Saturday, June 14, 2008

Clematis and Kahlo


My clematis is finally blooming here at The Manor! It is growing
up around a wooden bird feeder which is completely hidden by the
vines. I love it's amazing deep shade of violet. The strong winds
we experienced in late winter tore most of the brittle little vines away
from the post. I was afraid that it might not come back this spring,
but amazingly enough, it resurrected with a vengeance!

After seeing the Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last
month, I checked The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo, 2005, a PBS
Home Video documentary, on my Netflix que. I finally watched it
last night and it was very well done. A perfect blend of personal
accounts, history of the time period and, of course, her fabulous art.
There was some thrilling time travel through original old video clips of
Frida and Diego Rivera. If you are interested in Kahlo, or just
appreciate art and history, you would enjoy this documentary.

31 comments:

  1. Wow! Your clematis looks like a giant compared to my baby one! Yours is a different variety with those dark blooms....gorgeous! Any snakes hiding in there??

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been admiring the smaller photo with clematis and was so thrilled to see this larger image...It's beautiful! I love the deep jewel tone...Goodness..Willow Manor looks like the most amazing place...Thank you for sharing your home.

    The documentary sounds very interesting...I'll certainly check into getting that from Netflix...I haven't seen the film with Salma Hayek yet either..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Willow...your clematis is so beautiful and thriving...the color is most perfect for the manor...

    While at the library, I saw a video about the life of Frida Kahlo..I'm not sure if it was the PBS documentary. I'll take another look on my return trip.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The flower is amazing. I have problems growing these and azaleas. I don't know why.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Willow I'm so jealous. My clematis have not bloomed yet, but when they do...they are exactly the same shade as yours.

    Gorgeous pic showing them in all their voluminous lushness.

    I love the new shot of Willow Manor on your sidebar!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your clematis is absolutely beautiful. I love it!! I have one out at my mailbox and I started to tare it down accidentally :( but it is coming back. Hopefully, it will bloom. :) Ah, yes Frida!
    The Bach

    ReplyDelete
  7. Don't know much about Kahlo, but was introduced to the art of Emily Carr back in the 90s.

    Don't have any clematis, either, but this spring and early summer, I went through a planting spell so that my yards became hodge-podges of plants and flowers, and made me feel a bit like a retiree-turned-gardener. However, I won't see some of the results until next year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful vines. I can't wait until our new yard gets some "age" on it. Your place looks great. Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  9. i love the deep purple shade of your clematis! i am thinking of adding some to the honeysuckle growing on the trellis on the east side of my house. thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Willow we have the same clematis and mine is blloming right now too. I planted a pale lilac one next to it and it's sets off the colour of this one fantastically.

    Very pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your clematis is wonderful - in fact your whole garden is lovely.
    I was never much interested in Frida until I saw the movie which was a wonderful introduction.
    I remember in 1963 seeing Lawrence of Arabia and getting interested in things desert -y.
    See where movies lead you!
    Happy Sunday

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy Father's day to all in your family. Pappy

    ReplyDelete
  13. That clematis looks awesome! It must be happy (Is this what they mean by anthro, er, anthropo, um ascribing human qualities to things that aren't human?)

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those are exquisite clematis ... a friend of mine Vera Battamarco is participating in some sort of Frida related tribute by designing jewelry ..


    :-Daryl

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's some clematis! So lush! Well done Ace Girl Gardener...

    Do you know I still haven't seen the Julie Taymor movie, but I did see the PBS documentary... fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ace Girl...the Julie Taymor movie is a must!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I would like to see that documentary, but I think more so Willow manor. All the pictures you show of it are so intriguing. I would think it was located in Britain somewhere from all that classic ivy. Its so lovely. I love Clematis too!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yes, my plants are happy. I talk to them like humans. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, your garden is gorgeous! Your homes sounds like a little piece of heaven :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. my clematis looks....nothing like this! it's looking quite sad now so I hope it will feel & look better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your clematis is so pretty. It is so lush and healthy looking. Do you have any special care tips to get it to look so nice?

    I think I will put the Kahlo video on my queue too.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I wrote a message to you this morning but I'm afraid Blogger may have lost it :-(

    I love your clematis' color and abundance of growth!

    I'm so impressed that Frida Kahlo was able to make such beautiful art even though she lived her life in intense pain.

    ReplyDelete
  23. The first three blooms on my clematis appeared yesterday. It's a truly effortless, but amazing plant, isn't it. I love the new look of your blog, Willow. You do a wonderful job of adding, changing, creating and exploring the eclectic and wonderful. It's always a treat visiting here!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sharon, thank you. It means a lot coming from your artistic point of view.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your clematis is absolutely beautiful! I love how it practically engulfs your windows. What a happy morning view you have.

    ReplyDelete
  26. MG, thank you! It really is a happy morning view, right out over my stove top.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Clematis is one of my favorites--yours looks like ours--the same rich, lush color. I'm always amazed that they burst forth with such a vengeance from such a scrawny, spindly little twig of a vine. Yours looks amazing--beautiful photograph! I always liked Kahlo, and have not seen that documentary, so we'll have to check it out. I've seen Salma Hayek's movie, but not this. thanks for the heads up! I like the new banner! It's lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  28. It's a terrific documentary; the whole life and times of Diego Rivera, and his wife is one of the most interesting and controversial as well as loving I think.

    I have some of Diego's litho's (wish they were signed - smile).

    Enjoy your blog; my sister is nicknamed Willow, so I referred her to it as well, and now she's a reader. Diane

    ReplyDelete

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)