Tom was kind enough to allow me to stand around in his garden for two days making a couple of paintings. The first painting won me “Best of Oil or Acrylic Painting” at the 2005 Carmel Plein Air Festival. It is called “Nursery in the Valley”. After the competition painting was completed, I went back the next day to paint for myself....no restraints, no rules, no stress. This is what I painted on that beautiful spring afternoon.