A new garden wall art piece is soon to arrive at Garden Beet. I reported a while back that some person stole my sunburst from my shed wall. Very upset and disappointed at the whole event. The old design is shown in my other Sunburst Metal Wall Art post . My blank wall is about to be redesigned with my new sunburst model. Just waiting for the delivery.
Sometimes the most dreary spaces can be lifted from depressedville to something that inspires.
These weaved sculptures that were clasping onto the birches were so fantastic that my visit to St.George’s hospital was not all doom and gloom. So a big thank you to the artist. There was also some interesting paintings and metal wall art on the internal walls however I was unable to get photos of that work.
I can’t really demand that public money be diverted from the medical world to the design of public spaces so I suppose a type of garden art insertion into the existing is a good compromise. But NHS when you do decide to do some rethinking -good design does not necessarily have to cost more.
Artist is Laura Ellen Bacon. Her works are for sale at http://www.lauraellenbacon.com/index.htm
Using metal in the landscape for garden walls, screens or house numbers is a great way to add some garden art and sculptural function to the essential but usually dull components of the garden. And corten steel is a great material for adding another dimension to the appearance of metal. It is designed to rust and it is the rust that makes it popular. The rich colour of the rust can look spectacular and its appearance changes with the various lighting levels during the day.
Corten was developed in America and is also referred to as weathering steel. In Melbourne, Australia rusted steel first became popular as an architectural material in the 1960s but fell out of favour as the run-off stained surrounding concrete pavements.
But all was forgiven by the 2000’s and the material became fashionable again. Landscape designs were either modified to cater for the run-off staining or just ignored.
Landmark buildings and infrastructure projects such as the Craigieburn Bypass Hume Freeway (shown above) has probably contributed to this material becoming popular in domestic gardens in Melbourne.
Below are some shots of work produced by a Melbourne metal artists Pierre Le Roux Design http://www.plrdesign.com.au/. They are definitely adding art to the garden accessories department, adding interest to suburbia’s streetscapes and producing some unique metal wall art .
If you are going to buy some garden wall art made from metal here are some points to consider before you make the purchase.
1. There are many websites that sell reasonably priced metal wall art. The designs are OK and the prices are very reasonable but the cheaper designs are not intended for outdoor use (that is why they are cheap).
2. If you want a to ensure the metal art is able to endure the elements it will need to be constructed from a material that can withstand weathering, such as stainless steel or copper. That will be expensive. Double dandies and Make a Wish are examples.
3. It is possible to use the cheaper metals outdoors however they must be regularly maintained. They will need a coat of sealant designed specifically for outdoor metals. Be aware that a little scratch to the protective layer will allow the rusting process to commence. If rust does set in the metal it must be cleaned and treated thoroughly before re-applying the sealant. Painting over rust will do nothing. Rust will spread under the painted coat.
4. If you live close to the sea the oxidisation process can happen quickly (due to the sea salts that are carried in the wind). It is advisable to purchase durable metal art (such as copper) in these harsher conditions.
5. A metal that has been galvanised and powder coated is likely to withstand the elements. However not all galvanised and powder coated treatments are the same. Be aware these process require a skilled metal worker.
6. Some artists choose to allow the oxidisation process to occur as it adds character. That is fine as long as the buyer is aware that the art may look different the following year.
7. It is possible to purchase garden art that rusts but does not corrode. This type of metal is referred to as weathering steel (also known as cor-ten). The material develops a rusted surface that protects the remainder of the steel. The structural integrity of the steel is not affected.
8. It is possible to purchase garden art made from zinc such as the floral stool (below) however do not leave zinc outside without a protective coating, otherwise it will go milky.
9. It is harder to get a quality powder coated finish on galvanised steel than it is on zinc.
10. The reflective quality of some metals (ie polished stainless steel) creates a light which is useful in dark garden corners.
For the full article please refer to garden wall art news
Sharp crisp shadows provides me with endless joy but they are unreliable in the UK. It makes sense that clever sun shading opportunities are more likely to come from hotter climates.
It would be hard to justify a permanent sun shelter to most UK clients. So perhaps where the sun is on a lower angle (ie the UK) the design opportunity for shadows would be with the garden walls where art can be located on the vertical plane.
When I visited Melbourne in 2008 there was a new landscape feature that stood out: sun shading facilities.
Shade sails had begun populating most school play grounds and private gardens. Sun was enemy number one.
My brother could not even enjoy his rooftop garden because the sun is too strong. He and his body corporate were busy negotiating which sun blocking technique was the best.
When he asked me what I thought about this conundrum this was my pictorial response.
Above is Raglan Park in the City of Port Phillip, Melbourne Australia designed by landscape architects Site Office.
Below are a range of architectural panels cut with artistic patterns from Parasoleil in the US.
Metal woven fabrics have been used for some time in buildings as a type of metal wall art (façade) treatment. I have seen the fabrics applied to the car park areas of multi-storey buildings and other areas that require visual screening. They are also used on interiors as a high end finish for vertical or ceiling surfaces.
I have always been slightly disappointed by the end result of metal woven fabrics as the weave is hardly visible. Furthermore if light does not penetrate the weave the material ends up creating a surface that appears solid. Such a shame as the weaves are often very beautiful but need to be appreciated at close proximity.
In the last week I have seen two buildings that apply the concept of weaving metal with much greater affect than the woven metal fabrics. The first one is the garden shed that is built from a weave of reinforced bars. I briefly describe this building in my article on Working Garden Sculpture.
The second building is the Spanish Pavilion for 2010 Expo in Shanghai, designed by Miralles Tagliabue and is illustrated below. Both buildings have increased the scale of the metal weave which enables the pattern to read from a distance. The different designers of the two buildings have also used the weave to create curving surfaces giving both buildings a moving form.
Your average garden trellis is not meant to be seen. It is one of those garden accessories designed to be covered with plants. Its the structure a climbing plant requires to create a green wall. We put up with this (often ugly) trellis whilst waiting for plants to establish.
But if you can change your attitude to the trellis and see it as a design opportunity it can add to the contemporary garden aesthetic and contribute to a garden design even without the plants.
A contemporary interpretation of the garden trellis has been developed by European designers Flora. They have created five designs that allow climbing plants to weave amongst abstract garden wall art.
The affect of the metal trellis is enhanced when panels are joined to create a large pattern of negative and positive space. Just add plants to the composition and we have created a living wall art piece.
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