At the relatively late age of 35, Clarence Bicknell chucked in his dog-collar after over a decade of religious service and headed off to Italy. His passion for painting was soon overwhelmed by his love for botany, which led him to the aptly named Valley of Miracles high up on the Franco-Italian border. It was here that rare specimens grew with abundance due to the valley's unusual climate and not long after, Bicknell stumbled across Bronze-Age drawings and prehistoric rock carvings of great beauty. Eventually it made sense to build a small rudimentary home from where he could work in peace and host his guests. When rough weather forced him to twiddle his thumbs at home, Bicknell channelled his love for the outdoors through his other talent; painting. Pale pink, ochre and green-blues coloured his walls onto which he began to paint the local flora and ancient paintings with scientific precision. These were interspersed with the odd phrase in Esperanto, the local language, and the initials of each guest he ever received.
I feel so inspired by Bickenell's magical home and in particular his use of colour. I think I'm going to re-paint my kitchen in a pale matt peach and the adjoining living room in that violet-tinted blue, with green woodwork. From there I think I to might have a go at the odd wreath of cow-parsley and buttercups. Isn't it enchanting?
