Fifty Eight Days of Extraordinary objects Day 3

Object 53: A simple black and white feather. So, how many individual components are there in its construction?  I don't know either! That's why, to me, it's extraordinary.

Frances

Fifty Eight Days of Extraordinary Objects - Day 2

My extraordinary objects today are a feather and a secret Fairy Garden.  This very mini garden, planted with delicate ferns & greenery was created by my artist friend, Barbara - who is in herself extraordinary! 

And the feather?  Perhaps a feather is an ordinary thing, but could I make one myself?  Not likely!  And this red, black and grey colour scheme is just inspired.

Continuing with the backwards numbering

Object 55: Red tipped feather

Object 54: Secret Fairy Garden

Fifty Eight Days of Extraordinary objects Day 1

The Ordinary: I've been feeling pretty uninspired and ordinary lately, but I guess I wouldn't be the only one feeling that way, this far into 2021 (which seems to have been a very long year). 

A day or two ago, I was thinking that there are only about 58 days left of 2021. (Good! ) And then I thought, why not find something joyful, interesting or even extraordinary for each of the remaining days? That should be at least 58 Extraordinary Objects by December 31st!

Day One: This morning's walk started with an half hearted trudge around the block, then across the local oval, where I remembered that there was a house nearby with a rather interesting garden, all planted with succulents and cacti.  Maybe the cactus I had seen a few weeks ago would now be flowering?  I went to investigate.  As it turned out, the cacti - an amazing white furry number with deep pink buds wasn't yet flowering.  But I enjoyed looking at it, and the other sculptural plants in this garden, and for some reason I found the lines, colour and symmetry of these living things gave me extraordinary pleasure. I decided that the cacti would be my extraordinary object for Wednesday. 

Then on the way home I noticed a cottage garden that I hadn't seen before.  That was extraordinary too. Not so much the garden but the fact that I had walked past this house quite often and had never noticed the garden.

Next up,  I saw a pink and grey galah on the grassy nature strip nearby.  What a colour scheme there. So that's three extraordinary things in one morning.

I'm going to number them backwards, because I feel like it. And I'm allowed to make up the rules here.

No: 58  Furry Cacti

No: 57  Cottage Garden

No: 56  Pink Galah (no image yet)

Frances 

Still Life with Begonias in a square composition

Gently drooping, creamy white begonias in my garden.  I have recently started using the "square frame" option on my phone for something different to try, and so far it seems to be working quite well for anything floral. Apart from these prolific buds, this begonia has gorgeous leaves too.  They are soft, smooth, glossy, and almost triangular in shape.  The triangular leaf leaning down into the picture creates an (accidental!) triangular negative space between the next leaf. The little bunch of white buds on the top right provides a counterpoint to the larger white areas. And I like the branching patterns made by the stems of these prolific begonia buds, too.  But, as usual I wasn't thinking any of this at the time, I just thought wow look at all those buds, I'll take a photo.

Little Succulent Garden

My first new year's project was repotting various potted succulents from around the garden, many of them having outgrown their old homes.  Now I have my very own mini succulent garden and hopefully my little plant friends will thrive in their new, sunnier position! Maybe this is a metaphor for my artistic life as well??  I feel like my creative work has been crammed into a tiny space between paid work and the process of everyday living and all those boring but necessary tasks like paying bills, cooking dinner, remembering to fill up the car with petrol etc etc. Wouldn't it be nice if clothes washed and ironed themselves?  Well it would be pretty weird, really, when you think about it.  But a little more creative time would be nice.  Can I find a way to do this in 2021??

 

Still life with flowers

Still life with flowers - capturing a perfect moment, and as with all moments in life, it can never to be repeated exactly.

Inspired by Hans Heysen’s studio

Visiting “The Cedars” Hans Heysen’s former studio was an inspiration.