Gardening and painting
Painting:
I came to painting relatively late in life (aged 47) and I still suffer from imposter syndrome. When a painting goes badly, it makes me weep - but when it goes well, I feel alive! I do mostly landscapes and life drawing and oil is my favourite medium.
Gardening:
I find gardening uncannily similar to painting - except there are several other people holding the brush as well as me - nature, weather, or the inclinations of the plant itself! Nine years ago our garden was 'a blank canvas' but now it's good enough to open for the National Garden Scheme. Getting to that stage has been huge fun - and quite hard work!
Sharing the garden with other people is, for me, half the point of having a garden. A lot of people who come round our garden know more about plants than I do, but some people just come to wander round, sit in the (hopefully) sun, have a cup of tea, chat and enjoy themselves. I love it. In 2024 we will be opening for the National Garden Scheme on June 9th. The NGS gives away over £3 million a year to nursing and healthcare charities and has been the driving force behind making people aware of the important link between being in a garden and improved mental and physical health. For more information about the National Garden Scheme you can go to their website:
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If you want to see what our garden looks like in June, when we open, you can click below. I hope it inspires you to come and visit! |
