Road Trip: Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison

Yep, that's in Olbrich Gardens.Stunning, isn't it? It's the Thai Pavilion that shines bright gold in the lush landscape. It was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. We visited it on a beautiful June afternoon on my road trip thru Wisconsin visiting clients and gift shops. Here are a few more pictures of the details and gardens around it. It's worth a visit next time you're in Madison. Here's a link.

I arranged to meet the gift shop manager and discuss creating and illustrating a card of their garden. My cards for The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul have done well; one reason is because couples get married there. People like art of the gardens or places they got married in a way that's different from photography. Couples can get married at Olbrich, too, so I chose that area in the garden for my first illustration. It takes place in the Event Garden.

The pergola backdrop is covered in Wisteria and surrounded by pots of purple annuals with manicured shrubs. In fact, a gardener was pruning them the day we were there. There's a space for chairs on either side of the walkway for guests. (I looked up 'weddings at Olbrich' online and saw some actual wedding photos and how the area was set up.) 

As an illustrator, I can play up the flowers and colors to make this a great card image for them. I can't wait to start drawing!  

My road trip continues to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin next.