The Sunken Garden

The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, near Victoria, Vancouver Island,British Columbia, Canada. The gardens... more

by Janet Ashworth

Title

The Sunken Garden

Artist

Janet Ashworth

Medium

Mixed Media - Photography

Description

The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, near Victoria, Vancouver Island,British Columbia, Canada. The gardens receive more than a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to their international renown.
The Gardens were originally a limestone quarry and cement plant, owned and operated by Robert Pim Butchart.
In 1909, when the limestone quarry was exhausted, his wife Jennie set about turning it into the Sunken Garden, which was completed in 1921. They named their home "Benvenuto" ("welcome" in Italian), and began to receive visitors to their gardens. In 1926, they replaced their tennis courts with an Italian garden and in 1929 they replaced their kitchen vegetable garden with a large rose garden.
In 1953, miles of underground wiring was laid to provide night illumination, to mark the 50th anniversary of The Gardens. In 1964, the ever-changing Ross Fountain was installed in the lower reservoir to celebrate the 60th anniversary. In 1994, the Canadian Heraldic Authority granted a coat of arms to the Butchart Gardens. In 2004, two 30-foot (9.1 m) totem poles were installed to mark the 100th anniversary, and The Gardens were designated as a National Historic Site of Canada.
In December, 2009 the Children's Pavilion and the Rose Carousel were opened. The menagerie includes thirty animals ranging from bears, to horses, to ostriches, to zebras and mirrors the world from which The Gardens draws its visitors. The designs were hand picked by the owner, in consultation with an artist from North Carolina. The carvings were done by some of the few remaining carvers of carousel art. Each animal is carved from basswood and took many months to complete. There are also two chariots able to accommodate disabled persons.
Several bronze statues are displayed in the gardens.
One, of a wild boar, purchased on a Mediterranean trip in 1973, was cast in Florence, a replica of a 1620 bronze cast by Pietro Tacca. It is called "Tacca" in honor of the sculptor and, just as the original's, its snout is shiny from the many visitors rubbing it for luck.
In the early days, weekly symphony concerts were hosted by Mr and Mrs. Butchart. These were often held for guests of the family, but later attracted a larger audience. More recently, in the Summer Season (July and August) and during the Winter Holiday Season they provide a wide range of local entertainment, from Jazz to classical music. Also, The Weeds, a band made up of staff members from The Gardens, sometimes plays during the Summer Season. In 1977, Ian Ross's son Christopher (1944–2000) introduced firework shows accompanied by show tunes on summer Saturday evenings. During the Winter, lights and seasonal decorations adorn the gardens along with an ice-skating rink in the Waterwheel Square.
.......A little about me:
My name is Janet but I go by Jann, and I am originally from Ontario, Canada and have lived on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, since 1985.
I love the seacoast and mountains, so many of my photos are from British Columbia, Alberta, Vancouver Island, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island. My main photo themes are sea, coastal,villages, people, portraits, mountains, trees, lakes, waterfalls, flowers, nature,wildlife, birds, animals, landscapes, sunsets, and the great National Parks of Canada such as Jasper,Banff, Waterton, Cape Breton Highlands, Yoho, Glacier, Kootenay,Mt. Robson, Strathcona and others.
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In the art world, I was initially trained as a Commercial Artist and Illustrator and eventually explored many other methods of art/style as well as other mediums. I work in pencil, ink, acrylics, watercolor and oil pastels. I have also enjoyed mosaic design and application, floor murals, wall murals, collapsible screens, floor cloths, graphic design. Explored sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, hand painted furniture, refinishing old frames with gold leaf or faux finishes, interior design and interior decorating.
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With the advent of digital cameras I came to really enjoy photography both as an artistic expression as well as a foundation for capturing interesting and exciting compositions to be painted later.
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My recent creative endeavour was graduating from a certified Cosmetology Program (hairstylist and esthetics) in March 2009.
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I would like to build up an email list so I can let you know when I have posted new work. If you would like to participate, my email is jann.ash@hotmail.com
I would love to hear from you!
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All images (photos and painting) are my own personal works and not in the public domain. Please respect my copyright as I respect yours. Thank You.

Uploaded

May 17th, 2013