Botanical artist and educator of America’s prairies, Heeyoung Kim, has announced two new botanical art programs. Both will be taught at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods, Illinois.
Heeyoung Kim www.prairieplantart.com
Heeyoung Kim is a botanical artist whose illustrations and paintings of American prairie plants have graced posters, postcards and exhibition catalogs. Heeyoung is passionate about documenting prairie plants and brings attention to the fragile state of America’s prairies by exhibiting her work in national and international exhibitions. Learn More
Monday Botanical Art Workshops
Mondays, July 2014 – June 2015
10 AM – 4 PM
This course is designed for botanical art students of all levels who are willing to make commitment to learn or improve drawing and painting skills. The most , but most important techniques, will be studied through the courses with continuity, so that students can truly absorb the techniques and apply them intuitively. No need to memorize or take notes all the time, and forget!
To register, contact Heeyoung Kim or call 847-903-7348.
Saturday Botanical Art Workshops
3rd and 4th Saturdays, July 2014 – June 2015
10 AM – 4 PM
Similar contents from Monday workshops are adapted appropriately for shorter session focusing on more basic elements.
Throughout the year, our program offers several weekly and two- or three-day classes about botanical art and scientific illustration with lead instructor and Education Director Sarah Roche, along with Carol Govan, Jeanne Kunze, Carrie Megan and visiting instructors. The core of our program are Sarah’s twice-yearly offerings, Foundations of Botanical Drawing and Painting and the more advanced Techniques of Botanical Drawing and Painting. Here is a peek at the 2014 Spring-Summer schedule:
Sarah Roche’s two Studio Focus classes, Growing Green and Fifty Shades of Gray (and White) and her one-week intensive Introduction to Botanical Art
Carol Govan & Sarah Roche’s 3-day Wellesley College Botanic Gardens Florilegium: Wildflowers
Elaine Searle visiting to teach Tablet Computers as a Tool, Depth in Detail, Patterns from Nature & Painting with Sunshine: The Sunflower
Catherine Watters visiting to teach Summer Flowers: Mastering Botanical Composition
Carol Ann Morley’s Tonal Drawing Fundamentals and Drawing Flowers and More!
Last week the Nepalese Botanical Drawings of Dr. Francis Buchanan were hung at the Linnean Society of London. This collection of reproductions are of plants studied and described by Buchanan who served as Surgeon-Naturalist on the first British mission to Kathmandu (1802-3).
This impressive collection can be viewed online on the Linnean Society’s website. Go to The Buchanan-Hamilton Collection of Paintings to view this exciting and historic collection of 116 illustrations and paintings.
News of the exhibition made me think about the tireless efforts of people across the globe who document plants so that others may learn about them. We have all been fortunate to learn from some of these remarkable people here at ArtPlantae.
After you viewthe Buchanan collection, I invite you to revisit a few conversations with special guests. Go on a virtual tour of the herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden to learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Visit The Botany Studio at the University of Wisconsin and drop in on the photography studio of Anna Laurent.
As these examples show, there are many creative ways to document plants.
How do you blend art and science when documenting plants?
In this issue of Plants, Life, Riverside we talk about achieving sustainability in an urban setting with Taher Bhaijee, a recent graduate of UC Riverside and co-founder of SustainRiverside.org, a new resource that will show residents how to adopt new approaches to living.
SustainRiverside.org is well on its way of becoming an informative resource for the residents of Riverside, CA. The soft launch for the site occurred earlier this month during Earth Week. Currently the site features a long list of sustainability events happening in the city. Soon new posts and videos will be added every other Monday.
Visit SustainRiverside online and you will see that the organization has laid out its objectives clearly. Taher is actively working with community groups to achieve the following goals:
Community Goal
To develop Green Teams in every neighborhood in Riverside.
Energy Goal
To reduce peak load demand by 10%.
Food Goal
Create 5% increase participation in community gardens.
Water Goal
To reduce Riverside’s water consumption by 20%.
Waste Goal
To reduce Riverside’s waste by 20%.
Health Goal
To reduce obesity rates by 20%.
Transportation Goal
To increase ridership on public transportation by 50%.
I spoke with Taher about some of these goals. I asked him to explain what a Green Team is and what such a team should strive to accomplish in their respective neighborhoods. Taher explained that his idea of a Green Team is modeled after the Wood Streets Green Team, an established team of residents actively involved in helping other residents achieve a sustainable lifestyle. They conduct workshops, involve themselves in city issues and support related groups in the city. Taher hopes to establish a Green Team in each of Riverside’s 26 neighborhoods.
Another objective of SustainRiverside is to increase participation in community gardens by five percent. What does this 5% look like?
Taher explained that by “five percent”, he means 5% of Riverside’s population. The city has a population of 300,000 residents, so he hopes to get at least 15,000 residents involved with existing and future gardens. Taher hopes the involvement with community gardens will encourage residents to lead healthier lives. He says that his work at the UCR Community Garden cleaning, watering and growing vegetables taught him how to live more sustainably and taught him how to live more healthfully.
Recruiting 15,000 residents may sound like a bold goal, but it really isn’t that outrageous. Especially given the success of the recent Grow Riverside conference, a conference about urban agriculture and the development of a sustainable food system in the city. Taher says he hopes SustainRiverside can play a role in communicating the efforts of all parties involved in the Grow Riverside movement and to communicate these efforts through one platform.
SustainRiverside is making great strides reaching out to the public and showing people how they can live more sustainably. The next lesson in sustainability is scheduled for May 17, 2014. On this day SustainRiverside and the Wood Streets Green Team will embark on a progressive bus tour to promote community, public transportation, local businesses and recycled art. Bus tour participants will meet at a local bus stop, board the bus together and then visit the Riverside Farmer’s Market in downtown. They will then go to Tio’s Tacos to eat lunch and to view the gallery of recycled art.
Would you like to join the progressive bus tour and learn more about SustainRiverside.org? Contact Taher Bhaijee or visit SustainRiverside on Facebook.
About Taher Bhaijee
Taher has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in History and has been actively involved with sustainability efforts around UC Riverside. As President of Sustainable UCR, he worked on projects such as the UCR Community Garden, the Power Rangers Program, the Recycling Proposal, the Composting Initiative, and the Grid Alternative Solarton. He is now working on Riverside-wide sustainability projects as an intern at the Mayor’s office. He hopes to build a healthier and greener Riverside.
Who else is working on creating a greener Riverside? Take a look.
Earth Night in the Garden
Landscapes Southern California Style
450 E. Alessandro Blvd.
c/o Alessandro Blvd and Mission Grove
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
3-7 PM
Celebrate Earth Day and water efficiency at this very popular community event in Riverside’s Mission Grove neighborhood. Lady bug releases, raffles and lots of hands-on learning with ArtPlantae and many other local businesses and educational organizations.
Landscapes Southern California Style is a demonstration garden operated by the Western Municipal Water District. It is open daily, except holidays.
What types of things can you learn and do at the garden?
Find out in this Plants, Life, Riverside article.
This weekend Donald Davidson, the Traveling Artist for the National Park Service, will lead an introductory class in botanical illustration at Lake Mead Visitor Center near Boulder City, Nevada.
Botanical Watercolor
Saturday April 26th
Sunday April 27th
8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Donald Davidson is a known watercolor artist, painting the plants of National Parks, all across the U.S. Sign up today for this incredible chance to learn how Davidson works through the intricate process of recording beauty with paint and brush. This is a two-day workshop and some supplies will be provided. The fee is $85 per person. Space is limited.
To register, please contact Lake Mead Visitor Center at 702-293-8990. The visitor center is open Wednesday through Sunday 9 am to 4:30 pm.
ART+BIO Collaborative www.artbiocollaborative.com
The ART+BIO Collaborative in Cambridge, MA fosters the integration of science, nature, and art through novel collaborations, research, and education. They design innovative art+science curriculum and turn public spaces into interactive learning environments.
ISLAND LIFE: Tropical Field Studies of Art+Nature in Puerto Rico
June 7-14, 2014
Embark on an artistic exploration of the diverse tropical wildlife of Puerto Rico, including rainforest, mountain, beach and coastal environments.
Registration Deadline: May 19, 2014 View Details/Register
DESERT LIFE: Field Studies of Art+Nature in the Southwest
August 9-16, 2014
Discover the unique beauty of the desert in this one-of-a-kind artistic journey through white sand dunes, black lava rock, underground caverns, and mountain landscapes of West Texas and New Mexico.
Registration Deadline: July 21, 2014 View Details/Register
Rails-to-Trails
Find a trail for hiking, walking, cycling or inline skating. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and its volunteers work to convert unused railroads into trails for healthful outdoor activities.
Search their national TrailLink database to locate a trail near you.
Sierra Club Trails
Locate trails for hiking, cycling, climbing, and many other outdoor activities. Search Sierra Club Trails
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