IBA Member, Doreen Taylor's special project working with Thetford Open Gardens
IBA Member, Doreen Taylor, has been working on a special project for Thetford Open Gardens and thought she would share it on the IBA Website:
‘PAINTING THE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THETFORD OPEN GARDENS’
Exactly a year ago my good friend Rachel Woods of Thetford Open Gardens came up with the idea of a flower festival in St Cuthbert's Church to add an extra delight to our Open Gardens weekend. Her theme was the 23rd Psalm, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’. So far so good. Then she decided it would be a good idea to add Botanical paintings to the floral displays and would my fellow artist Matthew and I like to take on the challenge? Well, the thing is, you can’t say no to Rachel when it’s all for St Nicholas Hospice.
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures” (Picture 1)
Only one problem. Except for the verse “He makes me to lie down in green pastures” there is no reference to plants at all. Ever had the feeling of “Oh no, what have I done?” I didn’t have a clue. Little did I know then just how far my imagination would take flight and run away with itself. I started with the obvious. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures”—study of wild flowers. Even though the psalm is set in Israel I decided the easiest thing to do would be to relocate it to an English setting.
“He leads me beside the still waters” (Picture 2)
The next painting was fairly obvious—“He leads me beside the still waters.” For that I chose a really nice photograph I had taken of the river at Ely as my resource for the painting.
“He restoreth my soul” (Picture 3)
Then we come to “He restoreth my soul” and things were getting a bit tricky. Think—restore, refresh, bring back to life! Like us, a drooping flower needs water to drink. Lotus flowers live in water. I had a photograph of Lotus flowers growing at Cambridge University Botanical Gardens, looking all fresh and lovely. Rachel had asked for Botanical paintings but what if they had a bit of a quirky twist to entertain our guests. So for fun I added a bubbly background and a fish to balance the painting. Things were starting to fall into place.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil” (Picture 4)
This was a really tough one. Obviously you can’t have fun with that. Poisonous plants like the foxglove look far too pretty. We can’t have our guest’s puzzling over the connection when they’re having a nice relaxing day out. So I took inspiration from one of our lovely artists who paints beautiful roses that are fading and dying. I was lucky, Peter Beales roses provided me with just what I was looking for.
“My cup runneth over” (Picture 5)
Then we can go back to having some fun. Having been so well looked after the poet says “My cup runneth over.” That’s obvious, a cup running over with flowers. But not very original is it? I thought of the centre of a flower overflowing with rain water. So I bought some Lilies put them on the draining board and asked my husband to trickle water over them from a thin spouted watering can while I took photos. That didn’t exactly go well as you can imagine! I needed so many ‘takes’ and he was getting very ratty and water was trickling everywhere and it all felt like a bit of a disaster. And for the painting I had to cobble together water droplets and petals from so many different photos and abandon ship and start again but at least I got there in the end.
“I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Picture 6)
The last line of the psalm says “and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” What better flower than the Bird of Paradise. Complete with a fish which, to me, looks like an angel.
There are ten paintings in all, each with their own story. It took eight months to complete and has most certainly been a challenge. It has been time consuming, frustrating, annoying and such brilliant fun and I have thoroughly enjoyed every single minute.
St Cuthbert’s Church Flower Festival
If you would like to come and see our flower festival in St Cuthbert’s Church, Thetford, where you can also get tea and cake, admission is free and we are open Friday 20th June, 10am till 2pm, Saturday 21st June from 10am till 2pm and Sunday 22nd June from 12noon till 5pm.
Thetford Open Gardens
Thetford Open Gardens is on Sunday 22nd June, 11am till 5pm
Programmes for the Open Gardens need to be purchased in advance from Everything Thetford in King Street, Thetford, or via the Thetford open gardens website Price £7 DIRECT LINK TO BOOK YOUR TICKET:
***https://leapinghare.org/events/fund-raising/thetford-open-gardens-3/
Further information from the Open Gardens Website:
Now in its 19th year, Thetford Open Gardens showcases gardens across the town. We are delighted to welcome new gardens this year in addition to old favourites. Discover hidden gems, feast your eyes on rambling roses, clambering clematis and prolific perennials in a riot of colour. You can't beat wandering around someone else's garden and enjoying the rewards of all their hard work. This year we are delighted to welcome the addition of a flower festival at St. Cuthbert's Church. Enjoy light refreshments or lunch in the gardens.
Proceeds:
All proceeds go to St. Nicholas Hospice Care, our local Hospice.
Plant sales:
Plants will be available from several gardens.
Cost:
£7.00 per person.
How to get tickets / programmes:
By advance ticket only from Everything Thetford, Belmont House 20 King Street, Thetford or via our website. See above ***
Contact the organisers:
Phone: 01842 751 975
Email: thetfordopengardens@gmail.com
Toilet Facilities:
Toilets are available at this event.
Location:
County: Norfolk Postcode for Sat Nav: IP24 2AP (please verify before travelling)
Find approximate location on GoogleMaps (new browser tab)
Hope to see you there Doreen Taylor 30th April 2025
