Looking forward to brighter, warmer weather! Some of the beautiful gardens from the BBC Gardeners’ World ‘Gardens of the Year 2017’, taken through July and August 2017.
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From the archive, some shots of Richmond Lock and Twickenham Bridge, taken in 1997.
Winter colour, December 2016 – Mortlake (top) and Strand-On-The-Green along the River Thames, London. From Drawing Dark Waters Series.
There are pages of mythology attached to mistletoe, a word coming from the old English, misteltãn. Apparently the ancient Greeks believed the plant had once offended the gods, who condemned it thereafter to have to look on whilst pretty girls were being kissed. So there you have it. Happy Christmas folks…..and happy kissing!
Printing my Thames photos taken since 1997 and presenting them in three volumes. Part of the Drawing Dark Waters project with Caroline Underwood and Liz Charsley. A few have previously appeared in exhibitions or concertina book form, but this is the first time I’ve put them all in one place. Essentially archival inkjet prints, with some as gate folds and a couple of original prints from 1997. I’ve promised to show them to a few people, and am happy to show others. The project is still evolving and will no doubt be expanded.
Tree reflections on the River Brent, near Brentford.
Fritillaria meleagris or Snakeshead fritillary. Three colour gum bichromate print on watercolour paper.
Raul Conde Vila, tree expert at Wisley, standing next to a Giant Redwood. This shows the scale of the tree, which measures over 5 metres around the base, indicating an age of approximately 100 years. The lower photo is a Metasequoia glyptostroboides or Dawn redwood. A prehistoric tree thought extinct, but discovered growing in China in 1943. Currently classified as endangered.
Nice to see one of my shots from last Christmas on the poster for the RHS Wisley Christmas Glow 2017 display.
Castanea sativa or sweet chestnut – from Old Men of the Woods portfolio at Wisley. Around 100 to 150 years old, these could live up to 700 years. So, like the Giant Redwoods, mere teenagers. Both of these trees are in the area threatened by the A3 widening scheme. Although the fruit has become part of winter or Christmas tradition, the chestnut is not a native species and is thought to have been introduced to the British Isles by the Romans. The Greeks dedicated the sweet chestnut to the god Zeus and its botanical name castanea comes from Castonis, a […]
