Gardens and Artists of Southern Gotland
Visited June 9th, 2014 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society
KÖRSBÄRSGÄRDEN
Gotland Island is home for many artists. Inspiration is found in the terrain of southern Gotland which varies from nature's limestone sculpture of the “Old Man Hoburgsbubben”, gazing out over the Baltic Sea at Husrygg Nature Reserve, conifer forests, coastal meadows with abundant bird life, marshes and alvar plains with unique flora and fauna.
A short distance from the Husrygg Nature Reserve the group stopped for mid-morning coffee and tea at Körsbärsgården located in the southern parish of Sundre. Our host, Marita Jonsson, told us the story of the origins of the garden from its original founder Signe Enstrom, in the 1940’s to the purchase of the garden in 2000, by her and her husband Jon Jonsson. We ate delicious homemade cakes and cookies and sipped on organic coffee from the cafe' managed by her daughter while we heard the story of the merger of a restored garden with contemporary art and sculpture.
South Gotland has been a gathering point for artist since the 1940's and at that time Signe Enstrom (1910-2000) welcomed painters, sculptors and writers to Körsbärsgården (Cherry farm) and continued to do so for almost another 50 years. Signe had a cafe' at her farm and when the Jonsson's purchased the property, (originally to use as their retirement home) their daughter wanted to continue the cafe' tradition with vegetables and fruits from their own garden or nearby parishes.
Clean up of the garden was needed after the purchase. Three years of work and the Jonsson garden was recreated as it was under Signe Enstrom's care from the 1950's into the 1980's. Lost plants re-emerged in the process of trimming, weeding and cutting back overgrowth. Marita wrote a book, “Körsbärsgården: Encounters Between Art And Nature,” documenting the re-creation of the garden that they decided to open as a public garden.
The original structure was kept in the garden. The fruit and kitchen garden is placed where the summertime sun is at its strongest. Seeds for the vegetables are obtained from the genetic bank at the University of Lund. Compost is obtained from local farmers for the garden.
In front of the kitchen garden is the rose garden with the old fashion roses from the 1940's. A photogenic White Wagtail apparently had taken a liking to the old time pink blooms.
An herb garden is used for the cafe' where they prepare meals with a variety of food preferences.
The perennial gardens retain the original plantings that were found with only a few having to be moved. Regina, a friend of Signe, provided Marita with plants that were no longer at the garden when she moved there. At one time Signe had given Regina those plants for her garden and now she shared them with Marita to restore the original garden. Signe was a weaver and colored her wool from plants that she grew in her garden, which are still in the perennial garden.
Late tulips were still in bloom with aquilegia, peony, iris, orange poppy and spiderwort, with lily and dahlias (the only added plant) close to bloom for summer.
Marita said that the residents in the small parish of Sundrie are conscientious about water usage so she uses rain barrels by the gutters down-spouts on the buildings for garden water collection. She does have help with one student from Sweden who works in the garden early morning.
The contemporary sculpture park is an additional feature the Jonsson's added as part of the structure of the gardens landscape, reflecting their interest in art and its relationship with nature.
Contemporary sculptures and art are a part of the garden.
Marita’s husband Jon is an artist and he started an art studio to show the work of artists inspired by Gotland. Recently they built a contemporary wing to display international art exhibitions.
Our LHS travel guides George and Dorothy Feather had the opportunity to discuss with Marita her ambitious project that she devised for the 300th anniversary celebrating the birth of Linnaeus. After studying Linnaeus's diary in the archives at the Linnaean Society in London, she followed literally in Linnaeus's footsteps, day by day (from his diary and dates) the July 1741 month long trip he traveled in Gotland. Her informative travel diary, “Linnaeus in Gotland: from the Diary at the Linnean Society, London, to present-day Gotland,” with observations of plants and habitations that Linnaeus recorded that still exist, or what is no longer, was published for the 2007 occasion. The impressive photographs in the book were taken by her and daughter Helga.
Photos by Deborah McMillin
LARS JONSSON MUSEUM
It was a short distance in travel to the Lars Jonsson Museum located in a former rectory in the small parish of Vamlingbo. In the upstairs gallery surrounded by his watercolor paintings of birds in their natural habitat, Lars Jonsson told us the story of his early fascination and identification with birds while growing up in Stockholm. He was drawing birds as a four year old child, imagining himself as a bird. He had no art studies but has always painted birds as his occupation.
His first exhibition was a one man show at the age of fifteen at the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. A series of field guides followed in his 20's. Now living on the Island of Gotland his watercolor and oil paintings emphasize southern Gotland's bird life and nature.
Nature's season is a bookmark in the “main characters”story as you reflect on the birds life displayed in bold, dark lines and quick strokes of bright colors.
Lars Jonsson's paintings reflect not only his familiar home territory in Gotland but also his concern for endangered wildlife worldwide. He commented to us on the Siberian Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a bird near extinction within five years. There are only 150 pair remaining due to destruction of their critical migratory stops along the Yellow Sea and indiscriminate hunting and trapping. This painting was done while on a Russian-Swedish-Danish Spoon-billed Sandpiper Expedition to Chukotka (Russian-far east) in the summer of 2010. A side stop was taken where he visited with young local school children and painted birds for them.
In Gotland he paints in the field in his VW bus with a drawing board on the steering wheel while looking thru his telescope (a spotting scope) and paints what he sees in that instance.
Every bird he says, he treats as an individual and a new encounter whether or not he has seen that bird or species before.
Most of the paintings he finishes while still looking at the birds in its natural habitat.
A large mural on the wall of birds in flight was painted using sketches while an audience watched at an exhibition hall. He said that he did get it finished on the last day of the exposition.
We had a tasty lunch of sandwiches and soup from the family run Rectory Cafe. Fresh healthy ingredients from their vegetable and herb garden are used in their food preparation.
Sitting on the outdoor patio we ate delicious homemade desserts that complimented the excellent lunch.
Wandering to the back of the vegetable garden, a hops garden was found. Near the outdoor patio were a collection of herbs and plants for sale.
This busy ornithological author, artist and teacher graciously offered to autograph any purchases we made from his small shop. Before we left he identified for me my photo of the cooperative bird that perched on the rose bush at Körsbärsgården garden as a White Wagtail.
Lars Jonsson's artwork can be found in galleries and museums not only in his homeland of Sweden but other European countries and the United States. At the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon, Canton, MA (near Boston) a June 2014 involvement with the museum (among many) was an exhibition of “Painting Birds to Save Them.” He indicated to me that he has paintings displayed at the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States, at Jackson Hole, Wyoming; a museum that strives to collects the highest quality of wildlife art not only in the States but throughout other countries. Lars Jonsson has been noted by his peers as “the premier bird artist for our times.”
Photos by Deborah McMillin
Links
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, WY
http://www.wildlifeart.org/collection/artists/artist-lars-jonsson-383/
http://www.massaudubon.org/learn/museum-of-american-bird-art/art-collection/lars-jonsson-b.-1952
Lars Jonsson painting for the children of Chukotka – Russia 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpYZOtdGhuA
Lar Jonsson painting at exhibition hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip7nDmmDUbc