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by Deb Shaw
Morgan Kari will be teaching “Amazing Colored Pencils” at the Manhattan Beach Creative Center Tuesday nights July 5-August 9, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. The cost is $140 for residents of Manhattan Beach, and $154 for nonresidents.
Registration is available online. There are still spaces available. If you need help with registration, call (310) 802-5448. A supply list is available by calling (310) 802-5448.
Students will be introduced to colored pencil and exciting techniques, including odorless turpentine blending, embossing, frisket erasing, burnishing, and optical blending. This class will further students’ knowledge of composition, form, value, color, line, paper selection and lightfast color pencils. The class will be held in the Performing Arts Room at the Creative Arts Center, at 1560 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 9026.
by Deb Shaw
Tania Marien, ArtPlantae will be teaching a children’s nature class presented by Back to Natives on Saturday, 25 June from 10 am to 11 am at the Santiago Creek Nature Center, 600 E. Memory Lane, in Santa Ana.
The class is part of the series, “Learning through Natural Science Illustration: Mother Monarch” and will introduce children ages five and six to natural science and illustration through Mindy Lighthipe’s book, “Mother Monarch”. Children will become more aware of butterflies and insects and the important role they often play as pollinators. In a hands-on nature-themed art project using paper sculpture and gouache, each child will create a beautiful butterfly life cycleand learn about plants, how they grow, and why plants are relevant to our lives.
The cost is $10.75/child. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times. Space is limited. To register, send an email to Back to Natives Restoration to reserve your spot and fill out the City+of+Santa+Ana+Registration+Form, which can be brought with payment the day of class.
by Sue Kuuskmae
There are still a few openings left for Mike Sibley’s “Drawing From Line To Life Workshop”; a 3-Day Graphite Pencil Workshop focusing on botanical subjects, June 24 – 26 at the Torrance Airport Zamperini Field meeting room. The cost for the workshop is $385 and there is a full description of the class on his website. All materials will be provided. Sign up on Mike Sibley’s website, or contact Suzanne Kuuskmae.
by Deb Shaw
BAGSC member, Tania Marien, of ArtPlantae, will teach a natural science illustration class this Saturday, 7 May, from 10 am – 11 am at the Santiago Creek Nature Center, 600 E. Memory Lane, in Santa Ana. Presented by Back to Natives, this class will introduce children to natural science illustrator Marianne Wallace and her America’s series of books. The class will create a nature-themed art project, and learn about plants, how they grow, and why they are important in our lives.
The class is designed specially for children ages 5 and 6 for $10.75/child. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times. Register for the class by emailing Back to Natives, then click on the following link: (City+of+Santa+Ana+Registration+Form) to download the registration form. Fill out the form and bring it with you with payment to the class.
Santiago Park Nature Center is located at 600 E. Memory Lane, Santa Ana, 92706, between Main Street and the 22 Freeway in north Santa Ana.
Bring your children or grandchildren and see you there!
Keep your eye on the calendar for April! An email blast was sent out to members with information on the following April dates:
Come Meet and Greet Elaine Searle (and potluck)
Saturday April 2, 2011
at Tania’s.
Margaret Best class: “A Brush with Blue”
April 15, 16 & 17, 2011, 10 am – 4 pm
at Sally’s new studio — there are still a few openings left. See the blog posting below and contact Leslie.
Susan Frei Nathan at the Huntington Library
April 28-29, 2011
See the blog posting below and contact Deb.
Next meeting
The next meeting will be May 21 instead of May 28, 2011 at Norma’s house.
by Deb Shaw
Susan Frei Nathan will be presenting a workshop at the The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on
April 28-29, 2011
Susan Frei Nathan is an ASBA Board Member, and a gallery owner specializing in botanical art representing Jean Emmons, Martha Kemp, Karen Kluglein, Kate Nessler, Lizzie Sanders, Catherine Watters and Carol Woodin, among others.
She has a talent for helping artists bring their work to the next level. Susan will give a lecture on the morning of April 28 (cost $10 for members; $15 for non-members), followed by individual meetings with artists in a half-hour, one-on-one portfolio review/critique session ($50) that afternoon and on Friday, April 29. Susan will discuss each artist’s work as well as marketing and personal artistic goals.
The lecture/discussion will cover:
- the current market valuation for botanical art
- how botanical art has been valued over time
- choosing subject matters with the intention of selling your work
- quality of work and how this is determined
- how to find the right gallery to represent your work
- what collectors look for
- building collections
- dissecting specific collections Susan has built and exploring the collector’s mind
The individual critiques will cover:
- evaluation of the artist’s potential to sell artwork within the fine art market
- discussion of technique, composition, color, choice of subject matter
- individual professional goals
Take advantage of this valuable opportunity. To reserve your space for the lecture AND for an individual critique, send your $10 deposit to Deb Shaw. To schedule an individual session with Susan Frei Nathan contact Deb. Every attempt will be made to schedule BAGSC members who come from far away for the Thursday afternoon sessions after the lecture/discussion. The $50 payment for the individual session can be paid in advance, or the morning of the lecture.
By Leslie Walker
Plumbago auriculata, watercolor by Margaret Best, © 2011, all rights reserved.
At one time blue pigments were amongst the most expensive and difficult to obtain. Unlike red pigment, the challenge was not one of permanency but availability. Technology has eliminated many of the former problems related to this color. But in the range of blue paints now available to the artist, what are the best choices and most specifically which ones serve the specific needs of the contemporary botanical artist? For an in-depth study of the color blue, exercises to help you discover which blue pigments will provide you the best colour matches for botanical subjects, join Margaret Best for this 3-day workshop in another of her series designed to expand your understanding of available pigments. You will also learn how to use blue effectively in the highlights and shadow areas of your paintings and your knowledge gained will be used to create a single flower study.
Class location is at Sally Jacobs’ new studio in LA. An email blast will be sent out with directions; for questions, please contact me. Classes will be April 15, 16 & 17, 2011, 10 am – 4 pm. Bring a bag lunch as there are no nearby places to eat. Cost will be $275 for BAGSC members and $300 for non-members. Space will be held for a non-refundable $50 deposit sent to Leslie Walker. Final payment is due April 1, 2011.
Questions? Call or email Leslie.
by Deb Shaw
Carica papaya, Bermuda Paw Paw, watercolor by Margaret Best, © 2010, all rights reserved.
Join Margaret Best at the Bermuda Society of Artists’ Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda for a four day botanical art workshop:
“Color and Composition“
May 30 – June 2, 2011
10 am – 4 pm
Cost: $395 members/$445 non-members
The workshop will explore color and composition in watercolor by painting stunning sub-tropical plant specimens, including hibiscus ginger, strelitzia, plumeria, wild gladioli, magnolia and more.
For more information about the workshop and to register, contact: The Bermuda Society of Artists.
Other botanical art classes that Margaret will be teaching in Bermuda include:
Drawing with Dimension
March 5 – 6, 2011
Graphite techniques to achieve effective continuous tone
Finding Form in Watercolour
March 9 – 11, 2011
The role of light and shadow, value and colour in effective botanical watercolours
As stated on their website, The Bermuda Society of Arts is known affectionately as the “People’s Art Gallery”. The oldest established arts organization in the country, the Society’s mission is to further the arts and artists in Bermuda.
Location of Hamilton on the island of Bermuda.
Bermuda is located approximately two hours off the east coast of the United States, and is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
Watercolor of Mesa Prickly Pear, Opuntia x vaseyi, by Julie Schneider Ljubenkov, © 2006
BAGSC Member Julie Schneider Ljubenkov is offering the following classes:
Eye on Nature, Beginning Watercolor Landscape Painting, 3 units (Adults)
January 20 to March 17th, 9 Thursday evenings, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
University of California San Diego, La Jolla. Extension. $275.00
Materials fee optional.
Mosaic Art, Mira Costa College Community Services (Adults)
7 Monday evenings, March 21 to May 2, 5:30 to 8:30. Non-credit
$109.00 to enroll. $35.00 materials fee.
Julie is also looking for three adults that would like to do a mosaic workshop with her in San Marcos. Email Julie if interested.
Introduction to Mosaic Art 1, 3 units. University of California San Diego (Adults) La Jolla, Extension. $275.00, 9 Tuesday evenings, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, April 5 to May 31st. Materials fee optional.
Watercolor Painting for Children, 4 Tuesday afternoons, 3:30 to 5:00, Feb. 1 to Feb. 22. City of Escondido, East Valley Community Center.
Gardening and Landscaping with California Native Plants at two locations:
1. 4 Tuesday evenings, 6:00 to 8:30, Feb. 1 to Feb. 22, City of Escondido
2. 3 Monday evenings, 5:30 to 8:30, May 9th to 23, Mira Costa College, Oceanside
There will be two Saturday morning field trips to a native plant nursery. The dates will be announced. You may go to either one, or both.
Please check dates, times, and prices on-line or in the schedule of classes. Signing up early insures the class will not get canceled due to low enrollment.
by Deborah Shaw
Chinese Brush Painting
Gloria Whea-Fun Teng will be teaching another session of Introduction to Chinese Brush Painting at the Arboretum:
4 Thursdays: January 6 – January 27;
4 Thursdays, February 3 – 24
12:30-2:30pm / Oak Room
$120 members / $130 non-members per session
In this introductory course the student will learn the difference between Chinese brush painting and other watercolor painting. The class will teach the beginning painter to use Chinese brushes and ink to create beautiful paintings on rice paper. At the end of this course, a completed painting will be ready to be framed and displayed. More experienced students will continue to refine their work and learn new techniques.
For Reservations or Information, please call (626) 821-4623 or email Jill Berry.
by Jill Berry, Los Angeles Arboretum
In this introductory course the student will learn the difference between Chinese brush painting and other watercolor painting. The class will teach the beginning painter to use Chinese brushes and ink to create beautiful paintings on rice paper. At the end of this course, a completed painting will be ready to be framed and displayed. For more experienced students, you will continue to refine your work and learn new techniques. The instructor is a very talented artist who has taught a variety of courses over the years. She has also studied botanical illustration at Otis College of Art & Design.
4 Thursdays, January 6 – January 27
4 Thursdays, February 3 – 24
12:30-2:30pm / Oak Room
The Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
Gloria Whea-Fun Teng, instructor
$120 members per session/ $130 non-members per session
To register, contact Jill Berry, Education Manager via email, or call 626.821.4624. (Please call to pay by credit card.)
Wendy is a well-known botanical artist and master of colored pencil from New York Botanical Gardens, and she will be stopping in Los Angeles on her way to Filoli and Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai. She has workshops planned in both those locations. If there is interest in spending a few days with Wendy, Sue Kuuskmae will start looking for a spot to hold the workshop. It would be at least a six hour class and would cost in the range of $80 to $100 a day depending on whether or not we could find a low cost (or no cost) place to hold it. Let Sue know right away if you are interested. Kuuskmae@Verizon.net or 310-546-7872
Thanks, Sue K
By Jill Berry, LA Arboretum and Olga Eysymontt
The schedule below is for Olga Eysymontt’s botanical illustration classes for January through June. Please call 626.821.4623 to register; pre-registration is required as her classes fill quickly and space is limited. You may also email Jill Berry and she can register you with a credit card. Happy Holidays to all!
Botanical Illustration with Olga Eysymontt
A Monthly Series on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at the Arboretum, 301 North Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA 91007
9:30am – 2:30pm
Fees: $160 members per month / $190 for non-members per month
Registration: Call 626.821.4623 or email Jill Berry.
Unlike previous years, the Spring Botanical Illustration classes will meet twice a month, with each class session being 4 hours, for a total of 8 hours per session. Tuesdays will be dedicated to Graphite Pencil and Wednesdays to Watercolor. Sign up for the Tuesday sessions OR the Wednesday sessions (or both!). The goal of these sessions is to practice and refine your preferred technique. Students should have some experience with their chosen medium. A finished piece is not expected. The cost of each monthly 8 hr session is $160 for Arboretum members and $190 for non-members.
TUESDAYS: WEDNESDAYS:
Graphite Watercolor
Jan. 11 & 25 Jan. 12 & 26
Quick Sketching skills: getting the right angle before I commit
Feb. 8 & 22 Feb. 9 & 23
Form: how dark or light should I make my specimen?
March 8 & 22 March 9 & 23
Overlap and Transition: making things look clear and precise in a 2 D world
April 5 & 19 April 6 & 20
Details: Oh that fuzz!
May 3 & 17 May 4 & 18
Composition: what is the focus and how do I get inspired to make a statement piece?
May 31 & June 14 June 1 & 15
Experimentation: being unpredictable and refreshing
Since 1997, Olga Eysymontt has taught Botanical Illustration classes for the Arboretum. She is a former instructor at Otis College of Art, and a Fine Arts graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology. Olga is passionate about teaching and the thrill of bringing out each student’s vision. Aside from Botanical Illustration, her current interests include landscape and macro photography.
by Tania Norris
Rosa Canina, Rosehip, watercolor by Margaret Best, © 2010
Margaret Best will be back at Virginia Robinson Gardens to teach a 3‐day workshop “A Single Flower Portrait”, October 5, 6, and 7.
The purpose of the workshop is to bring together all the skills taught at the workshops at Virginia Robinson Gardens throughout the 2010 series in a single flower study.
To prepare for the 3-day class and maximize on the class time with Margaret, it is recommended that students select a single flower subject that is not complicated and that will be able to be completed in the allotted time. Try to limit the outer dimension of the complete work to a maximum of 7.5 inches by 9.5 inches, so any preparatory drawing on tracing paper or in a sketch book should be sized accordingly. If the selected flower does not meet this dimension in life‐size, there is a strong possibility that the required exercises will not be completed during the class.
Select a single flower on a stem with at least one full leaf (attached if possible). You may have more than one leaf and a bud if you wish, but the goal of the class is to complete all three elements to the final detail stage flower, leaf and stem. Per the homework provided following the composition class, you should complete six different compositional sketches (thumbnail sketches) of your selected flower and related parts. If you did not attend the composition class, take time to position and sketch your subject thoughtfully in six different ways with maximum eye appeal.
The following schedule will form the basis of the 3‐day workshop:
Day 1: Review prepared compositions with Margaret and complete final drawing on quality paper. Light tables are provided.
Day 2: Commence color washes to build form and chroma.
Day 3: Complete chroma and form on all three required elements and add the final details.
If you were not able to attend the details class, Margaret will be happy to demonstrate certain techniques again that pertain to the subjects selected for this final workshop.
For a full schedule of Botanical Art classes, and to register for this class, please visit the Virginia Robinson Gardens website, or call them at (310) 550-2068. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Tania Norris.
by Tania Norris
The Virginia Robinson Gardens Botanical Art program started nine years ago and has been carefully nurtured by renowned teachers from England and Canada.
We are now privileged to have one of Southern Californiaʼs botanical artists and authorities on morphology and botany, agree to present a one-day class at Virginia Robinson Gardens:
Tania Marien, “Plant Morphology and Economic Botany”
One-day class, Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
10 am – 3 pm
Course fee: $60.00 for Friends of Robinson Gardens
$75.00 for non-Friends
$25.00 is non-refundable if for any reason the student has to cancel
Checks should be made payable to: Friends of Robinson Gardens,
1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210
Payment may be made by credit card by calling (310) 550-2068
The Plant Morphology Reg Form must be filled out and returned to the Friends of Robinson Gardens address.
Tania Marien is a long time member of the American Society of Botanical Artists as well as the local chapter the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California. She has taught botany at the Getty Museum and for other institutions and schools. She is a very knowledgeable young woman that will bring life and excitement in to knowing how to make your paintings botanically correct. She will provide a booklet to keep for reference and during class we will use dissecting kits and magnifying lens as well as microscopes.
This we can promise you – school was never like this class and should be fun and enjoyed by all.
A materials list will be sent to all registered students prior to the class as well as parking instructions. The class will be held in the Pool Pavilion from 10am to 3pm. For a full schedule of Botanical Art classes, please visit the Virginia Robinson Gardens website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Tania Norris.
