Thousand Watt Smile

At Aldridge Gardens last week the Plein Air Event Artists were treated to a visit by the Hoover Belles, a group of young ladies in lovely antebellum dresses.  The artists were painting in Aldridge Gardens in Hoover Alabama and at private gardens during the week - maybe ready for a change of scenery?  Perhaps half the artists jumped at the idea of painting these ladies - sitting or standing in the garden for the 2 hours of the "Quick Draw" event.   It means painting on location for the two hours - a horn blows at the start, and two hours later sounds again and all the artists stop - finished or not.

I was lucky and Maddy Powell agreed to sit while I painted her portrait sketch.   Maddy's 8x10 oil sketch is the above picture.
Here is Maddy taking a photo of her little portrait while it's on my easel:

Ah - a lovely afternoon meeting Maddy and painting that smile, and painting among the hydrangeas that Aldridge Gardens is famous for...

Here are more Hoover Belles at Aldridge Gardens

A service organization called Hoover Belles helps get young people involved in the Hoover community. Exemplary young ladies who are sophomores in high school and residents of Hoover are invited to apply to become a Hoover Belle for their junior and senior years.
Hoover Belles must be of good character, have a pleasant personality, be enrolled in school, maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 for the full two-year term and enjoy the civic responsibility of serving their city and local charities. Each Belle is required to complete a minimum of 15 hours of community service through the organization each year. Belles are expected to conduct themselves in a way that will bring honor to the program and are required to sign a pledge to remain drug-, alcohol- and tobacco-free.