Monet's Waterlily Pond, Giverny, France

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Monet's Waterlily Pond, Giverny, France

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

Claude Monet's garden and home in Giverny, France is about an hour west of Paris in the countryside near Normandy. In the late 1800's Monet discovered Giverny while riding by on a train. He fell in love with this quaint town and soon rented a home near the river. Later he purchased the home and spent over a decade designing and planting his famous garden. He diverted the nearby river to fill an area in the back for his waterlily pond and green Japanese bridge. Officials originally opposed his plans, but after finding out it was the famous artist they approved. Monet's garden is around 2 acres in size and the lush cottage garden near the pink and green home is filled with all kinds of paths, trellises, and flowers, smelling heavenly. The center of the garden is focused on a wide path lined with rows of rose-covered arbors. Monet spent much time outdoors painting in his impressionist style, especially scenes of his garden. Monet lived around 40 years in his home.

In the past one of my bucket list places to visit was Claude Monet's garden in Giverny, France. I studied Monet's art in college and loved his impressionist painterly style. I also love gardening, so to see his 2 acre property filled with all kinds of gardens and the waterlily pond was a dream.

When my husband and I put everything in storage to travel France I told him I just had to visit the little quaint village of Giverny. It's only an hour outside Paris, but the train was canceled that day so I took a bus tour. It began to rain just as we arrived, but thankfully it stopped so I could walk around. The bus tour only gave me 2 hours to explore his garden and the cute little town, so I rushed through to capture every little area I could find in that short time. The gardens were packed full of roses and flowers of all colors, and trellises and arbors and paths. It smelled heavenly!

Monet enjoyed painting scenes of his garden so I tried to find the places on his property that looked similar to his paintings. I used my photographic memory to find some and was so happy to capture them on camera.

I edited them and put them on my website. Later Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida purchased 3 of them (including the one pictured here) to go on display in their Roy Lichtenstein Giverny art exhibit in spring 2021. Lichtenstein is a pop artist from the time of Andy Warhol and created a series of pop images related to Monet's garden. This was a huge honor because not only do I love Monet's Garden, but also I remember studying Roy Lichtenstein's art in art history class!

Selby Gardens printed each of my images 20 feet long on vinyl and hung this waterlily garden photo at the entrance of the exhibit and then my photos of the Japanese bridge and Monet's house in the conservatory as backdrops to a 3-D garden display. They used tropical plants and extended the scenes of my photos into the space. It was amazing!

You can read about our adventure in Europe in my husband's book, "Vagabonds in France", by Michael A. Barry. Come with us as we lose our home, put everything in storage, and navigate through Europe for a few months with no return date or home to come back to. Sail across the Atlantic, dodge pickpockets, climb mountains, descend into the Paris Metro, endure nasty weather and illness, witness the flood of the century, and meet some wonderful and not-so-wonderful people. Chuckle with us as we live among the French and try to learn their ways and language. Then make it back home to an empty house we'd never seen before. I illustrated the book with 75 illustrations. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCUNSEK .

This photo and 3 others were featured in a webinar by famous French photographer, Serge Ramelli on 9-28-2017. He has taught me a lot about photography and inspired my artistry of editing in Lightroom. You can see this video titled "Ask Serge!" on his YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=Hd4Q0IxBcnU

SOLD:
Greeting card to buyer from Worthington, Ohio on 6-19-2020. Thank you!
High resolution digital file to be printed on large vinyl decal for 3 glass doors at the 2021 art exhibition featuring Roy Lichtenstein's "Take on Monet". Exhibition at Museum of Art and Botany in the Payne Mansion, Sarasota, Florida 2021. Image purchased by Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Thank you! 11-24-2020
30 x 20 matted and framed print to buyer in Panama City, Florida on 2-16-2021. Thank you!
Digital copy of image to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida to project onto building for Orchid Experience during Roy Lichtenstein art exhibit 4-16-2021. Thank you!
12 x 8 Canvas print to buyer in Columbia, SC on 5-17-2022. Thank you!
Medium size Carry All Pouch to buyer in Brick, NJ on 8-17-2022. Thank you!
8 x 5.5 Luster Photo Paper print to buyer in Cornelius, NC on 12-3-2022. Thank you!

CONTEST wins:
3rd Place Win in Seascapes and Landscapes Contest for Five Star Artist Group 6-27-2017
Honorable Mention in juried contest Brooks Creeks Ponds Streams 9-10-2022

Featured in the following FAA Groups:
Images That Excite You
Pictures For Present
Photographers From Around the World
Fine Arts Professionals
Art It Is Good For You
Country Life 3 Images a Day
Greeting Cards For All Occasions
Exploration Photography
Water Forms
Shadows Silhouettes and Reflections
USA Photographers Only
Brilliant Colors
Visions of Spring - Glances of Summer
Arts Fantastic World
Your Very Best Photography
World Landscape Lovers of Art
Lady Photographers and Artists
Artists Cards Fine Art Greeting Cards
Bath and Spa Prints
No Place Like Home
Forward Exposure
Weekly Fun For All Mediums
New FAA Uploads Limit One Per Day
WHAT Interrobang One a Day
Cards and Small Posters - Large Posters and All Size Prints: Inspirational and Original Works
Five Star Artist 4-22-2017
Mind-Blowing Photography 4-23-2017
The Unexpected Wordsmith 5-2-2017
Bedroom Art Gallery 5-4-2017
Museum Quality Images 5-5-2017
Recognized as Masterpiece in Phenomenal Club 5-5-2017
10 Plus 5-19-2017
Cups Mugs Etc All Mediums 6-27-2017
1000 Views Group Special Feature 7-4-2017
500 and Beyond Fine Art Group 12-1-2017
Art and Meditation 6-20-2020
Just Perfect 6-20-2020
Colors Blue Turquoise Photography and Paints 6-21-2020
Digital Art and Photography For a Simple Imagination 6-25-2020
Your Story of Art 6-26-2020
500 Views 6-27-2020
The Outdoor Photographer 9-8-2020
Created by Southern Artists 9-8-2020
Daily Promotion 12-7-2020
Reflections Rainbows 5-26-2021
A Woman's Touch 5-28-2021
Hodge Podge 6-5-2021
Photographic Camera Art 6-24-2021

Uploaded

March 12th, 2017

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