Special Announcements | ArtPlantae Today

Archive for the ‘Special Announcements’ Category

Rare Books Appraised at the Gardens at Heather Farm

Posted in Education, History, Special Announcements, Special Events on February 15, 2012|

The Gardens at Heather Farm in northern California has added two new events to their Winter schedule.

Professional appraisers will donate their time at the Antique and Collectibles Appraisal Event on Saturday, March 11, 2012 (12-5 PM). This event will have a format similar to the popular show Antiques Roadshow. Rare books, antiques, jewelry, toys, clocks, watches, stamps, coins and other items will be appraised. A $15 fee includes the entry fee and the appraisal of the first 3 items. Additional appraisals will cost $5 each.

The Gardens at Heather Farms has also announced details about their annual Spring Plant Sale that will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 9 AM to 12 PM. Come early for the best selection. Plan ahead by previewing the plant list before you arrive. A list of the plants available for purchase at the plant sale will be posted on the Garden’s website after March 15, 2012.

View more classes at the Gardens at Heather Farm at
Classes Near You > Northern California.

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Visit ArtPlantae at Book Fair, Environmental Events

Posted in botanical art, botanical art books, Education, environmental education, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on February 15, 2012|

In addition to conversing with you and the many inspirational guests who visit with us, such as the members of the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration, I get to meet many wonderful people and families at book fairs, garden shows and festivals. This year promises to be a busy year on the road.

The first three tour dates are coming up quickly. All are community events, one benefits a local school district and two benefit Planet Earth.

The 5th Annual Family Book Festival is sponsored by the Citizens for Kids Foundation and is the only event in southern California’s Inland Empire to bring together authors, illustrators, families and various educational resources for a day of fun and learning. Proceeds benefit the Chino Valley Unified School District. This festival will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2012 from 9 AM – 3 PM at Brinderson Hall at the Chino Fairgrounds. Admission is free. Parking $5. View map

The 4th Annual WaterMiser Workshop is hosted by the City of Newport Beach, CA. This annual event brings together residents, water conservation experts, and exhibitors specializing in water conservation, landscape design and various aspects of environmental education. This workshop will be held at the Newport Beach Central Library on Thursday, March 8, 2012 from 6-8 PM. Admission is free. Please RSVP if you plan to attend. www.watersmartnewport.org

The Los Angeles Environmental Education Fair will once again be held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia, CA. This year’s theme is Going Green Together. This event is always well-attended as it connects teachers, parents and students with various educational resources. Hands-on activities, ready-to-use lesson plans, workshops, entertainment, crafts, and storytelling are only some of the events planned for the day. Join the fun on Saturday, March 10, 2012; 9 AM – 4 PM. Free with Arboretum admission. www.Arboretum.org

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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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Gymnosperm Book Nominated for Literature Award

Posted in ArtPlantae Books, botanical art, botany, Special Announcements on February 8, 2012|

Gymnosperms of the United States and Canada, a book written by author, artist and forester, Bruce L. Cunningham, and botanist Dr. Elray S. Nixon, has been nominated by the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries for its outstanding contribution to the literature of horticulture or botany. It is one of 45 titles currently being reviewed by the Awards Committee for the 13th Annual Literature Award.

Gymnosperms was published in 2010 by
Bruce Lyndon Cunningham Productions.

Please join me in congratulating Bruce and Dr. Nixon on their nomination!

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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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The Symbolic Language of Plants

Posted in botanical art, Education, History, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on January 30, 2012|

Inspired by artists’ use of plants as symbols across cultures and throughout history, the botanical artists of Studio 155 have created an exhibition dedicated to symbolic subjects in nature. The exhibition Beyond Words: The Symbolic Language of Plants includes works in watercolor, oil, tempera, and colored pencil. This exhibition opens Saturday at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

In the ancient world, Roman artists used roses to represent Venus, the goddess of love; Egyptian art connected the lily to Isis, the goddess of fertility; and Asian art included lotus flowers to convey beauty. Plant symbolism reached a high point in Medieval Christian art when religious craftsmen and artists used plants to explain the meaning of church parables and doctrine to a largely illiterate population.

In keeping with this tradition, the seventeen artists of Studio 155 created drawings and paintings that bring attention to symbolic themes represented by flowers, trees, fruit, vegetables, herbs and vines. For example, museum visitors will see the whimsical watercolor painting by Wendy Cortesi of a pumpkin that recalls Dia de los Muertos, the Hispanic tradition “Day of the Dead”. They will also see Neena Birch’s rose painting symbolizing ancient spiritual contemplation and centering, as well as Michael Rawson’s painting of a white oak representing strength and endurance.

The artists of Studio 155 have also published a fold-out book called Small Works. This handmade book created by Elizabeth W. Carter features 4″ x 4″ plant idioms painted by each artist. Idioms include “Shrinking Violet” and “Apple of His Eye.” When viewing Beyond Words, museum visitors will be encouraged to match the idioms on the gallery’s list to a corresponding painting in the exhibition.

Studio 155 created the fun exhibition postcard at right by painting 10″ x 8″ letters in oil, watercolor or colored pencil and then mounting the letters on a panel. Learn more about the artists behind these letters on the Beyond Words website. The Small Works book is also available for viewing on this site, so be sure to visit and try your hand at matching idioms to their paintings!