Gather, collect, forage…
A bouquet of beauties, ready to be made into wreaths for a 80th Birthday Celebration…
During the Christmas period I created a variety of seasonal decorations for our home which have now become an all year round adornment, to not just mine but the homes of my family and friends. Every time we go for a walk I end up with pockets stuffed full of twisted twigs and clumps of moss. Whenever I see a Hazel tree with fresh shoots, bendy and pliable I remember where it is and return with my pocket knife to trim them down in order to create the bases of my wreaths. Contorted Hazel, Willow and Cornus, with its brightly coloured stems are my favourites. Using these stems I curve and twist them into a hoop on which I adorn with a variety of collected natural material. I have a strange fascination, or perhaps obsession with lichen, there are so many types and I am always mesmerised by the intricacy of every little clump. I decorate the hazel hoop with beautiful gathered lichen and then comes my favourite part.
I absolutely adore flowers of all forms however my favourites are those that dry in beautiful ways, those that hold their shape and structure after their blooming days. I love the subtlety of Eucalyptus, the delicate frothiness of Gypsophila and the elegant beauty of a white Rose. These plants are glorious in their prime however I find them even more special when they have been dried. Roses seem to change colour like an old painting, they soften even more and their leaves curl in on themselves. Eucalyptus seems to change to either a beautiful pale skin like colour or even forms a silvery tone that looks as though it has been painted. Gypsophila seems to shrink and become even more fragile, but this I find beautiful. I absolutely love flowers that die back and produce unique seed pods, like Papaver and Aquilegia…Structure and architectural forms are just as important as the softer, more delicate touches. Drying flowers is something I love to do, my studio is too cold at the moment so our home is filled with hanging foliage. From the beams of our little barn I have strung up bouquet of Nigella orientalis, Gypsophila, Roses, Lavender and many more, they not only smell lovely but also look rather charming, I think anyway. All of these beautiful natural forms come together in harmony to form my unique hoops of foliage; my natural, hand-picked, handmade wreaths.
I have always adorned our home with foliage, gathered from our garden or from walks in the countryside that surround us. Bringing the outside in seems to make our home feel like home. The decorations change with the seasons and act as a real celebration of the beauty to be found in the natural world around us. My handmade wreaths are not just to be enjoyed at Christmas time but to be brought inside and hung somewhere to be admired all year round.
I will be creating a selection my wreaths for Lingwood Samuel Art, a gallery and studio space for Arts and Crafts based in Godalming, Surrey. The gallery will be taking part in the Godalming town Spring Fair. We will be holding a stall on the high street where you will be able to see me working on my Silverpoint drawings. If you wish to enquire about a handmade wreath please get in touch via the contact page on this website and thank you for reading this post.