Last weekend, I took a mini break from delivering luxury flowers in London and headed home to the Lakes, where I provided the flowers for a lovely wedding in Lancaster. More to come on that soon! But in the meantime, I want to share with you all what I did last Sunday. I was delighted to go to the annual PotFest in the Park at Hutton in the Forest, right in the heart of the beautiful Lakes. This wonderful art festival showcases the work of some of the most creative international potters and ceramic artists. Set against the beautiful backdrop of a stately home, walled gardens and topiary terraces, the show is a truly unique and inspirational creative experience.
I was there, of course, with my floristry hat on and had a keen eye on any work that I could put a flower or two in! There were so many beautiful urns, tall, oblong vases, perfectly thrown spherical bud vases, dipped in the most unusual glazes...it was all so beautiful! Each vase or container was a piece of art in its own right. I think I would be too terrified to ever fill one with water and flowers, never mind oasis!
As well as admiring all the beautiful and intriguing shapes on offer, I was most struck by the work of ceramic artist, Wendy Kershaw from Scotland. Wendy creates narrative illustrations on porcelain, usually in the form of framed panels. The themes she illustrates are often inspired by the poetry of Keats and Tennyson, and often are based upon the small joys of life, such as a long soak in a hot bath, collecting flowers, or even just making sure you have a spoon for pudding...!
My favourite series of hers, was her collection of ‘Memory’ panels, which of course, contained flowers! The idea comes from the allegory of “Memory collecting the flowers mowed down by time”. Wendy’s ‘Memory Girls’ can’t collect all the flowers that time cuts down, so they choose the ones they wish to remember in pockets, bowls and bottles, chasing behind time and collecting the ones they want to keep. Some of the illustrations are just so beautiful, and I love the idea of flowers representing saved memories. It’s all very poetical, isn’t it?
Here are a few of her works for you to enjoy...for more you can visit her website here. I hope you fall in love with them as much as I did on Sunday! xxx