ArtPlantae Today

Does your botanical art group have a blog?

September 4, 2009 by Tania Marien

Many of you belong to a botanical art group and many of these groups have established blogs to share their activities with a global audience. Do you belong to a botanical art group or nature journaling group that has an online presence? Tell us and we will feature your group here at ArtPlantae Today.

Please submit the following information:

Name of your group
A brief description of your group
Your group’s website or blog address (or both)

Click on Leave a Comment below to submit your information. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted in botanical art |

ArtPlantae’s Facebook Page Up & Running

September 4, 2009 by Tania Marien

Thank you to everyone who has joined us on Facebook and eased us into this new domain. It’s full steam ahead from here!

Posted in Blog News | 2 Comments »

Artisans and Books at the Mainstreet Marketplace

August 24, 2009 by Tania Marien

ArtPlantae will participate in the new Mainstreet Marketplace at Victoria Gardens. Victoria Gardens is an upscale outdoor regional center located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The Mainstreet Marketplace is an arts and crafts festival featuring artisans, gourmet pre-packaged foods, music, and a diverse selection of handcrafted products.

ArtPlantae will be at the Mainstreet Marketplace this week. You are invited to browse our selection of botanical art books and supplies. If you want to try your hand at botanical painting, you will have the opportunity to dabble at one of our painting stations.

Consider picking up a fresh cup of coffee before coming over to browse. We are conveniently located next to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf!

Directions to Victoria Gardens can be viewed here.

Posted in Special Announcements |

Groveland Gallery Hosts Contemporary Botanical Art Exhibit

August 17, 2009 by Tania Marien

There is nothing more fun than a botanical art exhibit you can view online without having to tackle freeways and airports. Now, while you may miss out on the thrill of looking at delicate artwork under a handheld magnifier, the opportunity to view an entire exhibit at a location you know you’ll never get to this summer, makes up for this missed indulgence. The Groveland Gallery provides such an opportunity to its patrons, as well as to those of us in the global audience.

Located in Minneapolis, MN, the Groveland Gallery has been host to Contemporary Botanicals, a botanical art exhibition featuring the artwork of Yara Anderson, Jane Fisher, and Norma Nelson. On view are forty-three paintings and drawings created in graphite and watercolor. Mixed media pieces were created in watercolor & colored pencil or graphite & watercolor. Almost half of the pieces are graphite drawings and this is a refreshing change for a botanical art exhibit because graphite drawings are usually out-numbered by watercolor paintings (watercolor being the traditional medium for botanical art).

Go to the museum’s website to view the exhibit or go directly to each artist’s page. Contemporary Botanicals closes on August 29, 2009.

Posted in botanical art |

New Botanical Art Workshop Focuses on Butterflies

August 17, 2009 by Tania Marien

The following information has been added to CLASSES NEAR YOU > CALIFORNIA.

Butterflies in Watercolor:
Combining Butterflies within Botanical Art
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Sharon Belkin, Illustrator
9:00am – 3:30pm / Oak Room
$95 members/$105 non-members; pre-registration required
$10 supply fee due to the instructor in class
Supply list available upon registration

How do you make choices about which butterfly to include in a flower painting?

Scientific illustrator, Sharon Belkin, will address the many issues of combining butterflies with plant material as well as how to compose with flowers and insects. Topics that will be covered include:

Butterfly anatomy and the importance of wing position
Handling insect specimens and how to obtain them
Using reference materials to extract the details most useful to the artist (such as size of wingspan and season of activity)
Host plants
How to use photographs

Sharon will also discuss the many interesting insect-plant relationships found not only in California native plants but also insect-plant relationships found in the Tropics. For example, passionflower vines are host to a whole family of colorful butterflies. She was trained at UCLA and has been a member of The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators since 1976 and is a former member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Throughout her career, Sharon has specialized in insect illustration, collaborating with museum and university scientists. Recently, she illustrated a series of 10 habitat studies of plants, animals and insects found in the various plant communities of the Ballona wetlands, located in Southern California. In 2009, she completed a series of 13 watercolor studies of native Guatemalan orchids. Because of her travels in the Amazon and in Central America, Sharon has developed a particular interest in rainforest ecology.

To register, please call 626.821.4624 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org

Posted in Learning Opportunities, scientific illustration |

A New Session Annoucned for “Focus on Flowers”

August 17, 2009 by Tania Marien

Through engaging lectures, painting demonstrations and hands-on exercises, Julie Schneider Ljubenkov will teach you to create beautiful watercolor flowers and foliage using the four key steps of composing a painting. In addition to traditional favorites like roses and sunflowers, you will discover the unique beauty of San Diego’s indigenous wildflowers. By the end of this class, you will have mastered the techniques needed to create hundreds of vibrant colors using a limited palate.

Focus on Flowers: Beginning Watercolor
Mira Costa College
$109.00; Non-credit, adult course at the San Elijo Campus
Wednesdays, September 30 to November 18, 2009.
Register for this class here.

Note: Please bring paper and pencil to the first class meeting. A supply list will be available from the instructor. A $3 materials fee will be collected in class. Plan to spend an additional $40-$65.

Posted in Learning Opportunities |

Popular Botanical Painting & Illustration Classes Continue

August 17, 2009 by Tania Marien

TheLos Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden offers courses in introductory botanical drawing, beginning and intermediate watercolor, colored pencil, and sketching throughout the year. All courses are taught by Olga Eysymontt. Check the listings below for upcoming Fall and Winter classes.

Basic Watercolor & Graphite Pencil
Application and Techniques for Botanical Illustration (Ongoing Series)
In this class, students will render all plant forms in graphite and then use their graphite drawing as a model to create the same form with transparent watercolor. This ongoing series will cover the basic application and techniques of watercolor painting and drawing in graphite. Cost: $180 members / $195 nonmembers.