Monday, July 27, 2015

Stoic in Stowe


Stoic in Stowe
Digital print from original watercolor
30" x 40"


An ancient, stoic tree in Stowe, UK, on the Stowe House and Gardens Estate which dates back to the late 1600s. Stowe became known as the most beautiful landscape gardens in Europe. Public access to the House and Gardens started in the 1700s and continues thru today. 750 acres of the original property is now owned by the National Trust. A fascinating feature of the gardens is the use of the ha-ha, a recessed landscape design that creates vertical barriers for livestock while providing unbroken vistas from the main house. This kind of landscaping requires a capable garden designer, and much of the design here was carried out by . . .  Capability Brown. Not kidding.
Not only was I fortunate enough to see the almost endless architectural wonders at the site (temples, bridges, grottos, lodges, arches, gates, pavillions, statues, fountains, columns, monuments, fields, alcoves, sculptures, gardens, obelisks, a rotonda, and a tower), I also got to see this tree.