Once upon a fairytale garden

So it is a new year, and for many people 2012 is looking pretty bleak indeed. That is why I am re-posting this old post I did last year. This story can help remind us that even from the ashes of devastation and despair, life and prosperity will once again flourish.

Wishing everyone a very happy new year, and I hope 2012 brings you all good health, wealth, and happiness.  

Once upon a time in the hills of the great dividing range of Victoria on the edge of a town called Marysville there was a magical garden. In this magical garden mermaids rested on the sun baked rocks on the edge of cool stream’s while fairy’s and pixies danced in-between the trees as wise old men sat at the base of wise old trees.

Unfortunately for Bruno Torfs and the rest of us this is where the fairy tail ended as on the 7th of February 2009 a bushfire raged through the township, decimating everything in its path without mercy and sadly claimed the lives of many people. Bruno was extremely lucky to survive and the rest of the family are safe and well.

Bruno's home and art gallery were unfortunately completely destroyed in the blaze. The main attraction, the sculpture garden, was also damaged, but around sixty percent of the sculptures have survived.

The pictures of the aftermath show a very eerie looking place. The ghostly looking remains of sculptures look almost shell-shocked and traumatised, as from a seen from a town devastated by war.

Bruno has chosen to stay in Marysville to rebuild his home and restore the gardens. His passion to share his love of art and the story of life with the world has not been damaged by the fires, in fact you would almost say it has been forged anew by the flames that nearly took it all away.

But as with all good fairytales, this story two has a happy ending.
Bruno has been working tirelessly to restore the sculptures and the gardens to their former glory and after months of hard work he declared the gardens reopen on the 29th of November 2009.

Bruno's words: "The bushfires deeply touched us all in many ways. It allowed me to see that people had a heart for each other, that when things really got dark, the best in us comes out. We have lost a lot, but life also provides us opportunities to gain a new vision, lots of new friends and a blank canvas to play. In the meantime, nature is already regenerating itself. The green is slowly returning and the rivers are flowing, finding new ways".

All photos are from Bruno Torfs website

New Pip Boydell Paintings

Just in case you missed out the first time round, I thought I'd let you know that we have 4 new beautiful paintings in store by Pip Boydell.  The middle orchid is sold however, the 4 surrounding it are all currently available.  It will be a first in best dressed situation...
xx
Anna

Pip Boydell Debut Exhibition @ B&S

Thursday night just gone we were so thrilled to open the debut exhibition of paintings by Pip Boydell at Black & Spiro.  It was also a night for our clients and friends to view our 2011 Black & Spiro Christmas windows which we unveiled over a few bottles of champagne.

Pip's paintings were a huge hit with 70% of them now sold.  There are 29 pieces in total and I have to say that each and every piece is absolutely divine.

The orchid in the blue and white pot was the first to sell and I think we could have sold it 10 times over.  The pink lilies were snapped up very quickly.  I think they were my favourite painting of the night.

My other favourite piece, the red geranium, hasn't sold and I am so tempted to whisk it away.  I just love it so much!!



The beautiful Agapanthus is also still available.  I love it too...

The pretty teacup was also one of the early ones to be snapped up.

Here's a snapshot of one of our front windows.  Thanks Pip for painting the beautiful and vibrant fabric back drops for us.  Sorry these 2 photos are a bit smudgy!!

Here's our other window...

Our amazing paper/fabric chandelier which our friend, artist Sue-Ching Lascelles collaborated with us on is certainly bringing lots of people into the store.  It's so bright and summery and festive.  She is so clever. 

Oh and here's a shot of our back bedroom.  I am so desperately in-love with the 4 cushions on the bed.  I really, really want to take them to our cottage at the beach for our bed.  So gorgeous!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures of Pip's exhibition and our Black & Spiro Christmas display!

Thank you so much to our beautiful clients and friends for coming along and supporting us and Pip last Thursday night.  It was so great to see you all.

xx

Anna

All images thanks to Elouise & Harriette B.

Kate Lewis

I have talked about my love of Kate Lewis' paintings before.  Her work has that very beautiful painterly look which seems almost effortless.  I was so thrilled when she emailed me earlier today some images of her latest works which she said might look familiar.  Look at the way she has painted the flowers on the chair....so, so beautiful and so, so clever!!

Click HERE to see her latest works...
xx
Anna

Disappearing Act

I am still here.  I promise I haven't performed a disappearing act {although sometimes I wish I could!!}.  Just been a bit busy.  My dear friend Soph has declared that she completely dislikes the word busy and I have to agree with her but it really does describe my life!!  Anyway, back to beautiful things....I have fallen head over heels in-LOVE with Joel Penkman's painting above which I spotted on Design Sponge.  I think I will add it as number two million five hundred and sixty two thousand on my wish list!! 

I won't make any promises but I will TRY harder to post some more lovely things this week!!

xx
Anna

I Love Kate Lewis

I am totally smitten with the artwork of Kate Lewis.  I love everything she does.  Her paintings have a soft, smudgy look which I think is very beautiful.

It's a Small World

It really is amazing how blogging brings together people from all over the world.  I have met some amazing people thanks to my blog and the kindness of strangers continues to surprise me. 

I think almost everyone in our blogging community knows about the artist Anne Harwell.  She is one kind lady.  A long time ago she painted my gilt chair in my lounge room which she calls Anna Spiro's Chair. She sells prints of it in her etsy store.  Last year I received a package in the mail from Anne and inside was the original painting of my chair which she sent to me as a gift.  That little painting now hangs on my cluster wall in our sitting room at home {as above} and I look at it all the time and remember her kindness. 

Another artist we all know and love is Patricia van Essche who I had the pleasure of meeting in person in New York earlier this year.  She too has painted a few of my vignettes in the past.  I am yet to frame the original of the Staffordshire dogs she painted of mine which she sent me a while ago.  I am planning on framing it soon and hanging it in my office at work.  I will post pictures once I have hung it as it is beautiful.

I really think these ladies are so kind and so generous and I would like to thank them for their paintings which I love so much.  You must check out their etsy stores here and here if you haven't already done so.  I'm sure you won't leave empty handed!

This year for National Tree Week, why not let the trees do some art!!!

So it's National Tree Week again here in Ireland! Last year in my post Grow our own chairs for national tree week, I instructed ye all to go and create some art by growing a chair out of trees. (I have yet to hear from ye how that went). So this year, why not let the trees themselves make some art!

Picture from last years post 'Grow our own chairs for national tree week'

This is precisely what British artist Tim Knowles did back in 2005 when he started his series of art pieces, simply called ‘Tree Drawings’ Tim’s idea was to create a series of drawings produced using drawing implements attached to the tips of tree branches, the wind’s effects on the tree is then recorded on paper.  Like signatures, each drawing reveals the different qualities and characteristics of each tree.

All of his works rely on the logic of cause and effect, as a map of time and a record of actions governed entirely by chance.

 

Tree Drawing - Weeping Willow on circular panel [100 pen] 2005

Above, 100 pens attached to the branches of a Weeping Willow tree draw onto a circular disc 5.1 metres in diameter and made up of 10 segments.

Larch on Easel #1 2006

Scots Pine on Easel #1 2006

Similar projects by Knowles include his Vehicle Motion Drawings, where he constructed an apparatus to capture the motion of a car being driven, all the turns, stops, and starts of the vehicle move the pen over the paper. Another is  his postal projects, which capture the motion of packages sent through the postal system, using both drawings and photography.

Greek Pine on easel #1 2005

I think my favorite work of his is titled ‘Nightwalk - Valley of Rocks’.  

Nightwalks are a series of illuminated walks that Knowles created in the countryside during a new moon (to ensure complete darkness).

One of Tim Knowles contraptions

Over the period of an hour, the artist walked away from the camera while carrying three wide-beam torches fitted with diffusers. The lights are connected to a 12volt battery in a backpack to prolong their life. His path, along a precarious rocky ridge in the darkness, was illuminated and captured using a long-exposure, large-format photograph. The direction in many of his walks are also dictated by the wind by using various contraptions that plot the direction of the wind.

Nightwalk - Valley of Rocks 2008

Photos and info from Tim Knowles website. Be sure to check it out to see more of his amazing work
http://www.timknowles.co.uk

So it's still National Tree Week for a few days and there are still a number of events on this weekend right around the country. To find out what in happening in your area, follow the tree council of Ireland link http://treecouncil.ie/

2011 also happens to be the International Year Of The Forest. You can find out more about this here http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/

Artist Liu Bolin's disappearance into the landscape.

Hiding in the City No. 94- In the Woods, 2010

Came across this amazing guy the other day.

37-year-old artist Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China camouflages himself into the environment.

Hiding in the City No. 14- Er Guo White Wine Factory, 2006

Hiding in the City No. 91- Great Wall, 2010

The talented Liu Bolin says his art is a protest against the actions of the Government, who shut down his art studio in 2005 and persecutes artists. It’s about not fitting into modern society. The government had stipulated that it didn't want artists gathering and working together. Despite these problems with the authorities, Liu’s works are appreciated internationally.

Liu said he wanted to show how city surroundings affected people living in them.

He added that the inspiration behind his work was a sense of not fitting in to modern society and was a silent protest against the persecution of artists.

Hiding in the City No. 71- Bulldozer, 2008

Hiding in the City - Dragon Series, No. 4 of 10 panels, 2010

Hiding in the City No. 31- Holding Democratic Elections By Law, 2006

In an interview with the Daily Mail he said: 'Some people call me the invisible man, but for me it's what is not seen in a picture which is really what tells the story.

'After graduating from school I couldn't find suitable work and I felt there was no place for me in society.

'I experienced the dark side of society, without social relations, and had a feeling that no one cared about me, I felt myself unnecessary in this world.

'From that time, my attitude turned from dependence into revolting against the system.' 

Liu said he was further pushed on with his work when the Chinese authorities shut down his art studio in Beijing in 2005.

He said: 'At that time, contemporary art was in quick development in Beijing, but the government decided it did not want artists like us to gather and live together.

'Also many exhibitions were forced to close.

'The situation for artists in China is very difficult and the forced removal of the artist's studio is in fact my direct inspiration of this series of photographs, Hiding In The City.'  

Hiding in the City No. 16 & 17 People's Policeman, 2006

Teatro alla Scala, 2010

Hiding in the City No. 93- Supermarket No. 2, 2010

Liu begins by choosing the background location. Then he stands in position as the blank canvas for up to 10 hours as his helpers, armed with paintbrushes make him disappear into the surrounding landscape.

'There are many people who like my work I think because my work has a quiet strength, in the photographs.
'I am standing, but there is a silent protest, the protest against the environment for the survival, the protest against the state.
'I wanted to photograph the reality of scenes of China's development today.
'My work is a kind of reminder, to remind people what the community we live in really looks like, and what kind of problems exist.'

Hiding in the City No. 85, 2009

Liu Bolin has a huge portfolio of amazing work, in fact I had difficulty in limiting the amount of photos in this post to ten. If you would like to see the full portfolio of his work, you can find it here. www.elikleinfineart.com

Check out the video to see how the photo above was created.

Scorces

http://www.arttherapyblog.com/artwork/top-12-liu-bolin-invisible-man-artist-paintings/
http://www.elikleinfineart.com/html/artistresults.asp?artist=82&artistname=Liu Bolin
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1201398/Liu-Bolin-The-Chinese-artist-turns-Invisible-Man.html#ixzz1CWbWkRuS