Precedent critique - Keith Wiley - Wildside
Originally intended as a post for a Noel Kingsbury precedent, when searching for a project to focus on I came across one of the below images and was quite taken by it. Located in Devon, the gardens at Wildside are inspired by the Mediterranean and South Africa. What drew me to this example was the colour combinations and textural varieties. Helped by good photography, the planting pallet includes everything currently on trend in the horticultural world. A Naturalistic-inspired planting scene, grasses and drought-tolerant flowers. What I admire most about this design is its seasonality, while all the photos I have attached show it in the summer season, the garden has layers of planting that are attractive in every month the garden is open. I think the main appeal of this garden personally are the agapanthus, I know I have an affinity for them and I am especially fond of them in complementary schemes such as this.
The garden works off the contrast between purple and yellow and orange and blue, using blue purples and yellow oranges. Warm red accents add depth and create a subtle primary scheme dappled with occasional white flowers. Overall the composition is painterly, harnessing the effect of chromatic progression and tension from each contrasting plant. Similar to the works of Gerhard Richter which I've attached 2 examples of below, along with some of my old textural samples done with mixed media grounds and acrylic.
The change between analogous and complementary colours draws the eye across the composition, personally leading from left to right. The blue-purple of the darker agapanthus is what I initially focused on, using the lighter-toned cultivar around it creates additional depth and focus, making the piece more dynamic. However, what is not captured in the photographs is the expected movement. Unlike a static painting, this is a 4-dimensional landscape that comes with attributed noise, scent and fluidity. The grasses, which in the photos act like seams, blending the colours together, will be the main source of motion and noise in the display. Knitting the design together in their ebb and flow. They will also be the main source of winter interest when the colours come to the end of their shelf life.
In the garden array, I can see 3 colours of Agapanthus, mauve Salvia, Campanulas, Crocosmia, Achillea, Deschampsia, Armeria maritime, Nassella tenuissima, Molinia caerulea, Geranium Rozanne, Geranium pratense, Watsonias and Dianthus, along with many more species.
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