Has the heat got you down — feeling a bit wilted, drained, limp? Our garden is looking a bit on the crispy side these days (and that's how I feel, too), so after a very hot day last week, a picnic at Denver Botanic Gardens sounded like a refreshing treat. We were not disappointed.
The gardens themselves were lovely — full to bursting with flowering plants, shady alcoves, and cooling water features. And I really loved the fantastic art installations. Not only are they large-scale abstract sculptures (not everyone's cup of tea, I know) that were built on site, they are made out of plants — bamboo, specifically.
Tetsunori Kawana created organic pieces that speak to the rolling prairies and foothills; billowing clouds and winds of the Denver region.
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| Contrasting lines and shapes, hard textures and soft. Stone sculpture by Colorado artist Frank Swanson. |
Stephen Talasnik 's more architectural creations bridge water and sky. Sky, we have a lot of; water, we crave. A conduit is what we need, indeed.
I will enjoy watching these sculptures weather over the next few months (the installation lasts through November 4). Already, the bright green bamboo of spring has taken on the golden hues of summer.
Visit Denver Botanic Gardens (check their website, as hours vary daily) and see what you can see. I'd love to hear about your discoveries!
Note: this review is my express opinion and was not authorized, endorsed, or paid for by Denver Botanic gardens nor the artists mentioned.
7 comments:
Great shots of Kazuna--we get rather inured to it here on staff and it is great to see it with fresh eyes (and a sharp camera angle!)...
I agree PK — it's nice, but also important — to get a fresh perspective on things!
What a nice creation...the more I look at it, the more I appreciate it. It does resemble the merging of cloud forms and rolling grassland forms. Hopefully, I can visit it soon!
These are very creative and remind me of ornamental grasses, which I guess is appropriate given that bamboo is technically a grass. We came close to seeing these in person but could not work out decent air fare to Denver this summer, opting for southern Florida instead. It was a good choice as there were no wild fires and the highest temperature was only 91.
Les, how funny that it was cooler in Florida than Colorado, but it's been a funny weather year all around! Glad you enjoyed the sculptures --- flowing grasses were my interpretation too. We can't grow the really big, tree-type bamboo here, but there are a number of smaller, cold hardy varieties that are now on the market.
Hey, you got some great snapshots in by the water!
-Tony Salmeron
Thanks, Tony! The dark color of the water really plays up the reflections of surrounding objects.
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