RHS CHELSEA INSPIRED COLLECTION

With the news today from the R.H.S that this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is being postponed from May to September, we thought it would be enjoyable to look back at the last 16 years of our participation in the greatest flower show on Earth. Whilst we will all now have to wait a little longer for the annual injection of inspiration that Chelsea provides, it will be fascinating to see the show dressed in new autumnal colours rather than its’ regular spring attire.

Our stand and exhibits

This last year has given us all the chance to get closer to nature, with more time to enjoy what we have in our gardens - the blooms, blossoms, trees, shrubs and wildlife that surround us. Over the years, our painting and sculpture displays at the Chelsea Flower Show have always taken their inspiration from flowers and plants, wildlife and the countryside, and so it is with even more resonance that we bring together our collection of paintings and sculpture to inspire you.

For us, the inspiration for our first few years at Chelsea came from Pieter Wagemans staggeringly beautiful floral still life paintings. His intricate compositions of blossoms and bouquets have always been a delight to behold. Our exhibitions evolved and broadened with Stewart Lees’ fragrant and enticing fresh herbs, Martin Taylor’s quintessentially beautiful depictions of the English countryside, Paul Brown’s rich and immaculate still lives, and Peter van Breda’s luminescent portraits of our  wonderful towns and cities. More recently, Jonathan Walker’s charming caricatures of our wildlife and Paul Czainski’s incredible anatomical illustrations of our insects.

Our stands have been completed with spectacular and elegant sculptures by Simon Gudgeon, Stella Shawzin, Nick Bibby and Ed Waites. These timeless indoor and outdoor pieces enhance any setting.

Over more recent years, we have led with paintings by major artists such as Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet, Alfred Munnings, David Shepherd, Gustave Loiseau and Henri Le Sidaner, and our regular home in our Chelsea hat by the Bull Ring Gate has proven quite the attraction to the discerning visitors at the show.

Chelsea at home, our gallery in the garden, last year and this

In place of the R.H.S. Chelsea Flower show last year, we reconstructed own version of Chelsea, not on Southern Road close to the Bull Ring Gate, but next to our gentle millstream here at Molecey Mill, West Deeping. We attracted hundreds of visitors to our painting and sculpture show set in the 20 acres of rivers and streams that historic Molecey Mill is set in. With timed admission, people were able to come and enjoy the beauty of the art and the gardens in a safe and relaxed atmosphere.

With todays’ news of this years’ postponement, we have plans to once again bring you our own version of Chelsea in May and June. Set here at Molecey, and our galleries in London and Rutland, we will be presenting a beautiful selection of paintings and sculpture for you to come and enjoy.

Do get in touch if you see something which interests your green fingers, or would like more information on our ‘Chelsea at Home’ plans.