The rooftop of the conservatory, with added metal frill and isolation.
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
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Another view of the conservatory under construction, with its interior enveloped in golden light. The walls got some extra 'skin' and the upper part of the windows feature 'stained glass,' all of which was not included in the original kit. Also, the windows now have wooden framing inside and out, which was not easy to do. But then again, the more work one puts into something, the better the results!
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
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After a day's work, a shovel, a rake, and a hoe rest against a table next to an onion crate containing real onion skins.
Around them, the construction of the conservatory continues unabated. One can also see another crate containing potatoes right under the table and next to the rake.
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
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Throwback Sunday: the below image shows the wooden beams of the conservatory's roof during its construction.
As you can appreciate, the wood was made to look very old and weathered, something which I totally enjoy doing!
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
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The custom-made front doors of the Conservatory are ajar in the night, as if welcoming whomever dares to enter. That is, if the angel head looking down on you from the shadows allows you to. Inside, silence reigns, and a luminescence seemingly coming out of nowhere lights up the otherwise empty space.
At the back, one can see the door that connects the conservatory with the dark, old house. At this point it looks quite desolate, devoid of the plants and flowers which later on would invade the place, making it warm, cheerful, and welcoming.
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
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Every project in life begins with a good, solid foundation.
When I got the kit for the conservatory, I decided that it deserved a good base to stand on. So I built these foundations and surrounding path, which followed the contour of the building itself.
Seen from above, it reminds me of the old ruins of a castle. One can almost smell the damp earth and exposed, ancient roots. Yet what we're looking at is a sunken 'trench' which accommodates the removable walls of the conservatory.
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2024 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
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The Conservatory: a very special greenhouse.
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2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Enjoy your Sunday, and keep yourself and your pets cool!!
©
2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
In her world, nothing was more vital for survival than a generous supply of ammo to feed her rifle. The monstrous head of the devilish boar that she kept in the attic as a trophy, was a silent testimony to her courage, her shooting skills, as well as to the need to stay vigilant at all times... Especially so when the sun went down, and darkness and mist engulfed the heather fields around the house. Because that was the time when the swamp creatures usually began searching for food...
Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well.
On this blog I'll focus on a set of paintings which I did for the outside panels of the -now completed- Conservatory project. There are eight panels, hence eight paintings were required.
As illustrated in the below images, the paintings on the lateral walls are conceived as triptychs, an arrangement which helps to create wide landscapes. In fact, all eight paintings are related to one another in some way, resulting in a scenery that 'wraps' itself all around the conservatory.
The first triptych shows a nocturnal, heather landscape with an old, Dutch windmill at the edge of a river (first panel), and a tree, some shrubbery, and a tall, moonlit house in the center panel. The third panel features vegetation along the river, including some trees. The river runs all along the panels, even though it's only (barely) visible on the first and third ones, where you can see its surface shining in the moonlight.
The front of the conservatory features two paintings, which, again, are connected to the rest. On the left panel you see a huge, classical garden which a big fountain or water jet, and on the right a swan swimming in the same river which is shown on the side panels. It is as if the garden is fed directly by a small branch of that river.
The second triptych shows the conservatory and the house to which it belongs (right panel), and a stretch of swampy land in the center panel. Note that this river is the same that runs on the other side, as if you're looking at the same landscape, but from the opposite direction. An old cemetery completes the scene on the left panel. Actually, the cemetery gates can be seen at the far left of the center panel. The elements displayed play a role in the stories associated with the conservatory, the house, and its attic, aka "Jane's attic".
There is actually a ninth painting associated with the conservatory, which was not painted on any wall, but rather conceived as a 'stand alone' (see below). That painting is very similar to the one on the front of the conservatory, featuring a swan, and is now part of the private collection of art dealer and collector mister Joseph Rookie. If you want to see it for real, you'll need to visit his wonderful art gallery located on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta. The last two pictures, taken inside mister Rookie's art gallery, are published courtesy of Rebecca Micallef. They show the art gallery, as well as four of my paintings displayed side by side, including The Swan.
That's all for now, folks. I hope you liked this 'guided tour'! Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!
© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.
The Old Lady dwells in her conservatory
Surrounded by plants, and flowers so rife..
..Come closer, child, and she'll tell you a story
Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!
Here are some new additions to the Conservatory project; a lovely set of hand made ceramics and succulents, which arrived here from Malta. They were made specially for my project by the lovely and well known Rebecca Micallef, and obviously I'm thrilled with them! The tea set consists of two tea cups and matching plates, a tea cup, a cake stand, and two cake plates. They all have an antique pheasant theme, and look stunning!
Hi all, I hope you're doing well!
As the 'Conservatory' project nears completion, I take little breaks amidst the work in progress to play a bit with my camera. Here's an atmospheric, 'nocturnal' snapshot of the conservatory's front garden. I tried to recreate the beautiful, mysterious atmosphere of the movies from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s that I love so much, and I think I succeeded pretty well in doing that.
Now I want you to look at this photo, and imagine a late summer night in a garden; the cool fresh air of the night caressing your face, the faint scent of flowers, a cricket performing his nocturnal serenade... Get the picture?
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José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of
this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior
authorization from the author.
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well!
With the conservatory project nearing completion, it's time to add the final details to it. Those come in very gradually, because I want them to 'grow' in place, as if they've always been there.
One of the latest additions are a few old family portraits. I remember growing up seeing these at my parents home, that is, the full scale version of them. And in fact they're part of the very few surviving portraits of that era.
From left to right you see my mom when she was a few months old, my grandparents, and then my mom again, when she was a little girl. The gentleman on the right is the iconic tango singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), whose songs I love.
