The NYBG: Part 1 - The Lilac Garden

 On Saturday the New York Botanical Garden held their Plein Air Invitational. Featured artists are invited to paint all over the 250+ acres of the garden. There are artist demos, music and dance performances, and guided tours. The NYC Urban Sketchers picked the NYBG for their sketch location and due to the fact that our organizer was doing an art project with the public in the lilac garden, so all our members who signed up ahead of time were allowed free admission (a $30 savings per person). I heard that 900 sketchers signed up to join in. I didn't see that many sketchers, but I was too busy to really notice.

After socializing a bit with friends we hadn't seen in a long time my friend, Suzala and I headed over to the lilac garden and picked our spot before it got too crowded. Yes, there were artists sketching everywhere! I focused on a view of the lilacs behind rocks with a distant hill behind them. Imagine sitting amid a garden full of lilac trees where you could smell them the whole time.

I stayed in the garden and did another sketch including another sketcher, Suzanne who was sitting on her chair on the rocks.

I had lunch in the lilac garden with a friend I hadn't seen since before the pandemic and it was so nice to catch up in person. After lunch I moved on to Part 2.