10 December 2018
Lens:
Taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed and Pixlr.
Click onto image to enlarge. Let me know your response to this photomontage. Prints are available upon request.
Pens: The celebration of Mother Nature and her diverse progeny are bountiful at one of our national treasures, Longwood Gardens. And the winter holidays always inspires displays that entertain and mesmerize.
We’ve had unseasonably cold weather for weeks, and days are less and less lit, but sunsets seem to replace the exhilaration usually from longer sunlit days. To cheer my mood and get an infusion of grandeur, I visited Longwood Gardens last week. Their holiday exhibits were perfect: a less ostentatious approach, more minimalistic, illuminating poinsettias and other holiday plantings with numerous varieties.
But as I wove in and out of groups of visitors, I was star struck by the discovery of tree trunks of Banana plants. I have been to this world-renown destination numerous times a year for decades, and I have never fixated on these intriguing plants, really trees.
What drew me to those tropicals, while fanfare of the holiday season was beautifully interspersed within their permanent collection? These wondrous plants hidden and in plain sight drew my attention with the skin of their trunks: true examples of nature’s abstract artistry. Each tree, aged and anywhere from six to eight feet tall, screamed with swatches of tones ranging from greens to browns to blacks. It’s as if Mother Nature sat patiently painting horizontal bans of color with free-form gestures. I was captivated.
The real question is : How was I diverted from holiday decoration to the calm swaths of nature’s coloration? I felt as though I was the only one in the Conservatory who was admiring elderly representatives of their collection. But their majesty rests with a few images that simply do not do justice to my memory.
In the Lens section is a photomontage of two holiday jewels combined into one: Poinsettia ‘Euphorbia’ and Authrium ‘Anthbasawa.” The composite image exudes the emotions of the entire holiday exhibition. As I left the grounds, my spirit rejuvenated, a light snow escorted me on the hour-long ride home. The unexpected gift was another gem that added to a morning filled with memorable surprises and nature’s strong grip on my senses.
Note:
For a poignant presentation about how each of us can learn to see the world afresh, view Amy Herman’s TED Talk titled “A Lesson in Looking.” Click here for the 12:59 minute video.
Here is an excerpt: “I have been mining the world of art to help people across the professional spectrum to see the extraordinary in the everyday, to articulate what is absent and to be able to inspire creativity and innovation, no matter how small. And most importantly, to forge human connections where they may not be apparent, empowering us all to see our work and the world writ large with a new set of eyes.”
Loved your image this week Sally, very festive. But I was hoping you’d post some of the banana plants!
Tina, the images of the banana plant just do not do it justice. Next time that I go, I’ll try again.
Beautifully done, Sally! I visited the Christmas exhibits of the Longwood Gardens a few years ago, it was fabulous. 🙂
Amy, Longwood Gardens is such a national treasure. Happy holiday to you and yours.
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Thanks for showing may work.
Botanically speaking, a banana “tree” isn’t a tree:
https://www.gardenbetty.com/a-banana-plant-is-an-herb-or-little-known-banana-facts/
Of course we don’t have to be technically botanical in our regular lives.
These specimens are huge, and must be elderly in years. Still, quite fascinating to ponder their individual beauty and size. Thanks.
It sounds like a wonderful experience at the Gardens and you were well and truly lost in its beauty. Love the photomontage. The colours, textures and dynamism.
Enjoy your travels. See you soon. Thanks so much.
I love your photomontage this week. Purple anything is always a welcome sight. I look forward to seeing some photos of your Bananarama time.
Ω
Allan, thanks and see you soon.
Lovely shot. Thanks for the Amy Herman link 😀
Su, my pleasure.
I love the layers and colors of your photo montage, Sally; truly glorious. And I can hardly wait to carve out a little time to listen to that Ted talk today, thanks for that.
Hope that you enjoy the talk. It’s definitely worth it.
Beautiful photo and I will listen to the TED talk later – thanks S, and wishing you a great week ahead 😉
I appreciate your comment, thanks so much. See you soon.
This photomontage makes me think of stained glass or delicately painted silk. Lovely. As to ways of seeing, and if you can see it in the US, you might like the David Hockney interview on YouTube showing work for his Royal Academy exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdqch3-D94A
Tish, thanks for the link. Will definitely view it. Hockney fascinates and his ability to continue to reinvent himself is inspirational.
Yes, that’s what struck me, and all deeply thought about too. His more recent work involves a compilation of 9 simulateously running film screens, each showing the same landscape in its own way, but together.
He does inspire.
Gorgeous shapes and colors in your image this week, Sally! I love how you discovered the real natural jewels of the banana plant amidst the man-made artificial glitter of the season!
Patti, thank you so much.