White Cloud

Some of you asked what the gray things behind Cornerstone's pollinator garden in my last post are. Are they trees? Or netting to keep away birds?

Well, those were good guesses - but it actually is some artwork. The gardens feature a lot of art throughout. Some of them are there temporarily and some find a permament home here.

This particular artwork is by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot and called "White Cloud".

It's a sculpted cumulus cloud that hovers over an undulating landscape of crushed granite, oyster shell and recycled glass. The clouds are crafted with swirls of wire mesh supported by a series of slender posts.

But that's not all! The clouds are enhanced by thousands of clear cut crystals that catch the light from morning to moonlight.

It is quite the show!

I found it pretty mesmerizing

Andy Cao and Xavier Parrot are the same artists who created the "Red Lantern" in Cornerstone - some of you still might remember this:

You can find more about it here.

It's Glowing Red and Orange

Last week, Jo and I visited the gardens at Cornerstone in Sonoma. These are not spectacular gardens because of their plants and flowers, but because of the art that is displayed here.

One of the pieces that I want to focus on today is the Red Lantern by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. The "Red Lantern is an assemblage of Chinese-inspired elements referencing the history of Chinese migrants who came to California during the mid-19th century Gold Rush, and stayed to build the Central Pacific Railroad. It is a magnificent piece of art. When you approach the Red Lantern, it looks rather plain.

However, when you get closer, you notice the many many red and orange crystal droplets that hang on the lower part - and are reflected in the water.

Then you see the cloud pattern in the structure that holds the droplets. The droplets shall be reminiscent of a Chinese wedding headdress.

It is downright spectacular and the colors are glowing against the sunlight and in the water.

Processed with "kk_nested" in blending mode Multiply at 75%

It was a challenge to photograph so that you can see the glow of the crystal droplets in the sunlight and on the water - most of my pictures look rather dull, but I am glad that there were a very few good ones.

I'm linking up to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday - always a great challenge!