Inside the Fern House

On my latest visit to the walled garden I got to go inside the Fern House, the large conservatory built in the 1900s by Sir Julius Wernher.

It is a 'hard hat' area.

The inside is propped up and is in a very fragile condition. It is a wooden structure and in its present state would not be able to be re-glazed as the frame could not take the weight of the glass.

What a magnificent sight it must have been, filled with exotic fruits, flowers and ferns  with its central roof tall enough for small trees. From the central atrium lead two long arms each with further glass houses branching off. One of the volunteers told me that when he started clearing this three years ago it was a tunnel of brambles and they had to hack their way into it foot by foot.

At the end of the passage is this glazed alcove which would be enough to grace the back of most peoples' homes on its  own.

The central lantern window in the roof here is mostly intact.

I shall be sharing some more photos soon.

More information:

The Walled Garden Project

How to make felt

Just in case you thought wet felting was hard work ---

Busy Weekend

Hi there, I have just spent a long weekend with my sister playing. I took a car boot full of wool, sketchbooks and journals and my camera. The idea was for me to photograph what we were up to, but in the end we spent most of the time madly talking, I haven't seen her for five months. I did manage to take these shots of her new button collection when I first arrived but the camera got put away and forgotten after that. I am shattered from late nights and more driving than I am used and I am finding writing is taking twice as long as usual so I shall just enjoy catching up on all your news.

Thank you

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my 'Door' piece. Here is my second page based on the ironwork used in the flooring of the glasshouses at Luton Hoo.

'Layers'

Click on the picture for a real close--up view

This is a many layered montage based on my photographs and a few images downloaded from the internet related to the history of the estate. I started by transferring images of the ironwork from these photographs using the method I describe here. These are the photographs I used, once again just printed onto standard copy paper.

 

When I had finished covering the background I distressed it with acrylic ink and paint. I wanted to convey the idea of layers of history and had lots of images I downloaded from the web, but finally just selected a jewel from the Wernher collection and a portrait of Lady Alice plus some photographs of a racing car, WW1 home guard on parade in the park and some Land Girls. As these images may be copyright I have altered them and hopefully made them 'mine'. I was going to just lay them on top of the grid, but some how it wasn't what I wanted, so printed out a sheet of the lefthand photgraph and cut out all the holes with a craft knife leaving the leaf - I did the same with the circle pattern on the right hand picture and a couple of leaves. Placing the cut out grid on top gave me the look I wanted and I had to stick the 'photos' down carefully so some of the faces peeped through.

I then worked with more paint and ink and bits of cut-out grid to build up the composition. I finally added a border of bramble as it is growing everywhere.

 

I am pleased with this piece as it more of an 'art piece' rather than just an adapted photograph. It also has the 3D layered feel I was aiming for. I feel as if I am really finding my creative voice after many years of searching, and thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Enter here

Here is my first page in my Walled Garden Journal, it is based on a photograph (below) of one of the glasshouse doors. The distressed paint is a interior designers dream and the knotted rag used to pull the door closed has been there so long it looks part of the door. As this is a A3 book I had to print the photograph on two pieces of ordinary inkjet paper and glued it onto a page prepared with quite thick gesso and tinted ochre.  Before I printed the door I managed to straighten it in photoshop as I had to tilt the camera when taking the picture. 

I am pleased with the photograph, but there was very low light levels and I had not got my tripod with me on this occasion, I also had to stand in an awkward spot. 

In my journal I wanted to use the door as a metaphor for entering the garden - a rather obvious one, but I am not very strong on the poetic statement. I surrounded the door as if were closed and added some graffiti using words I associate with the garden. Here are a couple of details...

By the way that is a fruiting fig on the wall.

I would appreciate your comments. I want to use the photographs to make a strong statement about the place, I have another page ready to post  and just hope I can keep my enthusiasm up.

Happy Valentines Day

I know the way to a man's heart
 (and his arteries, so as low fat as poss!!).

The Walled Garden Again

I love this place so much I want to show you all my photos, but I will just post a few at a time. I have two projects going in my walled garden journal which I will share later. But here a a few starters.

This gable end over a door in one of the glasshouses shows wonderful attention to detail which runs throughout the garden. I have blacked out the roof here to emphasise the shape which I am rather fond of photographing and which is beginning to reoccur in my pictures. Here are a couple of details.

I love the way the bramble has wound itself around the frame and between the glass and the polythene covering.

Looking up to where the glasshouse joins onto the outer wall of the garden the glass is broken and the polythene ripped giving a glimpse of blue sky and the ubiquitous brambles that grow everywhere, even on top of the wall.

Here is the top of the wall from the outside - you need to see this large to appreciate the silhouettes of the stems - well I love it. The wall is very high - 15 foot plus -I will check this. Here are a couple of pictures so you can get orientated with the site.

Here you can see the extent of the glasshouses, outside...

and inside.

More another time.
More info. here