Last May, I posted about a fabulous floral gate installed by blacksmith/metal artist Durand Van Doren in Minns Garden outside my office. Today, he finished up the job installing two more gates, one with an apple theme.
The arch echoes the living apple arches in the garden …
Close observers will notice seven famous apples among the branches. The first needs no introduction. Maybe you can guess the others?
There’s the apple for the teacher, complete with bookworm.
Sleeping Beauty’s poison apple …
Newton’s apple (which I wish Durand had suspended halfway to the ground) …
Johnny Appleseed’s apple with seeds exposed …
And for our downstate friends, The Big Apple.
Durand also worked in anatomically correct details of different life stages including flowers …
Watching Durand and his competent crew at work was a lot of fun. Durand cut away the transport frame …
The crew manuvered the arch into place …
Even the ground plate has artsy details.
There’s lots of bench space at Minns Garden. Stop by and enjoy the flowers, the trees and Durand’s gates.