WOW . . . That’s the word I would use if asked to sum up our experience this past week while attending the opening of Exquisite Miniatures at stunning Brookgreen Gardens located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina! This amazing place is a real gem and truly a delight to visit!
We arrived at Brookgreen in time to enjoy a short walk through the gardens before our meeting with the Curator’s Circle Friday afternoon. Exquisite Miniatures was arranged perfectly in a gorgeous museum setting and looked . . . well, absolutely exquisite to say the least! Alongside our exhibition, were small and miniature sculptures selected from the museum’s permanent collection and a private lender. Excited attendees started gathering even before our meeting was over, soon filling the room to capacity. Not only was it an amazing crowd, but everyone was so genuinely interested, asking every question imaginable about our miniature paintings and career.
Since many had never seen a true miniature painting in person before, they were ecstatic and completely blown away with the level of detail in such a tiny space! Wes and I both were in heaven and I was so busy answering questions and talking with people that I even forgot to eat that evening! Everyone was so nice, extending to us such a warm welcome and thanking us for sharing our beautiful paintings with them.
Robin Salmon, VP of Art and Historical Collections/Curator of Sculpture, graciously introduced us, and Wes spoke briefly about our paintings as well as the history of our traveling exhibition. Afterward, we enjoyed talking with excited attendees once more, and then it was over and time to leave, although it seemed it had just started. Needless to say, we both left there soaring emotionally!
The next morning we met up with Robin and she gave us a wonderfully insightful tour of the grounds and other galleries and sculpture pavillions. She shared with us the rich history behind Brookgreen and how the foresight and support, of fellow sculptors through purchases and commissions, by sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband Archer Huntington, created and shaped what is now Brookgreen Gardens.
Wes and I enjoyed strolling through the numerous gardens for a couple of hours afterward before attending the Gallery Walk that afternoon. As with the opening the evening prior, the gallery was once again filled with curious admirers asking questions and viewing the paintings with magnifiers in hand.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon admiring the gardens and taking photos of the native animals in the zoo area. That evening we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner with Robin at a local restaurant named Hanser House, where we literally talked and laughed the night away, not leaving until we realized it was almost 10 PM. But as they say, time flies when you’re having fun, so we obviously were having great fun that evening, as well as during the rest of our time there at Brookgreen!
Since I have so many amazing photos of this stunning place, I’ve decided it best to just make a video comprising of photos and video clips of our exhibition as well as the numerous photos I want to share with you of the sculpture gardens. I’m hoping to get it done soon and will share the link next week on the blog.
Wes and I want to extend a BIG heartfelt thank you to Robin and the rest of the friendly staff at Brookgreen Gardens as well as the numerous patrons who came out to enjoy Exquisite Miniatures with us and add our paintings to their collections! Next week I’ll be sharing several photos of the beautiful gardens with you.
~ See Our Miniatures In-Person ~
January 25 – April 26, 2020: Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC
45th Annual International Miniature Art Show
January 19 – February 9, 2020: Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL
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Until Next Time . . .
~ Rachelle
