Thai Pavilion – Ten Years Ago

September 11, 2011 by 4 Comments
Thai Pavillion and Gardens

Thai Pavilion and Gardens

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.  ~James Thurber

A pavilion, or sala, is a common structure in Thailand. Simply constructed pavilions are found throughout the country, often at roadsides, and are used as shelters from rain and heat.

Olbrich’s Pavilion is more ornate than traditional salas; it is more representative of those found at a temple or on a palace grounds. However, Olbrich’s Thai Pavilion is not a religious structure.

The Thai Pavilion was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The University of Wisconsin at Madison has one of the largest Thai student populations of any United States college or university, and many Thai people have a strong relationship with the people of Wisconsin.

Thai Pavillion with Tropical Plantings

Thai Pavillion with Tropical Plantings

Thai artisans built the pavilion in Thailand by hand. It was constructed without the use of any nails or screws, using  traditional building methods. It was then disassembled and packed in shipping crates. The crated pavilion traveled by sea, rail and truck, arriving in Madison after 11 weeks of global travel.

Nine Thai artisans who built the Pavilion in Thailand flew from their home country to Chicago on 9-11-01, exactly 10 years ago today. The artisans were on the very last plane to fly into O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on that fateful day, on 9-11-01, the day of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

The Thai Pavilion was carefully assembled in three weeks by these artisans, as most Americans attempted to understand and cope with the 9-11 tragedy. Building the pavilion without hammer or saw was quiet, solemn work. The raising of this meaningful structure, a treasured gift from Thailand, was in strong contrast to the tragedy that occurred on 9-11.

Thai Water Feature and Bridge over Starkweather

Thai Fountain and Bridge over Starkweather

The Thai Garden looks much like a lush, tropical garden, but it has been scrupulously planted with look-alike, Wisconsin-hardy plants. Ornamental grasses and a variety of hardy bamboos help create the tropical look. Large-leafed shrubs and trees are also pruned to simulate the  look of typical Thai plants found in gardens there.

The Thai Garden is connected to the other gardens in Olbrich by a 155-foot arched, ornamental bridge that crosses Starkweather Creek. A winding path passes through a forested area and features several stone statues that are symbolic Thai figures. The path eventually leads to a grassy clearing and then the side entrance to the Pavilion.

The fountain stretches from the Pavilion towards the bridge. The large water basin is only a few inches deep, but has a layer of smooth gray pebbles on the bottom which adds constantly changing visual details.

The Thai Pavilion is only one of four located outside of Thailand. The others are in Germany, Norway, and Hawaii. Olbrich’s Thai Pavilion is the only one in the world that is surrounded by tropical plantings, so it is truly representative of the pavilions or salas that are found in Thailand.

——————–

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She spent the morning at the Thai Pavilion, sitting quietly on a bench near the pavilion and the tropical-looking plants, amidst much beauty and calm. And she thought about many things.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Pink Zinnia

September 8, 2011 by 4 Comments
Zinnia

Zinnia © 2011 Bo Mackison

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.  ~ Buddha

I have had some wonderful successes photographing the late summer gardens at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Every garden I visited seemed to hold me hostage until I could get a some photographs that made me smile. I sure don’t mind being a hostage in a garden. Imagine having a tiny home surrounded by acres and acres of gardens (and lots of gardeners to help, too!)

I’ve been to Olbrich almost everyday for the last week. First, the hosta and elephant ear plants seemed to mesmerize me, as the early morning sunlight made the leaves almost translucent. I t was as if they were holding the sun. I almost felt like I truly was in a trance.

Three days in a row I shot nothing but these green plants, and they were only about 15 feet from the entrance to the garden complex. I just could not past this entrance area until I had nearly exhausted the plants and flowers (and myself) with all that photographic attention.

But the last two visits, I strolled right past the entrance — I waited to sneak in several more greenery photos as I was leaving — and I got as far as the gardens filled to overflowing with cosmos and zinnias. Since the cosmos are one of my favorites, I spent a fair amount of time lying on the sidewalk next to these beauties, having long conversations about important world events — like the advances autumn is making in its bid to overtake summer!

Finally, when the sun began to rise high enough in the sky to lose that soft lighting, I spent the last half hour with the zinnias. Lucky, I had the diffuser with me, so I could both reduce the shadows, and protect the flowers against the winds that started blowing off the lake.  This pink zinnia had with her head down, and so I happily got a few photographs from a different angle. I love the little pockets of shadings caused by the gentle curling of each petal.

Tomorrow the forecast is for a rainy Friday. Might have to stay home and tackle some house cleaning and computer work. That would be a good thing — plus the gardens would appreciate the rain, too.

——————–

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo is having a most excellent start to the month of September. So many amazing projects are popping up, but no complaints. Creating and making meaning with photography is one of the highlights of her life!

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Leaf Lace

September 7, 2011 by 4 Comments
Leaf Lace

Leaf Lace © 2011 Bo Mackison

The entire universe is concentrated in a garden.  ~ Sobin Yamada

The leaf may look lacy and rather pretty, but the source of the damage to this leaf–and millions more like it–is neither lacy nor pretty. The culprit is the Japanese beetle.  The beetles eat the soft material between the veins which gives the leaves a lacy effect.

Since first found in the United States in New Jersey in 1916, it has slowly migrated south and west, arriving in northern Illinois and Wisconsin 10-15 years ago. The beetle is found in every state east of the Mississippi except for Florida, and is capable of damaging a variety of vegetation including crops, weeds, and dozens of species of ornamental trees.

The Japanese beetle — not my friend! Whenever I see a beetle in my garden, I pick it off the plants and drop it into a pot of soapy water. It only partially helps, but at least I feel like I am doing something to protect my garden without resorting to potent sprays and poisons.

—————-

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She passionately dislikes any and all insects that cause damage to gardens and trees.

Filed Under: Nature Explorations, Photography Tagged With: , ,

Cool Colors in the Garden

August 31, 2011 by 6 Comments
Cool Blues and Greens

Cool Blues and Greens © 2011 Bo Mackison

Every gardener knows that it is the very impermanence of the garden that makes it precious.
The beauty of the garden lies in its constantly changing nature,
in the waves of colors and shapes that constantly pass through it.

~ Philip Martin

I have been to Olbrich Botanical Gardens on four different occasions to photograph these same Elephant Ear Plants. Twice I have photographed the gardens at 8 to 9 a.m. The other two times I visited the gardens later in the morning – about 10 a.m. til almost noon. Each time I have come away with markedly different photographs even though I am 1) using the same camera, lenses, and equipment including a tripod, 2)  shooting mostly in shaded areas or shot using light filtered through the plants — there has been an August bright sun with few clouds each time, and 3) I am shooting the same four or five plants.

Lighting is key in photography, and it is one of the joys and wonders I constantly work with. Light that is perfect one moment, disappears the next. As a photographer, one must seize the moment, there is no going back.

When I downloaded the photos to the computer from my last photoshoot, I was surprised to see such pronounced blue tones in the background plant. And even a few purple hues on a small part of the plant in the left lower area. The light green stem against the other deeper colors added the contrast needed to keep this from being a photograph of a bunch of foliage. And the added features of the patterns of lines and the plants’ textures are hard to beat.

A Zen sort of photograph, I can get lost in all those colors and textures.

Sure am having fun visiting these plants just about every day. Too bad they live on the other side of town!

Visit Through a Photographer’s Eye and see some remarkable photos in the photo of the week collection.

—————-

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is spending as many mornings as possible in the gardens. Prime garden time in Wisconsin and the gardens are full of treasures.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Silhouette of Stillness

August 30, 2011 by 7 Comments
Sunburst Chairs

Silhouette of Stillness © 2011 Bo Mackison

There are moments when you absolutely need someone to show up like magic, not because you need something nice, but because you need your world view transformed. You need some hope to be born in you. You need to know in one moment that someone believes in you. You need a kindness midwife to hold the space so you can show up like magic for someone else the next time around.  ~ Jen Leman

—————

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »