Our Plein Air & Picnic event at the Parthenon in Nashville was a success! A group of us met up and plopped ourselves down near the back entrance to this great museum and city landmark to paint and sketch – all to celebrate the first birthday of the NASH Illustrators.
Centennial Park is a place that I learned many of us enjoy visiting and for good reason: it’s a large, friendly space where artists can easily sink in a few hours creating work based on the iconic landmark. There is no shortage of people visiting, especially on the weekends.
The large sculpture outside the back entrance was part of the temporary exhibit, Monumental Figures. Alan LeQuire is known for his giant Athena statue in the center of the museum halls but this show gives us other heroes and individuals that inspired him.
Speaking of inspiration, it’s something I love about our group. Whether it’s the anatomy sketches we’re practicing with or the monthly prompts to get the juices flowing, the NASH Illustrators always has something to spark some new creativity and confidence.
We ended our afternoon with a picnic by the trees, enjoying homemade snacks and also custom NASH Illustrator cookies – yum! With our bellies full and our watercolors used up, we concluded our gathering.
It’s hard to believe that a whole year has gone by for the group. We started off small and have grown a lot, encompassing artists of all skill levels. I’m optimistic we’ll have an even brighter year ahead for our artistic community.