A Beautiful Garden

I have painted many times at the beautiful Sedgwick Gardens at Long Hill in Beverly, MA. It is the headquarters of the Trustees of Reservations, a wonderful group dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of our state's lands. Here's their website:

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/long-hill.html

I decided that I would take the pink chair there and set up next to a beautiful water feature with lilies and lotuses. As I set up, I was told that I was lucky - that the lotus had just opened for the first time. It was just gorgeous in it's delicacy and I was taken by the sense of being in the presence of an ancient and exotic flower. I knew Mom would love it, so I set her chair up close to it so that she could get a good look.

 

I painted for several hours, always receding further away so I could have the benefit of the shade. I do like shade when I paint! I managed to stay in the same relationship to the chair so I could paint the same view. The painting came out a very rich green, and becaue of the oriental flower, I deceided that it looked like Mom was meditating quietly behind the blooms. I like the way the leaves come in and out of focus and the way they arch over the chair like they are protecting it.

Meditation (First Lotus)

There will be more to the story of this little pond and flowers. While I was there, I took a lot of photos from every angle, including my goal: to get some with the chair reflecting in the water. I am now working on the third one in this mini-series, so stay tuned!