Time was when garden art meant birdhouses and birdbaths, stepping stones and maybe a ceramic frog.
These days, gardeners have a lot more choices when it comes to adding decorative objects to the landscape. See for yourself when “Art of the Garden” opens next week in Everett.
This popular show, presented every two years by the Arts Council of Snohomish County, is overflowing with handmade treasures for the garden, from practical benches to fanciful sculptures, water fountains to planters, sturdy garden gates to whimsical totem poles.
“Art of the Garden” takes it one step further by showcasing art that brings the garden into the home with paintings, photographs, ceramics, art glass and baskets.
This dual focus has made the garden show a popular event, said Carie Collver, director of the Arts Council Gallery, reflecting the growth of gardening into America’s No. 1 hobby.
Garden art such as a finely crafted gate, a water fountain or a pair of handsome benches adds structure to the garden – call it “hardscape” – that brings interest and beauty to the garden every season. The materials range from wood and concrete to metal, mosaics and ceramics.
Nature is the inspiration for art that goes inside the home, and the art ranges from paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic to photographs, monotints and botanical illustrations. There are baskets, mirrors, water fountains, wire chandeliers and wall sculptures to choose from.
In all there will be more than 100 works of art created by more than 80 artists in “Art of the Garden.” The show opens Thursday night with a reception at the Arts Council Gallery, located in the historic Monte Cristo Hotel in downtown Everett.
One artist who finds inspiration in the natural world is Seattle painter Bill Braun, whose acrylic paintings of flowers are a striking example of painting in a style known as trompe l’oeil (“deceives the eye”).
Braun’s painting style has been described as “hyper realism” and it’s easy to see why from the print and two paintings displayed in “Art of the Garden.”
At first viewing, you would swear these paintings are really collages, the kind an elementary school student might make with scissors, construction paper and staple gun.
But closer examination shows they are really finely detailed paintings. Braun’s technique is so refined, he can paint a single staple or a strip of cellophane tape to look like the real thing. Only a close inspection of the paintings reveals the mastery of technique.
“It’s so amazing,” said Collver, who first saw Braun’s paintings two years ago at an art exhibit at Bumbershoot in Seattle.
“People would say, ‘Big deal, I could do that in the third grade,’” Collver said. Then, she’d tell them they were paintings, and they’d be amazed.
She made it a point to include the artist in the “Art in the Garden” show, in part because Braun’s paintings of flowers fit perfectly with the theme.
The artist, who has been painting in this style for 30 years, is somewhat self-effacing about his talent.
“It’s a magic trip, but not like sawing the lady in half,” he said. “It’s like pulling a quarter out of a kid’s ear.”
‘Art of the Garden’
An exhibit of art for the garden and the home opening with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Arts Council of Snohomish County Gallery, 1507 Wall St., Everett.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 26.
Information: 425-257-8380.
‘Art of the Garden’
An exhibit of art for the garden and the home opening with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Arts Council of Snohomish County Gallery, 1507 Wall St., Everett.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 26.
Information: 425-257-8380.
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