by textures of home #8
I am gathering images of textured glass circles for possible use in some of my current print projects. This heavy glass base with holes is used in flower arranging. It had belonged to my mother who used it often as do I. I’ve never seen one like it anywhere else, it’s so much better than crumbly unnatural floral foam. And of course it made for a great image, don’t you think?
October 28, 2010 in Photoworks, Textures by Marja-Leena
Hello Marja-Leena
My nana had several of these to pop into the top of her ‘best’ vases…’To keep my flowers in order’ she told me. I still have a couple up in the loft but never use them, I like my flowers to have a conversation with each other.. If you know what I mean.
Great photograph, would be a great brain teaser at for a Christmas party..
Have a good day.
~ Julie
Very superior hub-caps (for a car disinclined to travel over bumpy roads).
Hi Julie, I’ve never seen or used this on top of a vase for it is quite heavy – interesting! We use this mostly in bowls that are a bit too wide-mouthed or shallow to hold up flowers. A brain teaser for a party, hmm, now that’s an idea. I do that sometimes here with my photos or scans, enjoying the guesses readers come up with.
BB, hehe, you reveal your obsession with cars, but no indeed, this would not “work well” as a hubcap!
I remember those too but haven’t seen one in years and hadn’t thought about them because I’ve never had a garden and the ability to have cut flowers in the house. It’s a great image. Do you remember glass fishing floats? I wonder if they’re still used.
I have a couple of those. The glass is rather slippery and sometimes the flowers won’t stay put, so I think I’ll make one out of stoneware and with the holes a little deeper. . The roughness of the ware might make flowers stay put better.
Susan, glad you like the image. I’ve seen those glass floats somewhere but was never lucky to find one in the ocean to keep, just a painted styrofoam one.
Hattie, I think a stoneware one would be very nice even standing alone when not in use.
Your photos of ‘found’ objects are always revelatory and very individual, consistent with your work as printmaker. They also make us more aware of the beauty of humble things that one can so easily pass by.
A photographer I met once did a whole series of highly magnified close-ups of details of ordinary objects. They looked extraordinary – nobody could figure out what the original objects were and he refused to say. Intriguing!
It strikes me that the glass circles as you depict them have distinct expressions. Eyes and gaping mouths enlivened by the light on the surface of the glass.
floral frogs! i have a pair of wire ones that expand and contract – they are for the top of a vase though. hattie, i love the idea of making a clay version, i shall have to try this. x
Natalie, thanks for your wonderful words. I’ve had thoughts of doing a series of prints of all these kind of photos and scans.
Joe, isn’t it fascinating what we see in objects taken out of their context?!
Elisa, is this type also called a floral frog? I thought it referred only to the ones with sharp metal points on a heavy base, such as used for Japanese ikebana. I have a small one that came in a gift arrangement inside a tiny copper dish.
yes, just a different variety of frog. x