Art in the Gardens

Spikes and Yellow Fountain, Olbrich Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

Spikes and Yellow Fountain ©2012 Bo Mackison

I sit in my garden, gazing upon a beauty that cannot gaze upon itself.  And I find sufficient purpose for my day.  ~Robert Brault

Some gardens are just meant for sitting. There are nooks and crannies, places to sit and watch what goes on in a garden. One of my favorite benches is tucked in a corner of the botanical gardens in Madison. I sit there, take a few photographs, listen to the fountain waters trickle over this yellow pottery container and drip upon the pebbles, and do a little people watching, too.

Inflatable Sculptures in Olbrich Gardens

Inflatable Sculpture © 2012 Bo Mackison

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.
  ~ May Sarton

Placed in half hidden places in Olbrich Gardens, there are several new sculptures by  Sturgeon Bay (Wisconsin) artist, Robert Anderson. He constructs large-scale sculptures out of metals and fills them with compressed air so that they expand.

Expanding Sculpture, Olbrich Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

Expanding Sculpture at Olbrich ©2012 Bo Mackison

Beauty is the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.
~ Leon B. Alberti

Every time I visit the gardens, the sculptures look a little different. I love this aluminum sculpture constructed of triangles. Half hidden in one of the natural gardens, it reminds me of a shiny serpent wending its way through tall grasses.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Walking (and sitting) in the area gardens is one of Bo’s daily pleasures.

Pink Queen Anne’s Lace – August’s Photo-Heart Connection

Pink Queen Anne's Lace

Pink Queen Anne’s Lace ©2012 Bo Mackison

In the right light,
at the right time,
everything is extraordinary.
~ Aaron Rice

When asked the question “What kind of photographs do you take?” I usually respond with the same answer.

“Mostly macro-botanicals,” I reply.

When I get a questioning look, I explain further. “Close-ups of flowers and plants.”

And macro-botanical photographs are what I mostly exhibit at Art Festivals. As patrons enter my show booth, they tell me they feel as if they are entering a huge flower garden. There are that many large macro-photographs of flowers hanging on the walls.

I spend lots of time photographing flowers, too. Each week I spend three or four days visiting and taking photographs in the botanical and horticultural gardens near my home. When I travel, I search for the locations of the nearest gardens and I try to schedule time for a visit. Yes, I photograph macro-botanicals!

So you would think when it is time for me to choose a Photo-Heart Connection photograph at the beginning of each month, I would naturally pick a macro-botanical. Not so. Today I realized that this is the first time in 2012 that I have picked a flower photo.

So. Why did I choose this photograph of Queen Anne’s Lace? I loved the colors. It is unusual to see Queen Anne’s Lace this color — they are usually white with perhaps a touch of pink. But this small stand of QAL was bright pink. And I loved how the rising sun shone on this roadside weed and turned it into a glowing, dew-drenched beauty. And I loved that I took this photo while I was on a long weekend with my husband in one of our favorite places in Wisconsin – Door County, a peninsula that juts out into the waters of Lake Michigan.

Three good reasons. Color. Light. Memories. Perfect for August’s photo-heart connection.

 

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. During the first week of each month, she re-visits photographs she’s taken the previous month, searching for that month’s photo-heart-connection photo. Bo is always quite thrilled when that special photograph finds her.

Walking a Garden Path – Sunday Series

Red Flowers in Monet’s Garden © 2012 Bo Mackison

Whenever I am in need of spirit-lifting, my first remedy is to find the nearest flower garden and wander its paths. It’s difficult to hold on to a hurt feeling or stay in a bad mood when I focus, instead, on the beauty of the flowers I see.

Flower Bouquets © 2012 Bo Mackison

Frequently I find my time is best spent simply observing the natural world around me. I notice the artistry in nature and soak in the joyful colors. I walk in the quiet garden, and let the calm and peaceful feelings be my companions.

Floral Mix © 2012 Bo Mackison

I rest in the garden for a few minutes, standing quietly, breathing deeply. I breathe in acceptance.

So Orange! © 2012 Bo Mackison

Then I remember a line of a poem written by Mary Oliver that I love  — “my work . . .  is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.”

Bright Blue Eyes © 2012 Bo Mackison

 The gardens and their flowers offer so many gifts, free for the taking. I need only stand there and be astonished.

Garden Bridge © 2012 Bo Mackison

I study their bright colors, feel their velvety textures, inhale their perfume, and watch as a breeze sets them dancing. I find the rarest of gifts while walking through the garden — a sense of calm and serenity.

I took these photographs during the New York Botanical Garden’s current exhibit, Monet’s Garden. The exhibit features flowers that were historically grown in Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France. These flowers provided the inspiration for many of his floral paintings.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  She travels the United States and captures its beauty in images and words.

 

A Pair of Water Lilies

Yellow Water Lilies

Yellow Water Lilies © 2012 Bo Mackison

Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex.  ~ Oscar Wilde

August Break 2012

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is taking an August break from writing long blog posts, but garden walks and the photos continue. Bo photographed these pond lilies at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.

Green Light Macro

Green Fan

                      Green Light Macro  © 2011 Bo Mackison

From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photography is art using light as its medium. Without light, there would be no photographs. I was quite awe-struck by the beauty of the light in the many greens – highlighted in the low angled sunlight. So many shades in one green leaf, interspersed lights and shadows.

One should sit quietly and look at a garden. What you see depends on what you bring to it.  ~ Sobin Yameda

Composition can be rooted in contrasts: light and dark, bright and shadowy, straight and curved, diagonal and circular, near and far.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.  ~ Rachel Carsen

Focusing on the beauty I find in the gardens has become a life-enhancing gift.  How can one’s spirits not soar, one’s mood not lift, surrounded by the many colors, textures, the sensory experiences that make one feel fully alive.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.