Art from the Garden

Making art from the garden, whether it’s crafts like wreaths and dried arrangements, painting “en plein air” or drawing botanical sketches, it’s always fun and a great way to preserve garden memories.

I want to stress, you don’t need lots of talent to do this. Art can be enjoyable no matter what your level of artistic acumen. The idea is to try a new fun activity with the breeze in your hair. Even doodles or sketches in a writing journal count. Capture some flowering trees in spring, paint an Adirondack chair among the daylilies, draw a vase of daisies; they all make fine subjects.

If your own garden isn’t inspiring enough, you can always go elsewhere. City rose gardens and parks are one possibility. A friend’s house is another.

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania offers a few on-site art classes (for a fee). It’s truly a privilege to be able to paint there on site, if just for one day a year.

Whether you set up with an easel like a plein air painter or work from cuttings or arrangements, both are satisfying ways to get away from your electronics and the news. In winter and on rainy days, you can also do art indoors from your garden photos.

As an amateur landscape artist I’ve been drawing and painting nature since I was a teenager. For me it comes naturally. I’ve done every medium outside and in, with pastels my current favorite.

Even if you have no artistic inclinations yourself, you probably know someone who does. Maybe it’s a neighbor, an aspiring art student, a relative. Ask them over; they just might welcome the chance to draw your garden. Or at least, some plants from it. Watercolor, colored pencil, pen-and-ink and pastels are all easy to work with outdoors.

Throw A Garden Art Party!

If you’re the extroverted type, why not host an “artsy” garden party? Art-making is the perfect excuse to do something different with your usual cocktail hour friends, especially outdoors.

Don’t worry about striving for finished art. A party like this is basically a riff on paint-and-sip studio parties. It’s all about the doing, not necessarily having something frameable at the end. Of course, you might just surprise yourself!

Here are some tips to host a memorable “art in the garden” experience.

Keep it manageable. You’ll be supplying all the materials and everyone will need extra elbow room, so limit the invite list to the maximum number of set-ups your yard or deck can comfortably handle. Four to eight is a good range.

Plan the set-ups. Think about where people will want to position themselves. Art in progress can be laid flat on a table or propped up on a slant and secured with tape. Small pads can be balanced on a wide railing or bar table, or even someone’s lap. Folding tabletop easels sit on tables with the guests seated. Folding French easels are designed for setting up anywhere, with guests typically standing. Each set-up needs a flat surface for mixing colors and rinse water.

Limit painting to two hours. Any longer and people tire and lose interest. Tell guests at the hour-and-a-half mark to start finishing up. You can always keep socializing long afterward!

Casual dress code. As with gardening, making art is all about comfortable clothes that can take a few smudges. It may seem obvious but guests need to know they can “dress down”, even for a party.

Make a floral arrangement. Give guests the option of painting an alternative if they don’t want to go into the garden directly. Your arrangement can even double as a centerpiece.

If there’s not much in bloom, sunflowers from the supermarket will do just fine. (Very Van Gogh!) Simpler yet, a single flowering stem in a glass bottle or champagne flute is charming.

Ensure there’s enough shade. In summer, late afternoon into early evening should provide ample daylight while offering shade. Fall parties can happen earlier, since it’s cooler and the sun is less intense, but opt for shade to avoid glare. A camp canopy or beach umbrella might come in handy. Overcast or cloudy weather is ideal.

Suggest a subject. Some guests will be at a loss as to what to draw when they survey your yard. Help them narrow it down to just one small area like a gate, the birdbath or a clump of lilies. Keep it simple!

Get creative with decor and refreshments. A garden party is the perfect excuse for summer drinks, wines and craft brews. If you like to decorate, why not go all out? The Internet has all kinds of ideas for festive garden party favors, cocktails, food, and lighting. The art angle just kicks things up even more.

Everyone takes home a “masterpiece”. The fun is seeing what each person creates in two hours. Be a good sport and participate in making art yourself. Encourage but don’t push people. If someone declines, that’s okay. You want them to have fun, not sweat it. Any artwork created, regardless of how it looks, should be acknowledged and validated. It need not be Instagrammable!

Art Supplies You Will Need

Assess your supplies in advance and pick up the rest at a craft store. If you’d rather not incur the cost for everyone, ask each person to bring a small pad and whatever media they want to use. If you will be supplying materials, here’s a list to consider:

Support boards, clips and tape. Each person needs a rigid smooth surface that will support a sheet of paper without bending. Clipboards, foamcore and stiff cardboard will all work.

Easels (optional). Ask guests to bring an easel if they have one. If you decide to purchase a couple tabletop easels to have on hand, Amazon sells them three to a pack for $20. To prevent slippage and falling art, stablize the easel by taping the feet to the table with masking tape, and the art to the easel.

All-purpose mixed media art pad. Ideally buy a pad with white and colored sheets for guests to choose from. Medium and small sizes work best; even artists’ postcards work. Spiral-bound journals and travel pads are also terrific, economical choices.

Pastels, pencils and paints. Supply a pencil with eraser for each person. Inexpensive pastel mini-sets, colored pencils, travel watercolors and brushes, pens, and markers work best for parties. People can share; there’s no need to go overboard.

Plastic trays, jars, water. Recycled plastic food containers or disposable bowls work great for corralling chalk and mixing colors. Recycled glass widemouth jars (like pickle or jam jars) can hold rinse water. Don’t use plastic cups, they are too tippy.

Waxed paper for pastels. Ordinary kitchen waxed paper (Cut-rite) makes transporting finished pastels a breeze. Tear off a sheet and lay gently on the pastel surface, fold over and crease; secure on back with tape. It will keep the chalk from rubbing off onto car seats and clothes.

Trash bags, paper towels, sponge, soapy water. Have clean-up supplies ready for soiled hands, spills and chalk dust. If you’re worried about accidents, lay down a few sheets of newsprint or a plastic dropcloth. Most water-soluable colors wipe up or hose off easily. A squirt of multipurpose cleaner deals with the rest.

I hope you like the idea of making garden-themed art, whether at a party or just you and a friend on a lazy afternoon. Kids love this sort of thing too. Making art from the garden while young instills an appreciation of plants and nature that can be life-long.

If you decide to keep your party creation, it will serve as a pleasant reminder of the fun you had making it, and another great reason why having a garden is rewarding on so many levels.