Garden of Artists

A community creative characters are frequents the TBG

By Sasan Beni, Seasonal Gardener

I’d like to take a break from my usual writing on wildlife to talk about the garden as the birthplace of art, a sanctuary for artists of all kinds. Long before I bought my first binoculars and set out to observe our wild neighbours, I was obsessed with literature and poetry, with creative expressions of spirit. All I ever wanted to do was read and write and share my words. Long before I held my first trowel and occupied my hands with soil, I connected with gardens through art, through the flowerbeds of history. Artists long before me had been inspired by their neighbourhood gardens; had tended them with great affection and spent countless hours preserving those spaces in art form.

Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter, once wrote, “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Did he feel as if his paintings would never live up, or do it justice? He spent the last two decades of his life solely drawing inspiration from his home garden in Giverny. Those paintings are still popular to this day and are adored by visitors. His pond of water lilies continues to awe and inspire. Perhaps Monet saw the fluidity of all gardenscapes, their ever-changing and fleeting nature. No matter how much time one spends watching the same gathering of trees, the same pool of water or proud blossoms, the light will cast differently each time. The scents and sounds will mingle differently. The garden changes with every glance and so do we.

House Finch in watercolours by Les DeSouza.

Our beloved TBG is no different. In my time here as a seasonal gardener, I’ve been inspired on a daily basis to keep my art alive, to fill my notebook and my heart with the same free-flowing passion and poetry that shaped my childhood...but even more so. I have been fortunate to witness the inspirations of other artists— there is an entire community of creative characters that frequent our grounds, using a wide variety of artistic mediums... some capture moments through a patient lens, and some record the passing of seasons on their canvas. some scribble, some recite, some heal...

I could spend the next few days talking about the history of gardens and art, their ancient connections and the many artists, past and present, who have found their quiet in the embrace of Wilket Creek ravine. Instead, I will shine a brief light on one of our resident artists, a common presence at TBG: Les Desouza.

If you are a regular visitor of Toronto Botanical Garden, chances are you have seen Les in the garden, immersed in his sketchbook—you have likely seen him in the midst of inspiration. Les is a prolific artist, and I’m proud to call him my friend. A couple of months ago, he gifted me a water colour painting of our straw bale shed. It meant a lot to me, considering how much time my colleagues and I spend going in and out of it. This is where we discuss the day’s plans, where we greet our wonderful volunteers every week, where we gather our thoughts and catch our breath… Les has painted several versions of our shed. Like many artists long before him, he seems to know that there is always something new to discover in the same corner of the garden.

On your next visit to the TBG, if you come across a man in the entry garden, with an open sketchbook or canvas, who seems to be utterly infatuated at the sight of a bumble bee on an aster, or the quiet beauty of a spent Echinacea bloom, be sure to stop and say hello. He will gladly share his inspirations with you.

Remember, my friends, the next time you wander down the garden path, somewhere nearby, there is an artist hard at work.

Iris by Les DeSouza