ArtPlantae Today

Welcome EE Week visitors! Hope you enjoy your visit.

A popular feature on this site is the Classes Near You section. Today there are great examples of the types of classes you can find in this section. Allow me to introduce you naturalist and artist, Maria Hodkins from Colorado and to North Cascades Basecamp in Mazama, WA.

Maria Hodkins has announced her schedule of classes for Spring and Summer. You are invited to join her in Colorado.

Here is what’s new at Classes Near You > Colorado:

Maria Hodkins, Windword Writing Services
www.windword.net
Maria is a naturalist, mixed-media artist and book artist who teaches classes in journaling, creative writing and bookbinding in Colorado. Visit her website to learn more about her and the books she has written.

Illustrated
Garden Journals
May 18-19, 2013
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Carbondale Council on Arts & Humanities (CCAH)
Carbondale, CO

Do you love gardening? Keeping a garden journal is a way to celebrate your garden in an artful way. Gardening is more than just digging holes, planting seeds, pulling weeds, and watering your plants — it’s about nurturing your soil and your soul. A garden journal will help you remember all that beauty and delicious bounty for years to come. It’s a visual record of gardening dates, ideas, plant and flower documentation, and personal stories. In this weekend workshop, you will learn nature sketching & watercolor, page design, lettering, and artful journaling techniques with artist-naturalist Maria Hodkins in the classroom. After learning these techniques, you will tour local gardens and sketch plants plein air with field notes. By the end of the workshop you’ll experience the joys of keeping a garden journal and discover how it can be used to plan your garden and serve as a lasting record of your gardening trials, triumphs, and treasures.
Cost: $90 CCAH members, $100 nonmembers. View Details/Register


Handmade Art Journals
June 1, 2013
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Carbondale Council on Arts & Humanities (CCAH)
Carbondale, CO

Learn to make a practical and beautiful journal for your own daily use to capture images and writings. In this one-day class you will make a simple hand-made book, with multi-media paper, a decorative cover, and a beautiful exposed spine binding using the ancient 2-needle Coptic stitch. We will then explore a variety of options to personalize the journal with cover embellishments, colophon, and dedication page. This journal can be used for sketching or journaling with any mixed media, such as watercolor, pen & ink, or collage.
Cost: $40 CCAH members, $50 nonmembers. View Details/Register


Plant Portraits: The Confluence of Art & Science
June 27-28, 2013
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Aspen, CO

Come for an artistic romp in the field, sketching and painting plant life in flattering illustrations, botanical-style. Participants will study leaves, wildflowers, trees, and lichens, creating artful portraits focused on form, function, habitat, plant surfaces, gestures, and growth patterns. This two-day workshop will hone observational skills and art techniques, including basic nature sketching to more formal methods in botanical illustration. Work in the field as you explore pencil and ink sketches, and finish portraits in the classroom with beautiful watercolor and colored pencil. These portraits will be rendered with both botanical accuracy and beauty. Anyone with an interest in drawing plants will discover the charm and appeal of this art form–gardeners, hikers, nature guides, biology students, informal science educators, and teachers. All skill levels are welcome! 1 College Credit available.
Cost: $125 members, $160 nonmembers. View Materials List/Register


Partners in Wonder: Sharing Nature Through Field Journaling
June 29, 2013
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Aspen, CO

Discover a world of magic with your child in the tiniest leaf, a bird’s feather, and the puffy clouds overhead. Ask “what is happening outside in nature today?” then tromp outdoors together, journals in hand, to take in the world with all of your senses. Map out and find the incredible creatures contained in one square yard of ground. Become keen observers and adventurers together while recording the wonders that you see. This one-day workshop will acquaint you with basic instruction for keeping a nature journal, including observation skills, sketching, writing, and playing with color. Parents, relatives, friends, or teachers – this is your chance to learn how to develop a deep and lasting connection to nature together with your children.
Cost: $110 members, $130 nonmembers (1 adult & 1 child); $40 each additional person. View Materials List/Register