From crashing waves along the shore of beautiful Coast Guard Beach, to the grassy dunes that abut Race Point Beach, to stunning hydrangea blossoms that peek out between white picket fences—these are the quintessential images that immediately come to mind when one thinks of Cape Cod. But it is this latter image that draws thousands of people to the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival to celebrate the Cape’s signature flower. 

The ten-day botanical event offers tours of some of the most beautiful private gardens on the Cape, from Falmouth to Provincetown, where visitors experience up close the explosion of colors that these snowball-like blossoms produce. For some, the beauty of these gardens inspires such an abundance of creativity that they yearn to bring their canvas, paints, and brushes, set up an easel, and in the middle of Mother Nature’s studio—capture the images of the gardens so that they live on in perpetuity. Such is the life of plein air artists—people who paint outdoors, seizing the beauty of the landscape in its natural light and surroundings.

Such was the case for plein air artist Wendi Smith, who in 2020, was invited, along with 20 other artists to paint in some of the private gardens on the tour. After all, plein air artists are as much a part of the Cape’s landscape as the sand dunes and hydrangeas, themselves. Having these artists painting in the outdoors, as visitors passed through the garden, lent itself to the experience of the tours. For Smith and the other artists, it was nothing short of thrilling.