Namaqualand: Garden of the Gods

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Patterson, a well-known widely published Canadian photographer, has created a magnificent tribute to form and color.

Namaqualand is on the Atlantic side of South Africa. For most of the year it is dry, barren, windswept, and colorless. In spring, however, it is spread with thick quilts of flowers in incredible colors.

With an artist’s eye for the significant detail and just the right touch of setting. Patterson presents these flowers in such a way as to paint a portrait of a unique and alluring land. He shows us fields of color stretching to the horizon, individual blossoms, dramatic clusters. There are full-page photos where the colors run riot. There are shots of tiny, humble flowers nearly lost against towering rocks. And everything in between. He is fascinated by the wind-sculpted boulders and the juxtaposition of form and texture when rocks and flowers come together. The cumulative impact of nearly 100 full-color photographs is powerful, almost breathtaking. Patterson lets us see the land more thoroughly than most of us would if we were there in person. It is a book in which one turns each page slowly, not believing that each new page can be more beautiful than the last.

Many of the photos are best described as clear, saturated, carefully composed shots of flowers: the subject is the main characteristic, making the photos excellent for identification. Others go far beyond this and are highly interpretative. These photographs are works of art, not just visual reports on nature. Control, careful workmanship, and empathy for this strange land are all very evident.

The text is secondary to the large collection of color plates, yet it is sufficiently well written to stand alone. Patterson describes the land, its habits, and its idiosyncrasies with empathy and enthusiasm. He gives almost enough information on the flowers to satisfy a botany hobbyist, along with lots of tips for the tourist/photographer.

This is a coffeetable book with enough substance to attract repeated browsing. It will be enjoyed by armchair travellers, photographers, and amateur naturalists, as well as by anyone with an interest in South Africa.