Nature is without doubt wonderful, but at the risk of gilding the lily, nature plus a little human artistry is even better. For me, the interplay of human adornment to natural surroundings somehow augments the beauty of each. My travels to the North and a recent purchase here in the South has prompted me to share with you ideas for decorating your landscape whether with fine art or using natural materials.
Sculpture Parks
There are few better venues for sculpture (especially the giant kind) than a sculpture park. I’d been longing to go to the Yorkshire one for ages, since the collection is world class. The sculptures were all modern and often rather witty. The teapot above contained leaves; its counterpart of a wine bottle, grape vines. Though one could not argue that these sculptures exactly blended with the landscape (they were far too attention grabbing for that) they did make a startling and pleasing contrast to the rolling lawns of formal parkland. Juxtaposing huge metal structures with sheep placidly grazing certainly helps focus the attention.
Image: Karen Costello-McFeat
Closer to nature
Once in the Highlands, we were absorbed in the glorious, natural surroundings. The ancient forest surrounding where we were staying needed little to make it more perfect, but the activities of the local primary school managed to achieve even that.
On the main, large trail, students had arranged painted pebbles for some distance. Some were funny and childlike; some were exquisite, but all lifted the spirits. We spoke to a local who explained that it was a project to cheer everyone up during the pandemic and encourage people to go outside. Eventually, those paints will fade away, as the elements take their toll; however, the pebbles will remain as a sweet reminder of how little steps bind and hearten our community.
In my home town, a Facebook project was launched called Secret Stones. It encouraged children to paint and hide pebbles and to look for others. Once found, they were photographed and possibly rehidden. Guessing the location of the photographed stones was part of the appeal. I love the idea of discovered ‘treasures’ and hope more of us will be inclined to participate in such undertakings. We don’t even need to do it formally: leaving a painted stone or natural object in a park or along a school route is bound to bring the discoverer some joy.
Or we can use natural materials (plus a little man-made) to draw the eye to something we might overlook. Ancient pine forest is, unsurprisingly, littered with pine cones, but this humorous little collection made me look at them anew.
Garden ornamentation
If a sudden windfall were to come my way, I would definitely like to invest in some fine sculpture for the garden. That being unlikely (the most I have ever won with my premium bonds being £25) I shall have to remain satisfied with something more affordable.
Luckily for me, a superb artist/sculptor called Paul Cox lives only a few miles away down the coast. We had already purchased a couple of smaller items from him when I was kindly offered a very early 60th birthday present of a sculpture from my mum. After perusing the website, I thought a visit to the studio would be wise. We arranged a time and went to see him. There is something especially lovely about buying something direct from the artist. Not only do you know they have been properly compensated, but the work has a personal stamp. The one we chose was appropriately called Lockdown Easing with the birds escaping from their cage. It has now taken up residence under the apple tree.
Something old, something new
Human beings, it seems, are never quite content with leaving their environments untouched by their creativity. Some of our earliest outdoor sculptures go back millennia. The stunning monoliths at Stonehenge and chalk carvings like the White Horse prove that we have been doing this forever. Now, artwork might take the form of ingenious graffiti drawn on an urban landscape to deliver poignant social commentary. Or, it may take the more feminine craftivist version such as yarn bombing. Whatever shape it takes, it certainly improves the view.
My knitting skills wouldn’t extend to making a sock, but I should love to do something to add a little creative magic to my environment. Perhaps I should start with a pebble.