Last Week at the Spring Garden Market at River Farm

{my booth at the Spring Garden Market}

Last week Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I participated in the American Horitcultural Society's Spring Garden Market at River Farm. A three day open air garden plant sale with other activities to get the interest of the whole family, if not everyone is inclined to gardening.  During the festivities, I spent most of my time painting outdoors and chatting with visitors.

On the first evening, S. and Naomi stopped by to see how things were set up.  And I did a little shopping for our flower beds at home.  Naomi helped me pick out some flowers and lucky for me, she really seems to enjoy gardening... she has been a big help in watering the seedlings for the past two weeks.  She is quite a master at carrying the watering can about, empty that is :)

Here is one of the paintings completed.  It was of the biggest nursery booth in the market.  I am really not used to painting so many items in one painting, so I really had to work at simplifying the scene so it would read well.

River Farm has some of the prettiest gardens in the area, and I just loved how the tulips were blooming and the red bud tree was at its zenith during the market.

For the first two days, I wrestled with a large overhead canopy and high winds, but on the last day I decided to take it down and just wrestle with my easel umbrella instead!

My easel with an incomplete painting... I was so fortunate to have the wisteria blooming like it was... It was so beautiful and its scent was devine.

On Saturday, S. and Naomi also spent most of the day at River Farm, having a picnic near the river, gambling about and seeing the sights... including two llamas and some fierce birds of pray, like falcons and owls.  They would also spend time with me when I was taking breaks from the easel.  It was a magical day, all spent in the open air.