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Draw Plants in Hawaii…..For a Month!

Posted in botanical art, Education, general botany, Learning Opportunities, Sketching & Journaling, Special Announcements, Special Events on November 14, 2013|

Botanical Illustration Intensive Workshop
The National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua’I Hawaii

Time: 10 AM to 4 PM, daily

Study the fundamentals of botanical drawing using graphite pencil, colored pencils, watercolor pencils and watercolor. Drawing plants and flowers starts with observation.

Under the supervision of Wendy Hollender, illustrator, author, and instructor from The New York Botanical Garden, students will learn about plant structures and their importance through dissection and comparison.

Students will create detailed botanical drawings and sketchbook pages of flowering plants, fruits and seedpods, working directly from the wide variety of tropical plants growing at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG).

There will be opportunity to work on large compositions and detailed paintings for those staying the entire month. Lessons in composition will facilitate the development of larger compositions.

Participants will study historical botanical illustrations spanning four centuries as a way of understanding the tradition and techniques still in use today.

Dr. David Burney and other NTBG botanists will be available to help with understanding botany and other aspects of plant ecology.

This class is appropriate for advanced students as well as beginners because everyone works individually. No previous art background required.

Instructional classes will be conducted four days each week at The National Tropical Botanical Garden, with one day per week allotted for field trips or working in other locations on the island. Participants will have a large indoor-outdoor classroom for use, with time to draw outside anywhere in the garden.

Instructor is available in the classroom and does daily demonstrations. There will be a demonstration about drawing in the garden to introduce participants to techniques used when drawing outside. The weekends are free where by students can visit the island, relax at the beach or continue to draw in the garden classroom.

Workshop Fees:
Two-week workshop: $950 includes sumptuous fresh lunch on class days featuring local produce and tropical fruits. Other meals are not included with the exception of a once a week beach dinner barbeque.

Accommodations are available at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in shared housing for an unbeatable price or in nearby Kalaheo and Poipu or other locations in the area. For those staying in shared housing there is a kitchen for shared use. Bed and Breakfasts options are also available.

For additional information and to register, visit www.DrawingInColor.com or contact Wendy.

This information has been added to the Classes Near You sections for New York and Hawaii.

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Rare Botanical Art Books at Getty Research Institute

Posted in botanical art, botanical art books, Education, general botany, History, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on November 6, 2013|

Botanical artist and botanical art collector, Tania Norris, has generously donated 41 rare books to The Getty Research Institute (GRI). The collection includes
Der Rupsen Begin (Birth of the Butterfly), a book published by Maria Sibylla Merian. Published in 1717, this book is the first book to depict insect metamorphosis and is one of the few surviving copies hand-colored by Merian’s daughter.

With the acquisition of the Tania Norris Collection of Rare Botanical Books,
The Getty Research Institute can provide future generations with a unique in-depth look at the history of botany and botanical art.

David Brafman, curator of rare books at the GRI, said “The Norris Collection offers inestimable rewards for scholars researching global botanical trade and the ensuing stimulus of cultural exchange to the trend of collecting curiosities spawned in Renaissance and Baroque European culture. Other books in the collection document the codependent progress of technologies in the history of medicine, pharmacology, and the color and textile industries from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. No less important are the opportunities to study the complex artistic relationship between physiognomy and ‘naturalism’ in visual representation, as well as developments in urban planning and landscape architecture. Ms. Norris’ generous donation enhances significantly GRI’s existing collections in such subjects and promises to transform the way art historians examine the past in the future.”

In particular, the unique hand-colored copy of Maria Sibylla Merian’s
Der Rupsen Begin (Birth of the Butterfly) from the Norris Collection will find a companion in the GRI vaults: Merian’s stunning Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam (1719), the self-published book which documented the watercolors, drawings, and scientific studies she executed and conducted while exploring the wildlife of the South American jungles. The GRI copy was featured prominently in the Getty Museum’s exhibition, Merian and Daughters, which celebrated the extraordinary pioneering contributions of the artist-naturalist, the first European woman to travel to America expressly for artistic purposes.

The Norris Collection will also prove an invaluable complement for research in landscape and still-life painting, as well as insights it will provide to conservators and conservation scientists about recipes and global trade in color-pigments and other preparations in the decorative arts.

In addition to being a botanical artist and collector, Tania Norris is a founding member of the Getty Research Institute Collections Council and also serves on the J. Paul Getty Museum Disegno Drawing Council and Paintings Conservation Council.

On the Getty accepting her books, Ms. Norris said:

It was one of the proudest moments of my life when the Getty Research Institute accepted my books for their library. I never collected expecting anyone else to think my books of interest. But now at the GRI, anyone can view them; some have been or will soon be in exhibitions and programs. More importantly, they will be preserved for generations to come.

Learn more about this wonderful contribution to botany and botanical art education at The Getty Research Institute.

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Botanical Illustration and Landscape Architecture at UCLA

Posted in botanical art, drawing, Education, general botany, Learning Opportunities, travel on November 6, 2013| 2 Comments »

The Landscape Architecture program at UCLA has opened registration for Scientific Illustration and Plant Identification. This class is an elective in the programs for Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and Gardening. It is offered through the UCLA Extension program.

Students will learn how to illustrate plants and identify plant characteristics while learning plant taxonomy and plant terminology. Course includes travel to nurseries and gardens in southern California.

Instructor: David Squires, landscape architect and principal of AROUNDYOU, Inc.

Cost: $485 (before 1/1/14); $534 (after 1/1/14)

Class begins on February 2, 2014 (4 meetings)

View Details/Register

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The Trees of “52”

Posted in botanical art, Education, general botany, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on November 1, 2013|

Looking for inspiration as yet another busy year comes to a close?

I recommend going to the Riverside Art Museum to view “52”, an exhibition about an artist’s exploration of the 52 Montezuma Bald Cypress trees at Fairmount Park in downtown Riverside.

Artist Sue Mitchell spent the 52 weeks between October 2012 and October 2013 studying these trees and creating solar etchings that capture their strong and elegant structure and beautifully textured bark. Her 52 etchings are presented in the Bobbie Powell Gallery. In the space next to her finished work, Sue shares her whirlwind year with museum visitors. She saved every piece of paper, rough sketch and many other mementos from her one-year sabbatical and posted them to the walls in chronological order. She even moved her home studio into this space and is working there during museum hours through November 22, 2013.

Sue refers to her sabbatical as her “Third Act” and says she began this journey to satisfy a growing need for a deeper sense of fulfillment and personal exploration, a need she shares with many Baby Boomers. Did you know that about 10,000 people a day will turn 65 during the next 19 years?

If you are looking for your own artistic outlet, visit “52” and talk with Sue about her artistic journey. Then visit the other exhibitions at the museum and be inspired even more.

And if you would like to learn more about the Montezuma Bald Cypress trees and study the beauty of their bark, here is a workshop that might be of interest to you:

Botanical Drawing Workshop
Saturday, November 16
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Instructor: Tania Marien
Workshop fee: $30

Learn more about the Montezuma Bald Cypress trees in Fairmount Park and observe their elegant structure and texture as presented by Sue Mitchell in the exhibition “52″. Transform your observations into a delicate bark drawing to serve as a reminder of Sue’s inspirational 52-week journey. Open to all who would like to take those first steps on a journey of their own.

Please bring the following supplies with you:
2-3 sheets of Strathmore Bristol Plate (paper)
4B, 2B, H, 2H, and 4H drawing pencils

Drawing Workshop hosted by the Riverside Art Museum.
Please register for this workshop by calling RAM at 951-684-7111.
Registration deadline is Wednesday, November 13.

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Oil Pastel Workshop Focuses on California Native Flora

Posted in botanical art, Education, general botany, Gouache & Oil Too, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on October 22, 2013|

Oil Pastel Painting Workshop with Mary-Austin Klein
Theodore Payne Foundation
November 2, 2013
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Experience the technique of oil pastel painting and create an 11″ x 14″ still life of native flora on a gessoed panel. Play with color, brushwork and composition in this casual art workshop. No experience necessary!

Mary-Austin Klein is a Los Angeles-based painter whose small-scaled paintings document the natural landscapes and unique light of Southern California. She is the Theodore Payne Foundation’s 2013 Artist-in-Residence. An exhibition of her work is now on view in the gallery at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, CA.

Cost: $30 members, $40 non-members (includes materials fee)

For more information or to sign up, please contact Lili at 818-768-1802.
Online registration

About the Theodore Payne Foundation
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. It is located north of Los Angeles in Sun Valley, CA.
www.theodorepayne.org

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Botanical Art and Botany at Mt. Cuba Center

Posted in botanical art, botany, Education, gardening, general botany, Learning Opportunities, nature on October 15, 2013|

Please welcome Mt.Cuba Center to the Classes Near You section!

You can view their classes here and at Classes Near You > Delaware.

Mt. Cuba Center
www.mtcubacenter.org
Mt. Cuba Center is a botanical garden in Hockessin, DE dedicated to the conservation, display, and research of native plants. Their woodland wildflower gardens are recognized as the area’s finest. The Center hosts many interesting classes related to plants, gardening and the arts. View their full schedule of on-site classes and distance learning classes on their website.

Fall Photography Free Stroll

Enjoy this early morning opportunity to photograph the gardens of
Mt. Cuba Center!

Chris Starr will offer advice, tips, and ideas as well as answer your photography questions. Photographers of all experience levels, from novices to experts, will receive personal guidance. Stroll the gardens while capturing the visual glory of autumn. Be sure to bring your lenses, camera manual, and dress for the weather. Tripods are welcome. Garden admission is included with registration. Chris Starr is an experienced photographer who has played many roles at Mt. Cuba Center since 1984. Currently he is a member of the grounds team. View Details/Register

Hidden Treasures
November 5-7, 2013
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Create botanical art from a new perspective!

Primarily using graphite pencil, but including watercolor and colored pencil, create a drawing with a range of texture and tone. Our focus will be more on the sculptural and textural qualities of our plant source than on color. Learn how to capture nature from a different vantage point and see the art you can create from spent flowers, dried up leaves or spindly stalks. John will augment his group instruction with individual coaching. Basic drawing ability needed and a materials list is provided upon class registration. Please bring your lunch.

John Gist is an acclaimed artist who worked as an illustrator after graduating from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) with a degree in Illustration. He has taught art for over 15 years including at Bartram’s Garden and the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. His work has been displayed in several exhibitions, including the exclusive International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration at the Hunt Institute, the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators Exhibition at the Philadelphia International Flower Show, the Woodmere Art Museum, and with the American Society of Botanical Artists annual shows. View Details/Register

Multiply Your Natives from Seed
Saturday, November 9
9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Learn how to identify, collect, and sow native seeds. Join Bill McAvoy, Delaware’s state botanist, and Phil Oyerly, Mt. Cuba Center’s greenhouse manager, as they share their joint expertise in growing native plants from seed. Bill will teach you how to correctly identify seeds, explain the ethics of collecting seed from the wild, and demonstrate sustainable seed collecting practices. Clean the seed you harvest, learn seed scarification and stratification techniques, and find out the best ways to store seed. This is a hands-on workshop so be dressed for the weather and able to walk the rugged terrain of our Natural Lands. Students will take home wildflower seeds. Please bring a bagged lunch.

William McAvoy has been the Delaware state botanist for the last 23 years, while serving in the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. He is the primary author of the 2001 publication The Flora of Delaware, an annotated checklist, which has been revised as an online database. Phil Oyerly is the greenhouse manager at Mt. Cuba Center and has worked in the plant propagation area for many years. Phil and his staff grow native plants in support of the landscape and research activities of
Mt. Cuba Center. View Details/Register

Winter Tree Identification
Saturday, January 18, 2014
(Snow date: February 1, 2014)
9:00 am – 12 Noon

Learn the basics for identifying woody plants in winter. Don’t let the leafless trees of winter scare you! Eileen Boyle, Director of Education and Research at Mt. Cuba Center, will teach you distinguishing characteristics for identifying native trees and shrubs during the austerity of winter. Examine bark, study habit, inspect buds, and collect twigs then put them through a dichotomous key. Dress for winter conditions since this class will be held both outdoors and in the lab. Eileen Boyle is the Director of Education and Research at Mt. Cuba Center. Previously she was the director of horticulture at the Philadelphia Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. She has also worked as a horticulture professor, an administrator for the New York City’s parks, and for the USDA. View Details/Register

Why We Need More Natives in Our Gardens
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
(Snow Date: Feb. 4, 2014)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Garden for life – ours and theirs!

Specialized relationships between animals and plants is the norm in nature, rather than the exception. Plants that evolved in concert with local animals provide for their needs better than plants that evolved elsewhere. Doug will explain why this is so, why it is important to restore biodiversity to our residential properties, what we need to do to turn our landscapes into functioning ecosystems once again, and what we will gain by doing so. Doug will sign copies of his book, Bringing Nature Home. Doug Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology and Director of the Center for Managed Ecosystems at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. He has authored 73 research articles and taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and other courses for 30 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, received the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers Association.
View Details/Register

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New Medicinal Garden at Ohio Governor’s Residence

Posted in botany, Education, gardening, general botany, History, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on October 14, 2013|

The Lloyd Library & Museum invites you!

You are invited to the dedication of the Lloyd Medicinal and Johnny Appleseed Memorial Garden at The Ohio Governor’s Residence on October 23, 2013.

The Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden is pleased to announce its latest addition to the Heritage Garden — the Lloyd Medicinal and Johnny Appleseed Memorial Garden. This new medicinal garden, named after early 20th-century pharmacist John Uri Lloyd, of Cincinnati, Ohio, surrounds a descendant of one of Johnny Appleseed’s famed late 18th century apple trees planted in Ohio and the surrounding area. These highlight the multiplicity of uses of plants, and those that were especially important to the early families and individuals residing in the state.

The dedication ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m., with special appearances by First Lady Karen W. Kasich, and John Uri Lloyd and Johnny Appleseed impersonators. Light refreshments will be provided. The dedication will be held in the
Heritage Garden at the Ohio Governor’s Residence.

Attendees MUST register in advance by October 16, 2013.
Please go to the Lloyd Library website to RSVP and to get more information.

The Heritage Garden was established in 2000, under the guidance of Former First Lady Hope Taft. The garden was designed to showcase the variety of Ohio’s natural history and environment to the thousands of yearly visitors to the Ohio Governor’s Residence. It has continued to grow and flourish since that time. The idea for the Lloyd Medicinal and Johnny Appleseed Garden was first conceived in 2009. The garden was completed this year.

The Lloyd Medicinal and Johnny Appleseed Garden was made possible through support of the following: Friends of the Lloyd Library and Museum,
Ohio Pharmacists Association, Meisner & Associates Land Vision, Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden, Greenscapes: Excellence by Design, and Larry Owen.

About The Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden
The Friends of the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden was established in 2006 as a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)3 organization to help preserve, enhance and promote the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden. Our Board of Directors consists of business and cultural leaders from across the state who value the significance of this historic landmark and are committed to ensuring its legacy for generations to come. For more information, visit the Friends’ website.