Cultura Garden Club learns to create flowers
The February meeting of the Cultura Garden Club gave members an opportunity to learn how to create flowers through art.
Flowers have long been an inspiration to artists, providing a window into nature’s timeless beauty and profound symbolism.
Two of the most celebrated flower painting artists are Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Van Gogh relied heavily on sunflowers as an inspiration. He also enjoyed painting roses, irises, lilacs and carnations at any stage from fresh blooms to withered petals.
Claude Monet’s most celebrated flower paintings is his Water Lilies series. He worked on it for 30 years in his garden at Giverny. These vibrant images depict an iris flower bed surrounding an elegant water pond framed by long trees and pathways.
Lela Ray, retired art teacher, presented the program on how to create art by transferring a pattern through using graphite from a No. 2 pencil. Each member received the necessary supplies to paint a watercolor card and envelope.
Ray explained how to work with the light values of watercolor paint, adding depth with black. She demonstrated how cotton swabs can be used for making leaves and flowers, as well as how a toothbrush can be used to splatter paint to accent areas.
President Cheri McCain reported that a day needs to be scheduled for cleaning out the greenery in the pots in downtown Russellville. Plans were made to take inventory of decorations, order new items to replace those worn out, and to reorganize the storage area.
McCain reviewed information regarding upcoming annual garden club conventions.
Upcoming garden club conventions
The Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. annual convention, hosted by the Garden Club of Georgia, will be held March 11-13 at Valdosta, Georgia.
The Garden Club of Alabama’s annual convention will be held at Lake Guntersville State Park, Lodge and Conference Center April 13-15.
The National Garden Club annual convention will be held May 18-21 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, North Charleston, South Carolina.
Alabama Garden Clubs are encouraged to attend these conventions. There will be workshops, fun tours, places to explore, shopping, vendors, and fellowships with other state club members, plus the opportunity to get ideas for club projects and enjoy entertainment, luncheons and banquets.
