Urban Jungle Bloggers: Plants and Art

I knew straight away which piece of art I was going to use for theme of this month’s Urban Jungle Bloggers which is Plants and Art.

There’s a very special picture that hangs above the sofa in our lounge. It’s an image of a white Spanish style villa, adorned with greenery and and flowering plants.

It was bought in Mijas. A little town situated in the hillside in the South of Spain that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to one side, and the Sierra Nevada mountains on the other. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The picturesque village is filled with typical white-washed Andalusian style homes embellished with plants in terracotta pots (much like the picture).

The first time I visited there was as a young girl with my parents. I was so inspired by white homes decorated with plants and the container gardens that it became one of my dreams to live in a Spanish style villa overlooking the sea.

I always wanted to return to Mijas, and got my wish when we went there for our honeymoon some years back. It was just as lovely as I had remembered it, and we bought this picture as a happy reminder of our visit.

Thinking back I realise that first visit gave me a taste for Mediterranean style and left a big impression on me.  And it’s had an influence on my decorating; even down to the choices of some of my plants like having Areca palms, Bougainvillea and Geraniums in terracotta planters.

Unfortunately, my Bougainvillea and Geranium are in between flowering right now, so I wasn’t able to show them at their best with their vibrant purple and red flowers.

However, what I did discover through photographing the images for this month’s UJB topic is how plants can enhance art and art enhance plants. Because the picture usually hangs on the walls in a different place from my plants, I’ve never seen them together like this. It was such an insight to see how the plants echo the picture – and vice versa – bringing it all to life.

I don’t yet live in a Spanish Villa, but the picture holds a dream and makes me feel happy whenever I look at it. It has travelled with us through various moves; and even on the darkest winter days it brings the feeling of a sunny day into our home.

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by Igor of Happy Interior Blog and Judith of JOELIX.com. And if you’d like to see even more art and plants inspiration visit the Urban Jungle Bloggers website.