mem design: INNOVATION IN THE COURTS' GARDENS, HOLT

INNOVATION, a Design Study Group is arranging an Exhibition of Contemporary Plant Design in the gardens of the Courts, HOLT. 24 members of the group have designed one or two exhibits to reflect the overall title "OUT OF THIS EARTH". The Exhibition culminates in a spectacular display of eighteen TWIG figures which interpret "OUT OF THIS EARTH COMES.....MAN". The garden provides a perfect contrast for the innovative, original and contemporary exhibits. Under the guidance of the Head Gardener, Cat Saunders, this garden with its hidden pleasures, diverse planting and interesting form and colour, is established and traditional and offers something for everyone, be they keen gardeners, photographers, artists or tourists. The exhibits, on the other hand reflect the individual view of each designer. There are twenty-eight

exhibits, including the collective twig figures.

We, in this country, lag behind the continent in accepting plants have more to offer the world of Art and Artist than just decoration for the garden or hoime. We hope our Exhibition goes some wat towards redressing the balance.

The Exhibition opens on Thursday 1st October and continues daily from 11am to 5pm daily. It is free to National Trust members - normal entry fees apply to other visitors.

This is a one off Exhibition with a chance to proof that we are as inventive and artistic as any continental Floral Designer. Ours is an ephemeral Art and should be enjoyed whenever and wherever possible.

Another day, another month, another year!!!!!!!!!

Where has the year gone? I know I am not good at updating anything. I like things to be as they have always been. I would like my children to have remained about 7 and 6 respectively; not young enough to be trouble, not old enough to go their own ways. I love my Victorian furniture and treasure junk that holds happy memories for no-one but me. It is the value of memories that spurs me to paint...I like the subjects and I always hope that other people will enjoy my paintings as much as I do. Most of them are based on things, views or colours that have been an inspiration, such as flying between layers of cloud and watching the changing reflections on the sea below; or realizing that the sea can be green especially in the early morning.

Perhaps the happiest moments of the day, the week, the year are when I can find time to paint flowers. I like flowers, know about them and credit them with an ability to affect our lives for the better. I love their shape, their colours and their infinite variety. I also think our view of the possibilities of plant material as an art form is severely limited in this country. I am off to Bilsen tomorrow to admire the inventiveness of European Floral Artists and to pinch some of their ideas!!! I am a member of a Floral Design Group and we are arranging a display of Plant Designs in the Gardens of The Courts, HOLT...including a magnificent display of twig men - about twenty of them. The Exhibition is open from 1st to 4th October and is free to National Trust members.

Normal entry fees apply to other visitors. Do come and enjoy a different art form in a perfect setting.

Christmas is coming

We have not yet celebrated Halloween, or Bonfire Night yet Christmas Decorations are now in all the shops - Shame really. The years are now so compressed by months of anticipation that each festival, holiday or party must come as a disappointment.

Can we change that...well certainly when it comes to presents for children, I get tired of the vast array of plastic, plastic and still more plastic. The days of the stocking with an orange and an apple in the toe, some sweets, a small musical instrument and a toy, are long gone, but surely every child would like to think they were special? Special enough to get a present that was for them and them alone. Think about it....you would like to think you were special wouldn't you

From Alexander to Zoe, why not a name picture for a favorite child or children?

Or perhaps a toybox?

Please take a look at memdesign.co.uk where you will find a range of ideas for exclusive gifts for special children, unique, innovative, personal to each receipient and something that will be treasured for much longer than toys that need batteries!

Margaret's Venture

Hello there,

Have you accessed my web site yet...shame...try now. www.memdesign.co.uk.

Have you children, or grandchildren? Are you redecorating your home? Do you want something special as a present? You're in luck!!!! MEM DESIGN has a whole range of ideas, and just think most pieces of work are unique, the only exception being prints and cards...even then you can commission your own and remain exclusive.

Starting out as a Stage Designer I moved onto other forms of art and design, from illustrations for children's books to precise pen and ink drawings for instruction manuals, from logos and large scale art for advertments and exhibitions to characteristions for cartoons. I am known for drawings and paintings of theatrical subjects, especially mime and the circus....yes I consider the circus a legitimately 'theatrical' subject; its a show after all. I am not interested in performing animals, but circus has moved on since then and you have only to see the work of

On the way I got diverted and became a Florist, Flower Arranger and Floral Artist and was principal designer to a number of events at the Edinburgh Festival and State Occcasions when the Queen visited Scotland. I am Demonstrator, Speaker and Judge, but I like teaching and passing on acquired skills to the younger generation. I am deeply interested in modern trends in working with nature in all its form and you can view some of my work in Flora International, a magazine designed for all who love plants and flowers...and who doesn't?