Inspiration for Artwork While Visiting Airlie Gardens
Azalea bushes, having grown up in Florida, have a nostalgic appeal for me. They bloom much earlier than the blooms of North Carolina. During our recent trip to Wilmington, NC, we visited Airlie Gardens, covering 67 acres, where the vibrant colors of azalea blossoms were abundant.
Having the opportunity to visit new places fills me with a wealth of possibilities for future artwork. We were fortunate to see 75,000 azalea plants in different stages of bloom. Older bushes of robust and great heights were a fortress in front of the trees. Their flowers appeared like tapestries from a distance, overlapping colors growing next to each other, in purple, pinks, reds, whites, and corals.
A closer look at large or petite blooms revealed interesting designs and patterns. My camera focused on possible compositions of unique shapes formed by overlapping petals, dainty filaments, soft anthers, and light filtered through translucent florals.
The tips of the stamens take on the appearance of fairy lights when the sun reflects upon them.
Observations close-up emphasized new petals in contrast to wrinkled and dried petals from aging. Various azaleas had surprised me with lily-like spots as if brush-stroked toward the center, for example, white with purple designs or occasional stripes curved out to the edges.
It was fun to peer into the bushes and watch insect activity. I photographed a silver-spotted skipper flitting through white blooms and a variety of bees. The fuzzy backs of bees pop with yellow, hairy legs and shiny wings, creating textures against silky-sheer petals.
Walking paths led us into quiet spaces, ponds lined with turtles, fountains, and arbors graced with wisteria. Majestic oaks, one claimed to be 500 years old, what stories she could tell of colonization, revolutions, courtly guests, nurturing gardeners, and weddings. For all those who walked past her in awe of her age, like royalty, she was photographed draped in Spanish moss.
A chapel sparkled with blue and green bottles cemented with stones and gems, celebrating the visionary artist, Minnie Evans, and former gatekeeper at Airlie, once said, “I have the blooms, and when the blooms are gone, I love to watch the green”. She’s right. Even during blooming, the azalea bushes sprout fresh, new-green leaves overlapping shades of dark emerald.
What do you enjoy when visiting a garden? Do you have a favorite place to visit? Please leave your comments below.
