Chris and Merry are artists who will be part of the Open Studios tour in October. Chris is a photographer (and also our Open Studios webmaster) and Merry makes the most exquisite, little felted animal figures. They each do their own wonderful work and have also come up with a delightful way of collaborating. Several weeks back they came by to take some photos of my studio and to talk about the blog and web site and I noticed Merry working on a little cat as we visited. “He’s going to England and Spain with us, next week,” Merry explained. “Chris will be photographing him in some interesting settings, we hope.” Intrigued, I asked them to send me at least one photo for the blog and this arrived this week, with Merry’s note.
“Please meet our new friend, Ildefonso ! He was on tour with us in Segovia, Spain. Here he is next to the bandstand in the main plaza. We took a day trip out to the royal palace, La Granja de San Ildefonso, to view the luxurious home and gardens of King Phillip V. He was the grandson of Louis XIV. This “little Versaille” has been restored to its’ original 18th century splendor with acres of cultivated gardens, rose beds, wooded areas, and massive fountains. Inside the palace were halls of marble sculptures, original furnishings, art collections, and tapestries. The tapestries were stunning…about 20 feet high and a length of a large room. Each had a title, like “Fortune,” “Prudence,” and “Nobility”. Figures swirled over decorative motifs, depicting scenes of history, mythology, and Biblical events. Alexander the Great led his batallion of elephants across the landscape, while fashionably dressed saints recorded good deeds and bad in their notebooks. Each tapestry was created in the workshops of Flemish weavers over several years’ time, all by hand. We hope this note finds all of you inspired, and Ildefonso sends his best wishes.”
Whatever you do, don’t miss the Goldthorpe’s magical studio on the tour! In the meantime you can see more at their website, https://www.extremefelting.com/
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