More landscape sketches

Some Landscape Sketches -Thanks Cezanne!

Christmas is Coming

Delight your friends with this lovely limited edition print of the alphabet!

This remarkable piece of artwork has been created from photographs of genuine trees in Historic Greenwich Park!

It's the perfect gift for that special someone

Only £125.00 fully framed*

*Please note that the wood in the frame is from sustainable forests

Don't delay, order your copy today!

Meanwhile, more sketch designs, this time for a prospective client in Eltham.....



































Dickie

Catalpa bignonioides pulverule

Should crazy paving ever come back, here's a good tree to go with it!

I think that the heart shaped leaves and the way that they are held on the stem complement the crazy paving behind, and echo the pattern.

The leaves on this variety look like they've been splattered with white paint, which gives them a luminous quality, especially good in early evening light.

The tree itself isn't listed in Hilliers but I did see them for sale at Hampton Court this year, so they are available.

I've tried 'stooling' my one to get larger leaves but this seems to make it come into leaf even later - towards the end of May/early June, so it's only in leaf for about five months of the year.

Enjoyed the sketch design yesterday, but I must admit that I was (and still am) confused as to whether we were meant to be designing a garden for the target audience for the particular advert we were given, or that we were meant to designing a garden using the same principles as those used in the advert i.e viewpoints, eye levels, voids, ground planes etc.

One day it will all become clear........

Dickie

Rachel Whiteread @Tate Modern

Visited Tate Modern yesterday afternoon to have a look at the Rachel Whiteread installation.

Having made a cast of the 'space' within an unassuming packing box and duplicating this 'space' thousands of times, a monumental and dynamic landscape is created. Our journey through the 'landscape' is via paths (basically space), their very creation being brought into existence simply because the empty space around them has been made solid and impenetrable.

The texture of the surfaces of the cast space of the individual boxes varies as you walk through, presumably alluding to different landscape form.

There is another installation currently at Tate Modern (I think it was on the third floor and I can't remember the name of the artist) that's worth a look and which explores hidden form. It consists of two blocks of wood, the bottoms of which are still blocks, but the tops have been sanded back to reveal the form of the trees as they developed. For example, where there are knots in the block of wood at the bottom, as you go further up, the wood has been sanded back to reveal that these knots are in fact branches, that have been concealed as the trees girths increased. Stunning to look at!

Dickie

Bird Watching In Greenwich Park

Up early this morning to carry out the monthly Bird Walk in Greenwich Park, monitoring all birds seen on a pre-determined walk (I admit it, I'm a member of the Greenwich Park Bird Group!)

Nothing of particular interest today apart from the large flocks of ring necked parakeets that come to feed on the ripening sweet chestnuts. A native of India, escapees have bred successfully and are now numerous in the South East.

Many stories exist of how they first arrived here, my favorite being that whilst filming scenes for "The African Queen" (with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn), a lake near Elstree Studios "doubled" as the Congo (presumably planted with exotic species). Trained parakeets were released to provide a further exotic touch.

Unfortunately, they weren't trained that well, and escaped, survived and bred. It's nice to think that the ones we see around today are the descendants from those in that old film!

Anyway, what's this got to do with design. Absolutely nothing, but if you're stuck for something to do, why not visit the park for a spot of parakeet watching . There are also numerous trees putting on good displays of autumn colour too!

Dickie

Photoshop, Filter/Artistic/Fresco

I know I should be researching Alberti and Bramante but, inspired by Annes lovely cardoon image, I thought I'd try a few effects on photoshop.

The plants shown are Euphorbias, an Eriobotrya seedling and Acanthus mollis.

Thought for Today

Salvia guaranitica, Garden 20/10/05. Good plant for late colour (dark blue & black, & very easy from cuttings) - will flower in London until frosts knock them back.

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Dickie

Some Recent Projects/Sketch Designs

1

2

3

Three sketch designs for garden in Charlton, SE7. Client to go with design No.2.
Second meeting arranged for 4/11/05

Nice Plant Combination

Bamboo with Fatsia & Cotinus, Bamboo weighed down with dew, 15/10/05

Anyway enough of that.

Thoughts from the first crit - Makes you realise that you should review your notes from the last three years - most of the stuff we talked about yesterday is in there, It's just a question of remembering it all and revisiting!

Dickie