Harlow Carr Adventure
I am always looking for inspiration, even when I don't mean to. I see it everywhere, especially when I am out walking, visiting new places or even when I am out and about with our dog, Ruby. Alot of these times when I am out and about I don't have enough time to get a notepad out and jot ideas down, so the camera is out and I probably take five too many photos than I need to. Though when when I see sudden inspiration, it happens so fast the camera is best to use for me to capture that inspiration and save it all for my studio time.
Obviously over the last few months with us being in lockdown, visiting new places and going for long walks hasn't been allowed, so my point of inspiration has been the garden and luckily there is a world of inspiration I can find here. But with lockdown easing, I was able to book a visit to the Harlow Carr gardens for an afternoon and what an afternoon it was! So incredibly beautiful ...
The day couldn't have been more perfect with the weather, the sunshine raise was blissfully warm with a smooth whispering breeze, perfect for a beautiful walk around these gardens. I have been visiting the Harlow Carr gardens for years, luckily I have always lived near enough to visit regularly and I am never disappointed, if anything, I am always amazed at how the same gardens can look so different and give me so much inspiration every time I visit, whatever the season!
As you can see from these pictures I took, the lushes greenery was vivid and vibrant, the variety of flowers I saw was never ending, just beautiful and ever fascinating. From wild yellows, pastel peach and lilac to electric mandarin orange and summer blues. I was in flower and colour heaven.
I made sure I charged the camera up as I knew it would be one of those afternoons I would be taking a hundred or more photos, which I think I did! But can you blame me, detail and colour, surrounded by beautiful nature ... A dangerously good combination for me. And a wild burst in design inspiration!
Six photos later, I did manage to choose these to feature in the post, I could have added many more but I thought these six are perfect shots I captured of how stunning the gardens actually are and the variety in flowers, colours and details these gardens offer. I have many new design ideas going round in my head now and I need a studio day to get them all down and start illustrating.
It was also wonderful as I was able to meet up with my mum for a social distancing walk around the gardens too. A long awaited walk around the gardens and a good catch up with my mum, it was lovely and what topped the afternoon off, we were super happy to be able to get a takeaway coffee. My goodness, it seems a long, long time since I have been out for coffee and this Latte did not disappoint, delicious!
If you get chance to visit the Harlow Carr Gardens, please do, it is so beautiful. Let me know if you do and I would love to see your photography of the gardens too.
Speak soon,
L x