French floral artist Claire Basler’s home and studio in Les Ormes, and hour an a half from Paris, is filled the nature. There is a constant flow of fresh floral displays which inspire her paintings, drawings and textile designs, all of which also blanket the property.
Photographs one and two by Mads Mogensen for Elle Decor South Africa, photographs three to eight and all artworks by Claire Basler.
Henry Darger is an artist and writer with an unusual story. He was orphaned and institutionalised as a young child and spent his adult life living as a recluse in Chicago. It was only after his death that Darger’s landlord discovered an epic 15,145 page narrative titled The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion.
The story follows seven young girls as they fight against a variety of sadistic adults while being protected by a slew of fantastical animals. The writings are accompanied by several hundred drawings and watercolour paintings. Some of the images are calm and filled with flowers. Others a violent and tortured. It’s an incredible juxtaposition between innocence and extreme brutality, and gives us a glimpse into the mind of this mysterious man.
Jessica Yu made a film about Darger and his work The Realms of the Unreal (2004).
Recently I commissioned my friend Lucy Allen to create some of her quirky botanical drawings. Two as a gift for my boyfriend, two for me. Each plant has an animal lurking in it. Try and spot the squid, fish or squawking birds. I had them framed in pairs in dark wood, floating about an inch off the back.
The Secret Garden 