Monday, April 8, 2013

Inspiration for a Day Dream



Daydreaming is a great pastime, especially when it is gloomy and threatening rain... like today. It is an activity that is highly under-rated! I found additional photos of Monet's gardens taken almost two years ago, thought I would share them... and brighten your day.

Even in Giverney on a gray and gloomy day in May the garden outshines anything I could have imagined. The grounds are beautifully designed and exquisitely maintained without looking too structured.




Monet's home is spectacular, as colorful inside as are the gardens outside. Both the home and the gardens have been stunningly preserved. Meandering along the paths was a dream come true.  Monet was an artist whose life story intrigued me as a young college student and continues even now, 35 years later.




These tulips stood at least 3 feet tall, each flower larger than the palm of my hand.


Each step brought another color-washed vista into view. Layering color upon color, under-planting created a spark of light at the base of these tulips. A technique used in nearly every flower bed, who needs a color wheel?

 It is easy to understand Monet's obsession with light, his attempts to capture it's dance across the water near the famous bridge...




This play of light fascinated Monet, as he aged he suffered from glaucoma. There are scholars that believe his painting style evolved and improved as a direct result of this. Sunlight, moonlight, or dappled light sprinkled across his most famous paintings.


But it was the color that took my breath away.  Everywhere we turned and from any angle the design of the gardens was splendid, the combinations of color and texture. A most splendid day!

... and if you have thanks for reading.






1 comment:

  1. Ah! These pics make my heart sing ... I've visited Giverny in Summer and Autumn but never in beautiful Spring ... it looks glorious with the tulips in full bloom and what wonderful colours ... not too vibrant but soft and pretty .... Just as Monet would have loved them.

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