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Interpreting California’s Native Landscape

Posted in Education, History, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on February 13, 2012|

Inspired: Interpretations of California Native Flora, Fauna and the Natural Landscape of Theodore Payne Foundation
Feb. 1 – Mar. 24, 2012
theodorepayne.org

Paintings, poems and photographs. Baskets, gourds, ceramics and drawings. Watercolors.
These are a few of the many works in a large group exhibition of artists who are inspired by the native flora, fauna and the natural landscape found at Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants. Over 25 artists responded to the call for entries, submitting their personal interpretations of California’s native landscape.

Hung salon-style, this exhibition is one of extraordinary creativity and a survey of the varied styles and mediums in which artists are working today.

This exhibition is sponsored by the Theodore Payne Arts Council. The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others discover the beauty of California native plants.

The Theodore Payne Foundation is located north of Los Angeles in Sun Valley, CA. Map

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Nature Drawing Classes in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida

Posted in botanical art, drawing, Education, gardening, Learning Opportunities, Sketching & Journaling on February 13, 2012|

The Illustrated Garden, A Studio Blog
www.valwebb.com
Val Webb is Derwent Pencils’ Feature Artist for 2012!
She will post drawing tutorials each month at Derwent’s blog, Love Pencils. See Val Webb’s online tutorial, Botanical Drawing with Pencil and Watercolor. Connect with The Illustrated Garden on Facebook. For more information about the classes below, or to register, email Val Webb.

Nature Drawing Workshop: Winter’s Tale
Saturday, February 25, 2012; 10 AM – 3 PM. Spend a day in one of Alabama’s most beautiful waterfront settings, using traditional drawing techniques to create elegant and accurate drawings of winter nature subjects in pen-and-ink. No experience necessary! All art supplies provided. Location: 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center (on the Causeway). Proceeds support wildlife education programs at 5 Rivers. Cost: $60
Draw and Paint Six Culinary Herbs
Saturday, March 17, 2012; 10 AM – 3 PM. Learn the basic structure of a leaf, then put that knowledge to work as you create a color rendering of six culinary herbs in layered pen-and-ink with watercolor. No previous experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Take home your completed botanical art and six potted herb plants at the end of the day. Lunch at the Ever’man Organic Cafe. Note: This workshop fills quickly. Location: Ever’man Natural Foods Co-op (Community Room), 315 West Garden St., Pensacola, FL. Cost: $60
Gift from the Gulf: Shells and More in Watercolor
Saturday, April 14, 2012; 10 AM – 3 PM. Paint treasures from the Gult using watercolor on beautiful handmade Arches paper. Learn about color families, creating textures with salt and sponges, making spatter “sand” and how to use different brushes for different effects. No previous experience necessary! This is a relaxed and playful workshop, hosted in a private home on the riverfront in Moss Point, Mississippi. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy the view during our midday break. All art supplies provided. (Note: If you plan to attend, please email Val Webb; space is limited.). Location: Moss Point, Mississippi. Details will be provided upon registration. Cost: $60
Draw and Paint Wildflowers and Native Plants of the Gulf Coast
Thursdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 12, 2012.
No classes on April 5.
Sessions 2-5 PM or 6:30-8:30 PM
Studio cottage in Mobile, AL
Plus one optional Saturday field trip.

Develop your powers of scientific observation and create realistic renderings of pitcher plants, wood fern, early-blooming wildflowers and more. Students will work from plant specimens in the classroom, and will draw wild orchids and bog plants during an optional field trip. No previous experience necessary! All supplies are provided. Classes will use pen-and-ink with watercolor. Returning students who prefer colored pencil are welcome to bring their own. Class size limited. Cost: $140

Val’s classes have also been posted to the Classes Near You sections for Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

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Field Studies, Forests & Wild Art in Hawaii

Posted in botanical art, Education, Learning Opportunities, Sketching & Journaling on February 13, 2012|

Artist Andie Thrams has announced her teaching schedule for the new year. The new schedule includes classes about botanical field studies, forest art and a special Hawaiian retreat designed to reconnect you with nature through art and yoga!

Andie Thrams, Coloma, CA
Andie is a painter and book artist devoted to creative work in wild places. She teaches in California, Oregon and Hawaii. Her work is widely exhibited and honored, and is held in many private and public collections. View Andie’s 2012 IN FORESTS calendar at her Etsy store.

Spring Retreat: Wildflowers, Watercolors & Field Journals
April 13-15, 2012
With field journal and lightweight tools in hand participants will gather on the South Fork of the American River poised to make marks, capture colors, record visions, explore habitats. Participants’ work will dance between care and abandon, using watercolor, ink and gouache to invite the magic of spring into our art practice. The pace will allow time for quiet meandering, optional Sunday morning yoga, and sunset painting by the river. Andie will share her ever-evolving field techniques for capturing light, color, gesture and detail, using the journal as a way to experiment and develop ongoing creative themes. Location: Camp Lotus, Coloma, California. Details & Registration: Contact Andie Thrams
Field Trip: A Day at the Museum
April 17, 2012
Spend a day at the San Franscisco Museum of Modern Art to view art, discuss trends in modern and contemporary art and learn about the Museum’s fantastic resources. Fill your field journal pages with sketches and observations about your day at the museum and compare notes with other artists. Limited to six students. Food and coffee at museum restaurant. Details & Registration: Contact Andie Thrams
Accordion Color Book
April 28-29, 2012
Learn how to create an accordion-folding book. Explore watercolor techniques through step-by-step exercises that will demystify color theory as you build a reference book of paint mixing strategies. Using watercolors, both systematically and intuitively, you’ll create spring-inspired color studies applying techniques that transfer to work in ink, gouache, acrylic and oil. You’ll complete a beautiful book, an inspiration source for future projects. Location: San Francisco Center for the Book. Cost: $260. View Details/Register
Native Botanicals: Field Studies in Drawing & Design
June 2, 2012
Create studies of native plants in black and white using pencil, ink and gouache. Discover field-friendly ways to render positive/negative space; reveal gesture and detail; create strong compositions; and explore your own creativity. Participants will leave class with an understanding of the principles of design and a collection of beautiful studies for future reference. Location: Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden, Berkeley, California. Cost: $120 members, $130 non-members. Details/Register
Native Botanicals: Field Studies in Watercolor
June 3, 2012
Create summertime watercolor studies in the garden. Working with watercolor and gouache, participants will learn how to mix color accurately, create beautiful shimmering surfaces, and build layers using wet into wet, dry brush and glazing techniques. Participants will go home with a series of studies that conjure up the complexity of wild flora and inspire future painting in the field. Location: Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden, Berkeley, California. Cost: $120 members, $130 non-members. Details/Register
Watercolors in the Wild: Sierra Flora
July 29 – August 3, 2012
Create lively field studies of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Discover field-friendly ways to use watercolor and gouache to mix accurate color; create shimmering surfaces; explore light and shadow; build layers using wet into wet, dry brush and glazing techniques; render gesture and detail; and reveal your own mark with ease. We’ll consider botanical imagery in past and contemporary art and take gentle daily forays into the wild to work with new techniques. Participants will go home with a collection of Sierra flora watercolors to use for future reference. Location: San Francisco State University Sierra Nevada Field Campus, Sattley, California. View Details/Register
The Artful Cookbook: Celebrating Food, Community & Story
Co-taught with Rebecca Welti
August 18-19, 2012
Bring cookbooks, treasured recipes, photographs, poems and other food-related memorabilia to use as inspiration. Participants will collage, paint, write and draw to create layers of embellished imagery within a series of projects on paper. Share meals and stories with fellow participants, sprinkle herbs and spices into your paintings and onto your food, savor flavors and ideas, while creating recipe-inspired art. Location: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon. Cost: $215. Member registration begins February 27. Public registration begins March 12.
View 2012 Schedule/Register
Book Arts for Kids & Adults: Creative Fun & Exploration
Co-taught with Inga Dubay
August 20-21, 2012
Kids, teens, friends, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles are all invited to celebrate the creative spirit through exploring the book arts. Families will discover easy and fun-to-make book structures. Participants will use ink, watercolor, sticks, feathers, reeds, pens, brushes and crayons to explore lighthearted and beautiful ways to make drawings, paintings and calligraphic writing. For all levels, ages 8 and up. Location: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon. Cost: $120. Member registration begins February 27. Public registration begins March 12.
View 2012 Schedule/Register
Wild Forest Wild Art: Tree-Inspired Painting
August 23-26, 2012
Andie will demonstrate her ever-evolving field techniques for working in layers to capture light, color, gesture and detail, evoking what is seen and felt under the trees. Working indoors and out, through sequenced studies, participants will create images revealing their own responses to the unique complexity of wild forests. Participants will complete a series of forest-inspired mixed media drawings and paintings. Location: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon. Cost: $415. Member registration begins February 27. Public registration begins March 12.
View 2012 Schedule/Register
Big Island Retreat: Wild Art & Wild Yoga in Hawaii!
Co-taught with Dennis Eagan
October 7-13, 2012
Island of Hawaii
Join Andie and her husband, Dennis, on the Big Island of Hawaii, and sink into that blissful place of wonder through the practices of art and yoga. Artists will explore art and yoga as pathways to deepening their connection to the energies of our planet: its plants, waters and creatures. Each day will offer art classes with Andie, yoga classes with Dennis, and open time for your own exploration; classes will be optional and open to all levels of experience. Art students will use field journals to record daily observations and experiences through drawing, writing and painting with watercolor. Subjects will include island color palette; sunrise, sunset and cloud painting; and tropical plant studies. Yoga classes will emphasize asana and pranayama for opening creative energies and for studying the five elements of yoga: earth, air, water, fire and space.
Location: Kalani Honua Resort
Details & Registration: Contact Andie Thrams
Field Studies: Autumn Leaves
November 7-8, 2012
During forays into Hoyt Arboretum, participants will collect leaves and inspiration for studio work. Learn how to paint the thousand ambers, crimsons and rusts of Fall while building layers of watercolor, gouache and colored pencil to capture glow and detail. Participants will create beautiful studies for future reference and inspiration. Host: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis, Oregon. Location: World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon. Cost: $212. Member registration begins February 27. Public registration begins March 12. View 2012 Schedule/Register
Private Creativity Coaching & Artist Mentoring
In addition to the workshops listed here, Andie also works privately with a limited number of students. This year individual instruction is offered in two eight-week sessions only.
Session 1: March 15 – May 15
Session 2: September 15 – November 15
Details & Registration: Contact Andie Thrams

Andie’s classes have also been added to the Classes Near You sections for Northern California, Oregon and Hawaii.

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Botanical Art in Hawaii

Posted in Learning Opportunities on February 13, 2012|

I have received inquiries about botanical art classes in Hawaii (specifically on the island of Oahu). Do you know of classes on this island? If you do, please let me know or forward this post to instructors teaching on the island.

Thank you!

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Art & Friendship Focus of ‘Common Roots’

Posted in botanical art, Education, Special Announcements, Special Events on February 8, 2012|

Artists and friends, Susan Waughtal and Vera Ming Wong celebrate art and more than 30 years of friendship in the exhibition, Common Roots, now on view at the Crossings Gallery in Zumbrota, Minnesota.

These two friends share many passions, art being one of them. Each takes a different approach to their art. Waughtal takes an “exuberant and sometimes even whimsical” approach to painting animals, gardens and life on her farm, while Wong takes a more meditative approach as she captures the moods and the mystery of the natural landscape.

Celebrate the artists’ Common Roots now through February 29, 2012.

Exhibit Hours: MTWF 10-5; Thursday 10-8; Saturday 10-4

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Botanical Studies at the Limelight Gallery in London

Posted in botanical art, Education, Special Announcements, Special Events on February 8, 2012|

Botanical & Natural Studies 2010-2011
Limelight Gallery
Lewisham Library
Catford, London
February 28 – April 6, 2012

This exhibition features the watercolor paintings and pencil drawings of artist Alison Day. Native plants, cultivated plants and seashells are the subjects the artist has chosen to depict the textures, forms and intricate details seen in nature.

Through her work, Day brings attention to the “ordinary and (the) everyday” and encourages viewers to see familiar items in a new way. She explains:

For to be lost in an image is to be temporarily suspended from the miserable realities of the everyday world. Happiness, to home into to a pertinent contemporary concern, lies not in material wealth but looking beyond the veil that covers the visual world, to a place of imagination and dreams. These images of flowers and shells offer an opportunity to escape and to dream.

Meet Alison Day at the Limelight Gallery’s opening reception on
Sunday, March 4, 2012 (2-4 PM).

Exhibit Hours:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (9-8)
Wednesday and Friday (9-6)
Saturday (9-5)
Sunday (1-4)

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Draw from Dioramas, Sketch Outdoors with Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators

Posted in Education, Learning Opportunities on February 6, 2012|

The Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators group has announced their Spring schedule. Here is what’s new at Classes Near You > Connecticut:

Download schedule

Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators
In collaboration with the Yale Peabody Museum
www.ctnsi.com

Connecticut Natural Science Illustrators LLC is composed of professional artists and scientists who have developed educational programs in natural science illustration. The members of CTNSI also provide illustrations, printed material, murals and exhibits addressing environmental and biological topics. The team at CTNSI works with environmental groups, nature centers, schools, and event managers. All classes are taught at the Yale Peabody Museum Education Center/West Campus, 117 Frontage Road, Orange, CT 06477. Register online at www.ctnsi.com or contact ctnsiprogramcoordinator@comcast.net.

Download Spring 2012 Schedule

One Day Sketching Workshop: Indoors or Outdoors
March 17, 2012 or March 24, 2012; 10 AM – 1 PM. Practice the art of drawing quickly using graphite and conte crayon. Beginners and experienced artists welcome. Cost: $90 each one-day workshop.
Drawing and Painting Birds – Wednesdays, April 4 – May 9, 2012;
1-4 PM. During this six-week class, you will learn avian anatomy while sketching birds in the field and sketching mounted specimens and museum skins. Participants will visit the Yale Peabody Museum ornithology collection. Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Natural Science Illustration or permission from the instructor. Cost: $275
Pen & Ink: Basic Techniques – Wednesdays, April 4-25, 2012; 1-4 PM. Applying skills learned in Fundamentals of Natural Science Illustration, students will learn traditional techniques used by scientific illustrators. Cost: $175.
Pen & Ink: Natural Science Specimens – Wednesdays,
May 2-23, 2012; 1-4 PM. Applying techniques learned in Pen and Ink I, students will illustrate specimens from the Peabody Museum collection and learn how to prepare illustrations for reproduction. Prerequisite: Pen and Ink I or permission from the instructor. Cost: $175
Drawing from the Peabody Museum’s Dioramas – Saturdays,
April 7-28, 2012; 10 AM – 1 PM. Draw from the dioramas and bird collection of the Yale Peabody Museum. Graphite, colored pencil and watercolor will be used. Open to beginners and to experienced artists. Cost: $175
Field Sketching – Saturdays, May 5-26, 2012. Sketch outdoor habitats at Yale’s West Campus using graphite, colored pencil and watercolor. Open to beginners and to experienced artists. Cost: $175