noust (noust,nust): a boat-stance at shore, trench formed at the edge of beach into which a boat is hauled and shored up. [Gen.] naust, n., No. id., a boat shed. In Orkney, nousts are rarely, if ever, covered over.
Words are also important in a garden. They may make you smile or pause for thought and lettering is an art in itself.
Another piece by Frances Pelly. The moss starting to grow in the lettering has aged and added to the piece.
Last but not least is another smaller block by Frances with a Haiku by Matsuo Basho. The moss is also colonising this and making the letters stand out even more.
Breaking the silence of an ancient pond
a frog jumps into water
a deep resonance
Sculptures seem to fit in the garden so perfectly as if they 'grew' there along with the plants. Or perhaps we are accustomed to seeing the European gardens of old, and it is natural to associate the sculpture in the garden. At any rate, your photos of these sculptures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think the sculpture speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteThere's some talented artists about.
I'm nearly always anti . . . except for sun-dials.
ReplyDeleteEsther
Why is that Esther, do you feel it detracts from the main event ie the plants?
ReplyDeleteI love the sculptures, I think if they are in the correct position they add something to a garden, Love the Tony Sutton sculptures "if only ". You could have numbered every piece of your slate sculpture and transfered it that way, but it just looks right where it is,as it was made in situ. I had thought I could squeeze something into my postage stamp plot.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful works there, liking all but especially the Druid.
ReplyDeleteCrocosmia, we discussed moving Callum's sculpture. He said if you tried to move it, it would collapse!
ReplyDeleteInteresting sculptures, a garden does need one or two (or more)!
ReplyDeleteLove the sculptures, they certainly add an extra something to a garden and cause lots of comments, usually favourable. I think where some people go wrong is that they add too many, just one should be seen at a time. They set off the planting and the planting enhances the sculpture.
ReplyDeleteI love that slate sculpture. And the bronze. And the Easter Islands-style stone head. My budget won't run to commissioning an artist, but you remind me that sculptural features can add a whole new dimension to the garden, and that I should look for "found objects" or experiment with making things myself.
ReplyDeleteReal art in your gardens, what could be better?
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention kinetic sculptures that move in the wind. There was one in Edinburgh outside the Dean gallery. I found it quite mesmerizing to watch.
ReplyDeleteYou can make one if you are into engineering and know someone that welds!
PS We didn't pay much for the sculpture in our garden. Not what they are worth anyway.
ReplyDelete