Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Local yard art


I read the other day at Defining Your Home garden that the Fearrington Folk Art Show was going on last weekend. I had some free time and made the one hour trip out to see it. Not as much yard art as I'd liked to have seen, but still it was fun.

This large weather vane is one of several permanent fixtures at Fearington. If you did not know Fearington is a artsy retirement home for people with a lot of money, the have a high class restaurant, coffee shop, garden center and other amenities. It is also known for the Belted Galloway cows like the one seen on the weather vane in the bottom photo.

The tire planters, very cool made locally and around $100 each. Breadfoot makes these with a sharp knife then hand paints them with house paint. He says the trick to cutting these out is getting tires with 2 ply sidewalls. I want to try this one day and I have plenty of pink house paint. Breadfoot is a musician here you can watch him play Valentine.

I did buy a 24 inch yellow/orange sun to hang on the wall, it was made from a recycled welding tank by Foster's Custom Steel in Mebane, NC.

The awesome bottle tree was sold, my guess it was over a $1000. The biggest one I have ever seen.

Still trying to get the alignment of my postings right, one day I'll figure it out.

The pond is frozen and it is 19 degrees outside, hope those greens do ok.



18 comments:

Just Jenn said...

Cool yard art! I like the tire planters they kinda remind me of big sunflowers. I don't think I'd plant anything eatable in them but they sure are eye catching otherwise.

...and nope. No problems posting to blogs. Are you having trouble?

Unknown said...

Loved the photos. The planters would bring a cheerful look to a garden. Liked the weather vane too!

tina said...

Did you buy the bottle tree? It sure is lovely but I can't imagine spending $1000 for it.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Looks fun, I like the weather vane!

Unknown said...

I love yard art!!It adds such fun to a garden.We saw some great art on Cedar Key,Florida.

F Cameron said...

thanks for the mention. I never saw the price on the bottle tree. Do you really think it was that expensive?

Cameron
Defining Your Home Garden

Shawna Lee Coronado said...

Loved this blog - - I am actually running a bit of a design series on my blog too. Would love to see what you think of balls - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

So nice to hear from you on my blog the other day!

Take care,

Shawna

Randy Emmitt said...

Not sure, but my guess would have been a $1000 or pretty close to that. I should have asked it was nice.

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had a beautiful, clear day to take in all the art.

Kylee Baumle said...

Yard art like this is so fun! Thanks for sharing the photos and ideas!

Heather said...

I love yard art! I am always on the lookout for good yardart. I have my eye on an old bed and frame, metal. Has a headboard, footboard and matress frame holder. I am thinking "Flower Bed". No one else seems to think this is a good idea.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

I am wondering if it's hard to make such a tree by yourself?

Your rain barrel looks familiar. They put it on a stand so that you could rotate it and it serves as a composter. We bought ours in Portland, OR. We paid several times more for it than you.
Nice post, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Those are some nice tire planters. I think the vibrant colors really make them look a lot fancier than the whites ones you usually see.

Randy Emmitt said...

Tatyana,

I have seen people make their own bottle trees by placing bottle on branches of a dead tree or putting in wood pegs, wires or nails for putting the bottles in.

Justin and Anne said...

Thanks for sharing the photos -- I am a huge fan of yard art and thankfully we have a local nursery that has excellent taste in yard art and whimiscal treasures.

$1000 for a bottle tree is outrageous!! I love my bottle tree with all my heart, but couldn't imagine paying $1000 for it in a million years!

K Lindgren said...

Glad ya'll loved the yard art! Fearrington hosts the annual Folk Art Show every February, and I expect Riley Foster (the man who sculpted the bottle tree - yep, the whole thing is made my hand - tree and all), Breadfoot, and Susan Hayden, the maker of the tool benches that were also on the barn patio. Come visit next year.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I love garden art(-: What cool stuff there!!!
CiNdEeS' GaRdEn

Kitty said...

We have 3 pieces of Riley Foster's art, including one of his suns on our shed. I've been lusting for one of his bottle trees for years, but they are a little above my casual purchase limit.