Further Flora - Ceramic Art in Blooming Form

Frequent visitors to this site may already know of my love of flowers.

 (Vanessa Hogge at Cockpit Arts Studio, London via This is Colossal)

How much more could I love them if they never died?

But persisted with me?

In a more robust form?  I first fell in love with ceramic flowers 

placed at French gravesites.  

What can be a more striking visual dialogue between fragility and durability

 (Zemer Peled here)

than this medium, in this form?  With these results?

And what about the wonderings that these manifestations of precision and consideration

of observation and complexity evoke?  Beyond the dream and romance

that has, and always has been, the lore and allure

(Molly Hatch also via This is Colossal)

of flowers?  Blooming Marvelous these pieces are!  Am I wrong?

Snapshots of the Season - My L.A. in Bloom

"Oh where, oh where, has that darn blogger gone now?"  

You might wonder as my absences from this page sometimes prolong themselves........

Well it does have something to do with the season, to which a gardener must always be subject.

After a harsh endless summer and drought of 2016.....followed by five months of almost

constant rain.  My recent cool stretch of L.A. spring has been very precious and demanding.

For planting and maintenance.   It's meant

a lot of work to replant, restore and reinvigorate much of my garden.

And there has been a fair amount of happy (or not) weed pulling, bug spraying, and leaf corralling.   

Oh yes, and then there's been this one, who has required a great deal of supervision.  Because her time outdoors always involve plans.  That seem to involve exits!  I have titled this post "My L.A. in Bloom" but it might just as well have been called:  "Elvis Has Left the Room."

And that's just nature.  And the season.  For better or worse.   So you'll excuse me?  I can make no promises about the little furry one.  But me, so far, I'll keep coming back.  

HAVE A LOVELY LOVELY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FIRST OF MAY WEEKEND!

In Case You Missed It - Josef Frank at London's Fashion and Textile Museum

This show continues until May 7, 2017 at London's Fashion and Textile Museum.

If you're close and you love color - and the voluptuousness of nature - don't miss it!

Some of you may know that I have lived in Hawaii part of my life.

In fact, I started my life there and this exuberant version of color and nature is actually a

necessity of life for me.  Like food and love and sunshine.

How though, I had to wonder, did a man whose life was spent in mostly cold and colorless places

develop such a happy affinity with vivid and vigorous forms and tones

and chromatic harmonies that have stood the test of time?   And who stands out - from arguably

thousands of other artists engaged in the textile and homewares industries - because of the liveliness of his designs.

The museum also showcases a series of watercolors - mostly still lifes - that Frank did during his

travels - summer holidays off from his work at Svenkst Tenn and gorgeous renderings in watercolor

of his fabric patterns.  In which you are able to see just that little bit more of the artist's hand.

It's a delightful show.  If you haven't, catch it if you can.  If you can't there's more about Frank and his work here, and here, here, here.  

The Green and Pleasant Land That Loves Its Flowers

Leaving L.A. in Spring is hard as you might imagine - missing our epic wildflower bloom......

as well as developments in my own garden.

But missing Spring in England is hard, too.

Let's face it, there only so many numbers of Springs in any person's life......

And when the English do it so well in truly c-u-l-t-iv-a-t-e-d

ways.  It's such a gift.  That asks nothing back.

Only that you stop and linger for a moment, or several.

Inhale.  And celebrate.

Honor Mother Earth and your own time on the planet.

And make a promise to yourself

to buy some bulbs next fall.  

It's Spring! It's Spring! Isn't It? Oh YES. It is.

Just came back from two weeks of sunshine and mild temps in London.  Of all places.

Came back to a garden full of artichokes

and orchids.

Our California drought is OVER officially.  (Yay!)

How is Spring going where you are?  All pics above, Jo Chambers of Studio Legohead via Print and Pattern.   More L.A. and London pics soon!

Floraisons, Part One

Just 'cause.  You know I have a weakness for flowers.  Or any reasonable facsimile.