Members of the Village Garden Club of La Jolla filled Hashinger Hall Thursday, April 23 at Torrey Pines Christian Church to attend the group’s most prestigious event, “Expressions in Art and Flowers.” Members showcased artistic skills in a variety of mediums, from jewelry making to oil painting. club members partnered with each artist, expressing their interpretation of the artwork into a matching floral arrangement. “A group of women started the club in 1974,” club President Ann Craig said. “The garden club was founded by Adrienne Green.” Green, in her 90s according to club members, attended the event. Though she founded the club 35 years ago, members acknowledged that two La Jolla garden clubs exist in the community. But more than 400 area residents belong to the Village club, according to member Barbara Doren. Garden club members showcased artwork and matching floral arrangements during the annual April event, which raised funds for nature-related nonprofit projects, including jacaranda tree planting programs, penny pines, schoolyard gardening grant programs and Torrey Pines State Reserve restoration project. Member artists created flower displays to match quilts, jewelry, baskets and myriad other mediums. “I call this ‘Nature and Eye’ because Nature did the designing,” said club member Karen Eckhart, creator of a moon-shaped silver necklace called “Aloe Fragment.” Eckhart creates her own jewelry. Frances Sanford partnered with Eckhart’s silver moon necklace. “I had the container already,” Sanford said, pointing to orchids blooming from a moon-shaped vessel. Eckhart creates silver jewelry from nature, using silver clay. She said she used the same process to create the garden club’s piece. “I used an old shriveled-up piece of aloe and applied [the silver clay] 40 times,” Eckhart said. Club member Judy White painted white irises using traditional paint-on-canvas methods. But member Sue Driscoll juxtaposed White’s painting, using non-traditional media for the partnered floral design, draping white satin over greenery. Craig presented jewelry contrasted with Kathleen Parks’ floral design called “Mixed Cultures,” which used earth tones. Club member Barbara Doren explained the grants for elementary schoolyard gardens project, which receives some of the proceeds. “They start gardens at their schools,” she said “And we also donate eucalyptus trees around the county in the name of people… and we do the penny pine trees.” For $50, the group plants a jacaranda tree as a memorial in the area, she added. Last year, the club donated more than $2,500 to the penny pines project, which restores damaged forests, and about $12,000 to the schoolyard gardening grants program. For info, visit www.villagegardencluboflajolla. com.
