Orchids in a Stone Planter
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
Nashville, Tennessee
Painting #33 – September 16, 2021
acrylic on canvas 24"W x 18"H
gallery wrapped/painted on edges
$325.00
This painting is based on a photo I took on February 9, 2020 in the Cheekwood mansion. That was my last visit to Cheekwood before the Covid pandemic lockdown the following month. My cousin Joy Hayes and I went there to see the second annual Orchids in the Mansion. The loggia in particular was spectacularly transformed into stunning and vibrant displays of orchids. The arrangement in this stone planter was relatively muted compared to the rest of the display, but it appealed to me nonetheless. I was able to identify Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis orchids, along with dieffenbachia, ficus elastica and peperomia plants plus pussy willow stems and moss.
Cheekwood is a beautiful 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the former estate of Leslie and Mabel (Wood) Cheek. The art museum is housed in the lovely historic mansion built in 1929. Leslie worked in his family’s company, which was the largest wholesale grocery conglomerate in the Southeast. The family also created and owned Maxwell House Coffee (“good to the last drop”), named after and marketed by the best Nashville hotel at the time, Maxwell House. Cheekwood is a wonderful asset for Nashville and well worth visiting.