ArtPlantae Today

Observe, Sketch & Contribute

February 15, 2010 by Tania Marien

Now at Classes Near You > New Mexico:

Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center
www.ghostranch.org

Field Sketching Ghost Ranch Fauna and Flora – October 3-9, 2010. The chamisa will be golden; the asters will be lavender. Come enjoy the art of field sketching in the high desert setting beloved by Georgia O’Keeffe. On short field trips and daily walks, we will identify and record the living things we find. Throughout the week, we will work both indoors and outdoors to create a nature guide for Ghost Ranch — an ongoing project that was started last year. All levels welcome! This class will be taught by artist Helen Byers and biologist Janet Darrow. To register, go to Helen Byers’ website or to the Ghost Ranch online catalog. Cost: $250 (before August 15, 2010); $350 (after August 15, 2010).

Posted in botanical art, Learning Opportunities, Sketching & Journaling |

Robert Muma Illustrates The World of Mosses

February 11, 2010 by Tania Marien

Source: Clipart ETC

Robert Muma (1907-1993) became a natural science illustrator at a very early age. As a child, he was encouraged to draw all that he observed in nature. Not only did this make him a fine illustrator, but a fine biologist as well. His solid understanding of flora and fauna earned him a position as a scientific illustrator in the biology department at the University of Toronto. After retiring from careers in illustration and bookbinding, Muma turned his attention to mosses. He began to collect specimens and eventually wrote and illustrated A Graphic Guide to Ontario Mosses in 1985. This guide contains an overview of moss morphology, moss classification, and an illustrated guide to mosses organized by leaf arrangement, growth habit, and sporophyte type. Muma also organized the mosses of Ontario by habitat and provides a glossary of the generic names to Ontario mosses and includes Greek and Latin roots for each name. A short section about collecting and about moss gardening close this 28-page guide. Muma’s illustrations of mosses are both lively and delicate. To see additional examples of his artwork and to learn more about mosses, read Discovering The Mosses, an article he wrote in 1979 for Ontario Naturalist magazine. Here is a quick look at two illustrations in this article, which serves as a fine example of how art can be used to engage the public in the natural world.

Travel over to the World of Mosses and you will learn a lot about Robert Muma and his work. Muma’s field guide and reproductions of his original watercolor paintings are still available for all to admire, thanks to his son Walter Muma. Artwork is available as posters and as notecards.

Related Links:

Herbaria with significant bryophyte collections
Toronto Field Naturalists – Publishers of the first edition of Muma’s field guide.
Moss & Lichen Clipart for Instructors & Students
Clipart ETC – An online service of Florida’s Educational Technology Clearinghouse

Posted in botanical art, general botany |

New Items for the Field & Studio at ArtPlantae Books

February 8, 2010 by Tania Marien

Practical & Inexpensive
Recently readers shared a practical tool with me and asked if I would consider carrying this tool in the store. I am happy to announce that the paint brush holder/pencil holder/pen holder (and soap dish) that has received so much attention is now available at ArtPlantae Books. Stop by the store and you will find the following items:

This tool is lightweight, easy-to-wash, and a practical alternative to porcelain brush holders. It can be purchased individually for $1.75 each or as a Classroom Set. The Classroom Set contains 20 brush holders and costs $20 per set.

A Folding Loupe To Magnify Your World 5x, 10x, or 15x
The next time you need to view stamen, use this loupe to help you study the details of these elegant structures. Visit the store to purchase the following item (stamps and other extras not included):

$6.95 each

Notepads with a Fresh Botanical Theme
California botanical artist, Sally Jacobs, has created new notepads for 2010. They feature her watercolor paintings of a red onion, a pineapple, and a sunflower. These notepads make a great birthday gift, hostess gift, or a “just because” gift for Mom. See the Sally Jacobs Collection to view this new line of stationery ($7 each).

Posted in ArtPlantae Books, botanical art |

Annual Orchid Show Celebrates Cuba

February 8, 2010 by Tania Marien

The New York Botanical Garden announces The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower. The Palm Beach landscape architecture firm, Sanchez & Maddux, will recreate the feeling of Old Havana and the Cuban countryside inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Architectural vignettes representing Cuban landmarks and snapshots of Cuba’s rich history will be presented throughout the conservatory amidst thousands of brightly colored orchids.

Take a sneak peek at behind-the-scenes preparations by viewing The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower in the Making – February 4, a special video created by the New York Botanical Garden.

The Orchid Show: Cuba in Flower will open on February 27, 2010 and close on April 11, 2010. For more information, visit www.nybg.org/tos10.

Related Items of Interest:

Posted in herbarium |

Farncombe Estates Adds Workshops by Valerie Oxley

February 8, 2010 by Tania Marien

New information at Classes Near You > International > England:

Farncombe Estate
Weekend Courses & Events in the Cotswolds
www.farncombeestate.co.uk
A 300-acre privately-owned parkland in the Cotswolds. Host to weekend classes in a wide variety of subjects. There is even a bed-and-breakfast option! Follow their blog or become a Fan of their Facebook page to learn more about this unique learning opportunity.

Botanical Illustration – Drawing and Painting Summer Flowers with Valerie Oxley – June 4-6, 2010. This class is for anyone who wants to record plants in flowers using pencil and paint. All enthusiastic beginners are welcome. (Note: A waiting list for this class has been established)
Botanical Painting in Watercolour or Gouache – July 16 – 18, 2010. Learn different ways to create detailed botanical paintings using watercolor or gouache. Work light to dark or dark to light. Regardless of how you choose to proceed, you’ll learn how to how to use a “dry brush” technique and mix colors in both media. This class is taught by natural science illustrator, Simon Williams. View all course details here.
Botanical Illustration – Drawing and Painting Autumn Fruits and Fungi with Valerie Oxley – October 15-17, 2010. Learn how to draw and paint Fall fruits and fungi. No previous experience is necessary. Participants are welcome to bring their own plant specimens.

Posted in botanical art, Learning Opportunities |

Supermarket Botany and More at Idaho Botanical Garden

February 8, 2010 by Tania Marien

The state of Idaho has been added to Classes Near You!

Idaho Botanical Garden
www.idahobotanicalgarden.org
Founded in 1984, The Idaho Botanical Garden is dedicated to enhancing public knowledge about gardening, horticulture, and conservation. Garden visitors are treated to several different gardens and interesting historical features. Botany and illustration classes taught at the garden include:

Grocery Store Botany – Wednesday, February 10, 6:30 p.m. Have you ever wondered about the plants you eat? Learn about the role plants play in our lives. Plant morphology, botanical terminology, and plant taxonomy are also studied in this fun class. Cost: $10 member, $15 non-member. View details
Beautiful Botanicals: A Botanical Illustration Workshop– Saturday, February 13 and Saturday, February 20, 10 a.m. Explore traditional methods of drawing and painting botanical subjects while studying the artwork of contemporary botanical artists. Beginners are welcome. Participants must bring their own watercolor brushes. Watercolor paper and paint will be provided. View details

Posted in Learning Opportunities |

“The Art of Plant Evolution” is Captivating Read

February 4, 2010 by Tania Marien

The long wait is over!

The new book by W. John Kress and Shirley Sherwood is like a novel you can’t put down. Expect to become lost in informative plant profiles, impressive artist profiles, and fascinating facts about plant evolution.

The authors begin their tour of the plant kingdom by providing background information about Charles Darwin, the process of evolution, and how plants are classified according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, a group of plant taxonomists who have classified plants according to current DNA research. Kress and Sherwood then provide an overview of major plant groups before introducing readers to the most visually stimulating taxonomic tree ever created.

This impressive reference was created after 700 paintings in the Shirley Sherwood Collection were arranged into plant orders. In the end, paintings were chosen to represent 44 orders, 116 families, and 134 species to paint as broad a picture of plant evolution as possible. Each painting is accompanied by a description of the taxonomic group it represents, a profile of the featured artist, and interesting information about the plant selected by each artist. The paintings represent the exquisite artwork of 84 international artists.

This one-of-a-kind reference is sure to thrill any artist or plant enthusiast.

Now available at ArtPlantae Books. Softcover $41. Hardcover $53.