Beth Dow's Photographs In the Garden
Beth Dow's photographs of formal English and Italian gardens capture quiet moments that belie a garden's ever-humming life. In the Garden is a meditation on classic concepts of paradise and garden design, in which the photographer becomes a gardener, guiding the viewer's eye and creating a mood. She tells us a bit about some of her favorite photographs from In the Garden.
Beth Dow's photographs of formal English and Italian gardens capture quiet moments that belie a garden's ever-humming life. In her work, the only movement comes from a suggestion of glimmering light and buzzing pollinators, just out of the frame. In the Garden is a meditation on classic concepts of paradise and garden design, in which the photographer becomes a gardener, guiding the viewer's eye and creating a mood. Whether behind the camera or speaking about her photographs, she approaches her work with a light sentimentality—in every picture, looking for "that held breath moment." She tells us a bit about some of her favorite photographs from In the Garden.
Title: Hillside, Waddesdon Manor
Artist's note: "This is such a simple photograph, but I can just keep looking at it. She may be stone, but I identify with her somehow, lost in the experience of the landscape."
Location: Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, England
Beth Dow is a Minneapolis-based photographer. Listen to her discuss 'In the Garden' in an audio slideshow.
Title: Six Trees, Batemans
Artist's note: "It’s difficult to grasp the motivations behind the planting here, but this gentle kind of absurdity made me laugh. It’s both orderly and random."
Location: East Sussex, England
Title: Trees, Blenheim Palace
Artist's note: "I’m amazed by our persistent compulsion to control the natural world, and I’m always happy to witness nature’s little rebellions. Branches grow and break, and these are little reminders of our human limitations."
Location: Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England
Title: Standard, Little Moreton Hall
Artist's note: "This knot garden is a wonder of geometric precision that complements the ornate decorative timber of the manor house. I shot this in early September when they were still trimming the topiaries, and I love the little signs of natural disorder."
Location: Congleton, Cheshire, England
Title: The White Garden, Sissinghurst Castle
Artist's note: "Sissinghurst is one of my favorite gardens, and I hope I can visit again some day. This was shot on the first open weekend of the season, before the flowers that define the White Garden had filled in. The visitor looks baffled by a knee-high maze, when really she was just like me, absorbing early spring morning in a magical landscape."
Location: Sissinghurst, Kent, England
Title: Benches, Blenheim Palace
Artist's note: "As the Gaul gallantly faces death, a garden visitor casually flicks cigarette ashes as she flips through her guide book. This simply makes me laugh. It’s grand, tragic, and humorous. Two pigeons in the trees on the left were a nice little bonus."
Location: Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England
Title: The Stable Pond, Powis Castle
Artist's note: "This is one of my favorite garden photographs, although it imparts no sense of the actual garden. The trees and ferns were placed to look beautiful by the pond’s edge, and I tried to capture the layers and depths of perception as the designer had intended, and, no doubt, nature improved."
Location: Powys, Mid Wales, UK
