Perfect Day amongst Flowers

We left our hotel around 9:45 to drive to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). But first I need to say that it was Suni’s Birthday…Happy Birthday, Suni! This was a perfect day for her birthday. No one could have planned such a perfect day. The weather was sunny, warm, and not a cloud in the sky.

The VMFA is one of those sparkling gems. The museum is absolutely beautiful: modern, sleek, and well designed. It was also bright and airy, which is the way a museum should look and feel.

This was why we had made this trip to Virginia…to see the special exhibit: “Van Gogh, Monet, and Matisse: The Art of the Flower.” The special exhibit only added to our already perfect day. There were 70 flower paintings by more than 30 artists such as Eugene Delacroix, Vincent van Gogh, Gustave Courbet, Henri Fantin Latour, Eduard Monet, Henri Matisse and others.

The exhibit was crowded; the paintings were exquisite and lush. There were times the paintings looked so real, that I wanted to pick one of the flowers. There were times that I actually thought that I could smell the different scent of the different flowers.

After viewing the exhibit, I bought a coffee and sat in the small café. Alongside the café is a pond filled with water lilies. I felt like Monet had painted this scene that I was in, filled with water lilies and artist Dale Chihuly’s red glass shooting out of the pond to look like cattails. Along the other side of the pond there were 8 interesting sculptured pieces along with chairs, tables and benches. I looked longingly at a bench under a large shaded tree and wished that I was sitting there writing about how overwhelmed I was by the days beauty.

My friend and I met up and went to the Museum’s Restaurant called Amuse. It was time for Suni’s birthday lunch. The brunch that was served was delicious and filling, thanks to the Chef! And while we ate we once again drank in the beauty of the outdoors and the perfect day as well!

If anyone is planning a trip to Richmond, Virginia…put the VMFA on your list of things to see and do. I think you will definitely want to see the museum and their wonderful art collection; both inside and outdoors.