Woodland Pond at Sunset

Gerard Bilders

‘It is not my aim and object’, said Bilders, ‘to paint a cow for the cow’s sake or a tree for the tree’s, but by means of the whole – to create a beautiful and huge impression which nature sometimes creates, also with the most simple means’. As a boy, Bilders visited museums in The Hague and there got lost in the 17th century Dutch Landscape paintings, falling headfirst into the framed scenes and finding refuge in the nature that he depicted. It was the all-encompassing pastoral beauty of these works that drove him to capture the landscape in its totality, and in doing so create works of abundant calm and beauty. It was not the individual elements of the natural world that enthralled him, but the unity and wholeness of the whole scene that was essential for his work. Bilders lived in the nature he created, finding his home in represented lands until he died from tuberculosis at the age of 26.

Monday 6th July

As the Moon moves into Pisces, the garden is drawn into a softer, more watery mood. Pisces brings the Moon into a realm of moisture, sensitivity, and inward movement, strengthening the living fluids of the plant. This is a good time to tend to leaf crops, water where needed, sow or transplant leafy plants, and give care to anything that depends on freshness, sap flow, and gentle growth. Lettuce, chard, brassicas, herbs, and pasture all respond well to this kind of influence. After the more earthy pull of recent days, Pisces brings a loosening and softening. The soil may feel more receptive, the plants more open, and the garden more easily nourished through water, rhythm, and quiet attention. A day for the development of leaves, and listening to the rhythm of the garden as it ebbs and flows.