Heather Hill
Verbascum Olypicum, Beth Chatto's Gravel Garden. 1998
Watercolour on paper
Aigantighe Art Gallery Permanent Collection Acc. No. 2001.9.
Given in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Friends of Aigantighe Art Gallery.
Beth Chatto was an award-winning English gardener and author, known for her gardens near Elmstead Market in the English county of Essex where she was born in 1923. The land on which this garden was planted began as a wasteland with very little rain, but Beth and her husband Andrew transformed it into a thriving and bountiful site. In 1990, 30 years after they first started cultivating the land, Beth planted what is now known as ‘the gravel garden’— once a carpark, and transformed by Beth into a striking display of drought-hardy plants that withstand the poor, free-draining soil.
Chatto’s gardens are a testament to the resilience of nature. From industrial sites, depleted by human intervention, something beautiful can spring back up, given the necessary care, and approached with a willingness to experiment and adapt.
This watercolour painting by Timaru-born artist Heather Person-Hill is part of the Aigantighe Art Gallery permanent collection. The Friends of the Aigantighe Art Gallery was formed in 1976, and this watercolour was gifted by the Friends to celebrate 25 years of their support to the Aigantighe Art Gallery.
