Garden Aspirations

We all dream of having a beautiful garden. Preferably without weeds. Just flowers in bloom and green grass all year round. Which is why I just love to see the seasonal floral display at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Las Vegas. I know I will never be able to plant healthy blooms such as those at Bellagio on hardpan soil. But I have great expectations anyway.

These larger than life lady beetles are made of hundreds of red carnations and are surrounded by a sea of mums and kalanchoe.

And the frog prince reigns contentedly amidst yellow, red, and blue flowers anchored by a pavilion draped with stars and stripes banners. The frog prince is appropriately clad in what else? - kermit chrysanthemums, reindeer moss, green coffee bean and sheer moss.

A little whimsy goes a long way. Bicycles with floral baskets tossed idly against a wooden railing and a ticket booth signal lazy days ahead. Message: don't rush. Just enjoy the long, hot days of summer under the shade.

Cap Martin near Menton, Claude Monet

Monet had a deep interest in gardening and designed his own garden in Giverny which served as the inspiration for many of his paintings including his water lillies and le pont Japonais. How appropos then to interpret his oeuvres with flowers! Cap Martin near Menton is a rich and organic painting (from the original) with hundreds of flowers framed artfully, bien sûr.

This nursery rhyme brings me back to my garden aspirations:
"Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shells

And marigolds all in a row".

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Images by Charie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963, Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...

Masaganang Ani by Vicente Silva Manansala

Masaganang Ani (Bountiful Harvest), oil on canvas, 1962 The International Rice Institute of the Philippines (IRRI) was founded in the Philippines in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with the support of the Philippines government. The goal of IRRI is “to improve livelihoods, abolish poverty, hunger and malnutrition among those who depend on rice based agri-food systems”. Their headquarters is in Los Baños, Laguna. These two Manansala large scale paintings were commissioned by IRRI in 1962 to depict Filipino life, labor and leisure activities. The paintings were hung on the walls of the dining room and cafeteria at its headquarters. These weren’t ideal places to hang the canvasses because the smoke from the kitchen and the cleaning solutions used by the staff threatened the paintings. They are now on loan to the National Museum of the Philippines which declared these two masterpieces as National Cultural Treasures. In Masaganang Ani, Manansala chose themes celebrating th...

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