In October 2013, San Francisco's de Young Museum exhibited the work of British artist David Hockney. The show was titled - "David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition" and ran from October 2013 to January 2014. The show was a comprehensive survey of his 21st century work.
One of the highlights for me were the digital films that tracked the changing seasons. In 2010 and 2011, Hockney made digital videos of landscapes in Woldgate Wood, located in East Yorkshire. He depicted the same forest scene in winter, spring, summer and fall. Hockney displayed the resulting videos on nine flat-screen monitors, allowing viewers to watch multiple changing scenes in one work.
This inspired me to use photography to capture the seasons in a recently completed garden I designed. I photographed the garden throughout the year. Here are four frames that capture the essence of the four seasons that the Bay Area has to offer. Granted, we do not share the extreme weather of the English countryside but by selecting the right combination of plants we can achieve seasonal variation.
Be sure to take the time to observe and enjoy your garden throughout the year. The natural seasonal transitions offer much to see.
Diseñador de Jardín,
Mario
