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| ©2014 Barry Smith - Spring maple colour |
I apologise to the artists that I don't give them recognition for the fragments of their work - the visit and appreciation of the exhibition was a bit too fleeting for recording all the details.
Showing posts with label Japanese gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese gardens. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The colour of spring and other images
At the moment our block is a riot of growth and colour. This morning I was particularly taken by the contrast of the colour of the new growth of our Japanese maple against a clear blue sky morning.
Over the weekend Fiona and I attended a couple of exhibitions in the same building (one artists' books exhibition and the other a textile exhibition). I was taken by the detail in some of the pieces which I share in the following photos.
I apologise to the artists that I don't give them recognition for the fragments of their work - the visit and appreciation of the exhibition was a bit too fleeting for recording all the details.
I apologise to the artists that I don't give them recognition for the fragments of their work - the visit and appreciation of the exhibition was a bit too fleeting for recording all the details.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Creating Terraces
Our house sits on 1.25acres of land that in part has slopes that are greater than 25 degrees. When we built we found our house was sited over an ancient landslip - so not only did we have to put in deep pile foundations to bedrock but also had to terrace about half to two thirds of the block.
The terraces had to slope gently in towards a 'stone river' we had to create. So Fiona and I decided we would capitalise on this requirement and gravel all the terraces and create walk ways across the stone river. We wanted this area of the landscaping to have a bit of a Japanese garden feel about it without actually creating a Japanese garden.
The rain let up a bit this afternoon so I did what I do when I not doing work work and can't really disappear and do art - I went out and worked on the terraces for a few hours. I often think of the terraces and other landscaping as sculpture on a grand scale. As you can see from the photos below, after almost three years of carting about 80 cubic metres of 20mm gravel, in the main by hand in buckets and a small cart, the stone mulching of the terraces is almost done and the trees and shrubs are bursting forth.Good contrast of the green and reds of the camellias and maples with the grey-blue of the gravel.
The aim is to locate some of my bigger pieces of sculpture on the terraces; and set up posts and fonts. But at the moment all there is is the 'happy budda' below (given to me by my brother Neil) sitting amidst the dwarf agapanthus blossoms.
The terraces had to slope gently in towards a 'stone river' we had to create. So Fiona and I decided we would capitalise on this requirement and gravel all the terraces and create walk ways across the stone river. We wanted this area of the landscaping to have a bit of a Japanese garden feel about it without actually creating a Japanese garden.
The rain let up a bit this afternoon so I did what I do when I not doing work work and can't really disappear and do art - I went out and worked on the terraces for a few hours. I often think of the terraces and other landscaping as sculpture on a grand scale. As you can see from the photos below, after almost three years of carting about 80 cubic metres of 20mm gravel, in the main by hand in buckets and a small cart, the stone mulching of the terraces is almost done and the trees and shrubs are bursting forth.Good contrast of the green and reds of the camellias and maples with the grey-blue of the gravel.
The aim is to locate some of my bigger pieces of sculpture on the terraces; and set up posts and fonts. But at the moment all there is is the 'happy budda' below (given to me by my brother Neil) sitting amidst the dwarf agapanthus blossoms.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Influenced by the aesthetic of Japanese gardens?
I managed to get a couple of hours in the garage-studio today. I wanted to do a test for a new series. I want to combine stone with my beaten metal bowls to create small incense burners that reflect a little of the stone in Japanese gardens. I was also testing out how tile drills would work on stone.
Well I managed to make a couple of prototypes - and in the process discovered that I would really need to buy myself a couple of diamond drills as the tunsten-carbide drills just fell apart when drilling anything harder than mudstone.
So below are the two test pieces.
The stones don't really match up - they came from the 'stone river' beside our driveway - but with better matched stones and a diamond drill I think this will work out. Why the drilling? I want to drill through the stones and attached the bowl with a bolt that goes right through the whole piece.
Well I managed to make a couple of prototypes - and in the process discovered that I would really need to buy myself a couple of diamond drills as the tunsten-carbide drills just fell apart when drilling anything harder than mudstone.
So below are the two test pieces.
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| Barry Smith © Stone and metal incense burner |
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| Barry Smith © Stone and metal incense burner |
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| Barry Smith © Stone and metal incense burner 2 |
The stones don't really match up - they came from the 'stone river' beside our driveway - but with better matched stones and a diamond drill I think this will work out. Why the drilling? I want to drill through the stones and attached the bowl with a bolt that goes right through the whole piece.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Layers, light and fragments in a Japanese Garden
Portland (Oregon) claims to have the best Japanese garden outside of Japan. I don't know if that is true as I have not been fortunate to visit all such gardens. However whilst in Portland Fiona and I did manage to visit the local Japanese garden.
It was stunning on a number of fronts: the layers and colours; the filtered light; the pathways that took one from one peace filled zone to another; the combination of water, stone timber and foliage - and the list could go on.
Layers, reflections and colour
Filtered light
Fragments - fallen leaf, binding on a bamboo fence, broken post in a stone wall
It was stunning on a number of fronts: the layers and colours; the filtered light; the pathways that took one from one peace filled zone to another; the combination of water, stone timber and foliage - and the list could go on.
Of course we took quite a number of photos to inspire us in our own garden and art. And it reminded me of Donna Watson's recent posts on her 'garden'.
Layers, reflections and colour
Filtered light
Fragments - fallen leaf, binding on a bamboo fence, broken post in a stone wall
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