Planting Fields Arboretum Sketching

Today I met a few friends in the greenhouse at the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. We each set up in a spot to paint and were well under way when someone from the arboretum came over and started giving us a hard time. We were told tripods weren't allowed and we pointed out that we had no tripods. Then the woman told us we couldn't use chairs, we should sit on the benches. I told her if we did that it wouldn't leave any place for the public to sit. She left only to have a guy come over next and give us the same story. He said that on weekends when it gets crowded they don't want people taking up extra space. At no point were there more than 4/5 people walking around. So I calmly explained how we sketch and paint in gardens all over, usually by invitation, and that we are very good at tucking ourselves in to a corner or off to the side so that we don't bother people. My friend told him that we draw people into the greenhouse. People always come over and comment and see what we are doing...and the visitors around us told him that they loved seeing artists working there. We asked if he wanted us to leave and he said no. After a bit of back and forth he finally let us be and we continued painting. It isn't as if we've never been there before. We go there fairly often. It was very odd. I guess he was just following rules.

Here are the paintings and sketches that I did today.

Here is a group photo from yesterday's Portrait Party.