The Inspired Garden by Judy Paolini & Nance Trueworthy

Author:Judy Paolini & Nance Trueworthy
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780892728794
Publisher: Down East Books

ABOVE: Phlox, peonies, and spirea fill part of the long perennial bed that borders the walk from the house to George’s studio. He places pieces along the way to study how they react to the elements.

Viewing Sculpture

My sculptures are best viewed over extended periods to appreciate their interaction with the environment. Wind speed and direction, shades of light, time of day, precipitation, and seasonal color interplay to transform the qualities of movement and light.

–George Sherwood

George is drawn to the qualities of color in the gardens. The subtle variations of yellow in a patch of spring daffodils, the exquisite translucence of red and orange poppy petals casting a spectrum of warm hues onto the smooth surfaces of Wind Orchid, a small sculpture by the back door. Later in the season the bold architectural structure of blue balloon flowers and tall, rosy cosmos play back and forth with the green reflections of surrounding foliage. George speculates that the garden is attracted to his work—the tendrils of a clematis vine grow toward and cling to parts of an older sculpture, perhaps enticed by the reflective surface, but finding something to climb on as well.

The hundred-foot walk from house to studio is often all the artist needs to spark new ideas.

Much of nature is in constant motion, a phenomenon that many of us might not observe but George finds fascinating. The seemingly sudden appearance of early blue scilla, the winter aconite that opens its bright yellow flower in the rough winds of March, the constantly spreading evergreen foliage of blue periwinkle are all cataloged in his mind. His sculptures are based on movement that is both subtle and obvious. At times it appears his sculptures do not move at all, and at other times they are a flurry of activity reminiscent of the tall swaying plumes of late-season cimicifuga in an autumn breeze.

Some pieces are a direct reference to the open flower structures that permeate the gardens. Sunflower is a deceptively simple sculpture in which shallow arcs constantly form and re-form the shapes of individual flower petals. One could also speculate that George’s placement of his works within the gardens influences what choices are made for plantings. Sunflowers, with their array of single-petaled florets encircling a central disk, along with other members of the large Asteraceae family, are planted throughout. Daisies, coneflowers, coreopsis, and cosmos have the same structure. Some were planted before and some after the creation of Sunflower, making us wonder which came first.

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