This mosaic of botanical tiles caught my eye in a panel beside the elevator in the upstairs mezzanine of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. They look like fired clay, with the imprint of actual leaves and flowers. Please excuse the fuzziness of the images, taken in dim light with a hand-held camera. Hope they’re clear enough to give you an impression, and not so blurred as to make you dizzy, without the assistance of eggnog.
I’ve emailed the RBG for more information (such as the name of the artist; the significance of the plant materials), and will update this post when I hear back.
Thought this might be a good idea to file away for future projects. Imagine this mimicked in concrete and mixed with commercial pavers in the central section of a patio, or as an accent in a garden wall. [I’ll add my best guess about how the details might have been picked out: possibly by dipping the materials in a dye before making the impression?]
Remind me, however, to one day confess my concrete paver story. It involved a grade school full of kids, a cement truck, and a Mount Everest of fast-drying concrete.
7 comments
How beautiful! I'll look forward to your concrete story. 😉
Ooooh I love that – it has so many possibilities doesn't it?
I've nicked the URL to post over at this month's Out on the Streets – hope you don't mind.
Your doggie walking post made me giggle so much and I really like the look of that Gardeners' Journal you're showing off there in the sidebar.
I think we might be joining you later in the week with a touch of snow!
What a lovely find I think I like the idea of them on a wall better than on pavers but I have no idea why I feel that way. Something to do with the stems in a natural growing position perhaps who knows!
Love the tiles. My mom used to do pottery and she did press leaves and flowers into her designs. Two Michigan companies make wonderful clay tiles, both with some floral designs: Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor and Pewabic Pottery in Detroit. 🙂
Somewhere, we have a few small tiles made by the Ungardener's sister. I wonder if the idea would stand up to being walked on. Wouldn't the details wear off?
They look fantastic. Think about how many places that these tiles could be used….
I came to your sight to thank you for visiting my blog and to see your Bloom Day post. However, I became distracted by the beautiful tiles. Thanks for showing them.