THE SECRET GARDEN

Balance. Hooked Rug by Ann Willey


"The Secret Garden was what many called it ...... she liked the name and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in, no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place." - Frances Hodgson Burnett


In the Garden. Hooked rug by Ann Willey

I'm enchanted by Ann Willey's work. Her hooked rugs remind me of the beautifully illustrated story books I was fascinated with as a child. See more of Ann's work on her website, here and on Flickr, here.

In the night garden. Hooked rug by Ann Willey

"Dreams, fairytales, myth, and everyday life overlap and intermingle in my mixed media paintings and rug hookings. I am fascintated by the concept of magical realism, and there is a psychological current that runs through my work, which can hint at multiple layers of meaning." - Ann Willey

Red Shoes in the garden by Amy Huddleston . Website here.

"When I am alone the flowers are really seen; I can pay attention to them. They are felt presences." - May Sarton

Spring Garden by Elaine Pamphilon at the Medici Gallery, here.

Metamorphose-attendre by Jung-Yeon Min. See more here.

Gate by Margaret Ryall. Website here and blog here.

Garden Abstract by Mary Ann Wakeley. Blog here and Flickr photostream here.

"It is good to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought." - James Douglas

A reverie of suspended thought ..... I like that.

Forest Walk. Mixed media by Chuck Gumpert. Website, here.


Sacred Stone Garden Art by Deborah Bridges. Website here.

A VERY, VERY, VERY FINE HOUSE

Our house is a very, very, very fine house

With two cats in the yard

Life used to be so hard

Now everything is easy

'Cause of you .....

- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

This was one of my favourite songs many moons ago and it still makes my heart miss a beat when I think of my first love singing it to me . (Listen to it here)

Nicholas Wilton painting the house in his studio.

One of the finest houses I've seen is the one above by Nicholas Wilton . He is one of the 20 artists who have created unique houses to be auctioned off in aid of The Ritter Centre. This is an organization that serves low income families and the homeless in San Rafael, California. Nicholas has written about the progress of his house on his blog, starting here . It is well worth reading to find out the ideas behind it and the meaning of the symbolism.

I love the fact that Nicholas has scratched words into the paint to form sentences which spiral up around the sides of the house. These words are often used by the homeless to describe their experiences.

Threshhold : Folded with Blue and Umber by Kate Hunt at the Cadogan Contemporary.

Folded. Mixed media on canvas by Kate Hunt


Settled. Oil on canvas by Selene Santucci, here.

A Slip in Time & Place. Mixed media by Maurice Gray. See more here.



It Was 5 Years Ago Tomorrow. Mixed media by Maurice Gray

For some light hearted relief have a look at Elaine Thompson's delightful art here. Whimsical houses feature in many of her drawings and paintings.

Hello There. Matted Graphite on Paper by Elaine Thompson