Art and other stuff on the block

It is all happening on our block: we have installed Susie Davis's Iris; the timber driveway extension is completed; the pumpkins have gone rampant; and the Frangipani are just delicious.

When we visited Susie in Arizona late last year we took the opportunity to buy 3 of her Iris to create an Iris installation on our block. We are pleased that they not only made it home; but are now installed on the gravel terrace next to the bell deck. And of course they will get better with age as they rust further in the open. Susie is an extraordinary handheld plasma cutter and welder metal artist. The Iris are about 90cm high.

©2014 Barry Smith - Iris by Susie Davis (Arizona)

©2014 Barry Smith - Iris by Susie Davis (Arizona)

©2014 Barry Smith - Iris by Susie , with Flags for Peace and Peace Bell

Over the last few months of 2013 I worked with a builder to design and construct a timber extension to our driveway. The existing driveway was too tight and the drop off edge was too steep. The timber extension needed to follow the curve of the existing driveway. We achieved this by creating the deck with two long sides following the curve; and three triangle surfaces to get the gradation. I love that it is like a big sculpture with the different angles of the surfaces of the triangles; and the decisions we made to run the timbers to emphasise the individual triangles worked - which also helped with the engineering of the work.

©2014 Barry Smith - Driveway extension

©2014 Barry Smith - Driveway extension

We planted four pumpkin seedlings this year in our pumpkin patch. All four took off and are producing good sized pumpkins; including three that decided that they'd like to be hanging pumpkins. The vines are gradually taking over the gravel terraces outside the studio-gallery and covering some of my sculptural pieces; but that is only temporary.

©2014 Barry Smith - Hanging pumpkin of 601mvr

©2014 Barry Smith - Pumpkin takeover at  601mvr

And the Frangipanis remind us with their aroma that this has been a good dry growing season. We love these original white-yellow highly perfumed blossoms.

©2014 Barry Smith - Simplicity of Frangipani

©2014 Barry Smith - Frangipani with battle

And as you can see from the photo above the bugs must like the aroma as well as there is a beetle hanging out in the blossom.

Though "the block" (1.25 acres) and all the fruit, coffee and veggies and weeds take quite a bit of effort to maintain - the rewards are worth it. We are very fortunate.