It has become apparent that there has been something of a trend towards gnomes this year. Garden gnomes have always been a favourite in British gardens. They are frequently to be seen in borders and by ponds, generally measuring a foot high at most.
However, in a local branch of Asda at Home this year, when buying something innocuous like a bath towel, I was somewhat taken aback to come across this display in which the largest of the gnomes reached to waist-height (if you are measuring to the top of a pointed hat). You can get some idea of the size from the nearby barbecue.
I thought this group was rather jolly, nonetheless – there is something very cheering about the bright colours and generally smiling expressions.
Bu this is small fry compared with gnome activities on the other side of the world. This summer I’ve been spending time with family visitors from Australia and they reported the existence of Gnomesville in their home country, providing photographic evidence to back up their story. They had in fact visited this location near Dardanup in Western Australia whilst on their travels earlier this year and viewed the several thousand gnomes which have been gathered together in one place.
Having talked to them, I went straight to the official site to find out more. The photograph that follows is (c) Gnomesville.com.au
It’s not entirely clear who placed the first gnome, but there certainly are a lot of them now!
Earler this year, I created a gnomes fabric design on Spoonflower (though it would be quite fun as a wallpaper, too). I placed my gnomes fair and square in a garden and drew them small – able to stand under a daisy and use a toadstool for a house.
I returned to the theme later in the year and enjoyed placing my gnomes around a (very small) fishing river. They remain well below the height of the grasses growing around them.
I’m not sure I am finished yet, either. Since it’s August, maybe gnomes on the beach…
Editor’s note: since I first published this post, I designed two more ‘gnomes’ designs (on the beach and in the forest. You can find them in my Spoonflower studio here and here.
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