May 14, 2015

Lorenzo Chavez, one of the West’s premium pastelists, taught a lively 5-day workshop here last week, during some outstanding Spring (seemed like Summer) weather.

The first day the group headed up to the Greenville Town Park.

The following day Olana, the historic home of Frederick Church, was the destination.

Besides the gorgeous views, my favorite part of Olana is the perennial garden. It’s looking good so far. Can’t way to see it in full bloom.

We always strive to provide great food for the workshops and are happy to work with dietary restrictions. This was the alternate meal for a couple of folks who were vegetarians, a three cheese pasta with artichoke hearts and sautéed zucchini sticks. Yum!

On Thursday the group stayed local to the inn again, and went over to the Greenville Cemetery. The builder of our historic inn, William Vanderbilt, is buried in this cemetery.

Picnic time in the cemetery!

Just look at this display of art by the students in this class. I wish I could have gotten a close up of each painting. The growth and improvement from day one to day five was amazing and clearly noticeable – a testament to Lorenzo as a teacher! Every one was talk “reunion” when Lorenzo returns in 2017.

Here is the happy crew on the festive Friday night dinner!