Author Topic: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St  (Read 199578 times)

Offline playmovictorian

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The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« on: June 16, 2010, 02:15:20 »
A very good morning to you dear Friends  :wave:

I am delighted to announce my new project "Summer Garden Party on Regent St" !

Ever since I created my Autumn and Winter tales last year ( Autumn Harvest on Regent St, There is Magic in the Air and Christmas Miracle on Regent St ) I cherished the dream of creating a Spring / Summer themed diorama representing the mansion of my happy little Victorian in full bloom with mainly outdoor scenes.

This 6 months old dream will present the garden of the Mansion, mainly viewed from the conservatory area and will focus on a formal garden with fountain, a picturesque vegetable garden, a seating area for high tea and a pavilion where the summer evening party will take place.

These are of course early stages, and I do not want to rush into this project, first because of a demanding work, secondly because I absolutely wish to make the most of what Summer is about with outdoor activities and continuing my escapades around the UK which have helped me tremendously in regaining a certain balance in my life.

I will therefore take my time with regards to the thinking, planning and setting up of this new project which I will document as I will get along...

Those of you who already know my work are aware that I am using a background for my scenes in order to give a sense of perspective and depth to my dioramas.

Here are two examples of my previous work on the seasonal theme :

Christmas Miracle on Regent St



There is Magic in the Air


For my new Summer themed diorama, I am looking for a fresh, green and peaceful background and here are some of the paintings I have selected which are all lifelike copies through the method of "giclee on canvas" which I explained in a previous making of :

St James Park in London by James Inigo Richards



Landscape - Hill & Dale by Albert Bierstadt



Parc de Mortefontaine by Jean Joseph Xavier Bidauld



River Valley Landscape by Marten Ryckaert


Karim :)
« Last Edit: June 16, 2010, 02:41:50 by playmovictorian »
La, tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute, luxe, calme et volupte. L'Invitation au Voyage. Charles Baudelaire.1857.

Offline cachalote

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2010, 15:25:00 »
a comeback in such a wonderful style karim.  :love:
thank you for such beautiful images.  :wow:
it's great to see you back.  :yup:

one day i was hoping that you could create a "maritime" scene just as beautiful as your "city" ones.  ;)
i don't know if you like this caspar david friedrich painting but i thought it would illustrate what i mean better than words.
your baudelaire quote "la, tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute, luxe, calme et volupte. l'Invitation au voyage" always makes me remember this painter.  :)
    honni soit qui mal y pense

Offline WarriorOfToys

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2010, 21:40:25 »
Hill and Dale looks like the best background Karim.
I can't wait to see your Summer Garden Party!
I loved your Winter and Autumn Dioramas, :love:
So I am very excited to see your Spring/Summer diorama! ;D

Glad to see you are going to be relaxing this summer (for the most part).
I am not allowed the luxary, as I will be travelling across the US, 8}
From the East coast, to the West. It will be big, long, and tiresome.
But hopefully just as fun! :lol:
Steck is BACK! <:>

Offline skypurr

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2010, 00:26:50 »
I think I like the River Valley landscape because it looks so light and summery.
Looking forward to your Summer Garden Party Karim. 
It will be a good excuse for all your Victorian ladies to wear their best summer hats.   :lol:

Elaine
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Offline Bill Blackhurst

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2010, 03:05:19 »
You sound like you're doing great Karim :)9, & I'm glad to hear of a future project in the works :yippee:! I'm partial to the Hill & Dale background myself :yup:!
  Forget about all of the other stuff,....all we need is the reintroduction of the 3526 Fire Engine!

Offline playmovictorian

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2010, 02:08:36 »
Thank you dear Friends  :wave:

My trip to the enchanting gardens of Warwick Castle gave me the opportunity to gather ideas for my diorama  ;)

As I mentioned before, the first pictures will be a shot of Regent Street showing the front of the Mansion with the side garden and its fountain and will be set in the early morning with the little milkboy delivery.

The street will be decorated according to the season which will be a late Spring early Summer and I need to dress the hedges, trees and pillars of the front porch accordingly.

Setting up an atmospheric decor is easier said than done and those of you who have followed my work since last year may remember that I embraced the thought of an Autumn themed diorama with my previous experience of customizing trees, hedges and lawns dating back to the mid seventies as a child when I was creating a model railway ! I remember pouring myself a glass of Merlot, putting a CD of Mary Poppins on and sitting at my preparation board covered with newspapers, with a tube of sprayed glue and two varieties of Early and Late Autumn blended Tufts and Clusters ( purchased in a Model Railway shop )

Needless to say that I first managed to glue my own fingers in a unspeakable way, but with the cheerful help of grape juice and Mary Poppins songs, I started getting a grip of what I was aiming for.

Here are a few pictures of the results of my attempt at creating a decor on the Autumn theme last year ( with familiar Autumn activities such as grape and apple harvest, wine making, pumpkin pie, toffee apples an preserve making and finally an Autumn Fair on Regent St ) :

Autumn Harvest - a Victorian Tale
















In the above pictures, I attempted to recreate the softness of a Autumn day which has a colour and a light of its own, but Spring is about brightness both in light and colours so I will have to aim accordingly in the shades of green and flowers which will cover the trees, lawns and hedges.

My initial thought is about an early morning milkboy delivery who this time who will not be greeted by the Cook by the kitchen door and will find instead a "in the garden" sign...so he will make his way towards the garden accordingly to find the familiar household Staff working in the vegetable garden picking up vegetables like salads, carrots and tomatoes and gathering strawberries.

I would like to take the viewer on a journey from the picking of the vegetables and fruits in the garden back to the kitchen with preparation of the food and finally the serving of the feast in the evening.

Then the remaining part of the diorama will be set with a view towards the conservatory of the Mansion from the gardens and needless to say that I was inspired by Warwick Castle's formal gardens, roses and topiary not to forget the peacocks who will also grace the gardens of my happy little Victorians.

The gardens will include a vegetable plot with turf and soil, a formal garden with low hedges, an elevated lawn area surrounded by brick with a few steps including a removable central fountain and where the afternoon high tea will be served with every yummy delights you may imagine, and a summer pavillion in which the evening garden party will take place with the serving of the feast in the hopefully magical atmosphere created by fairy lights.

You may ask me why a removable fountain in my elevated brick garden ? The reason being that I was inspired by outdoor Shakespeare Plays performed at the Botanical Gardens and I thought it would be just the right thing to spice up things a bit in my diorama ! I first thought of something like a "Midsummer Night's Dream" with fairies and elves but on second thought, a period costumed play such as "The Three Musketeers" and the dramatic entrance of the comedians fighting from the balcony of the Mansion down to the gardens and then on the stage would be nice. The Leading Lady will be a famous Victorian Actress arriving in style at the Mansion and creating a stir by demanding her own dressing room...

So here I am, dear Friends, with plenty of exciting ideas and just one tiny challenge, how to give them life on a 1.5 meter x 2 meters long board ?

My recent trips are really giving me a lot of inspiration not to forget the dioramas, creations and decorating tips you inspired me since I joined your World !

I will update you with my progess as I will get along...

Karim :)



« Last Edit: July 01, 2010, 02:33:34 by playmovictorian »
La, tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute, luxe, calme et volupte. L'Invitation au Voyage. Charles Baudelaire.1857.

Offline Gis

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2010, 05:43:58 »
WOW Karim, sounds like really exciting stuff. Looking forward to seeing you putting your thoughts "in action".

Good Luck and Have Fun with that :-)

Offline Lindama

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2010, 06:41:59 »
Stunning photos Karim - they make me feel really happy and I look forward to the spring theme.

I am in love with Parc de Mortefontaine by Jean Joseph Xavier Bidauld. I am going to obtain a print!
One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.
    Jane Austen, Emma

Linda

Offline flatcat

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2010, 06:46:18 »
That scenery is absolutely gorgeous :inlove:

Stunning pics, Karim :wow: :wow: :wow:
 

Offline Justindo

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Re: The Making of : Summer Garden Party on Regent St
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2010, 02:50:49 »
That's a lovely garden and party, Karim! :)
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