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by Deb Shaw
Color test chart by X-Rite
The X-Rite site has a new, nifty Hue Test they’ve developed. They report that 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency. Their online color challenge, based on the official FM100 Hue Test is a fun way to see how well you see hue and value across the spectrum. Rearrange the squares in order of hue and then click on the “score test” button to see how well you do! Zero is a perfect score.
by Deb Shaw
BAGSC Member Estelle DeRidder participated in the illustration of “Denver’s Canopy – The Nature of Deciduous Trees.” Released by the Denver Botanic Gardens, the publication is a tribute to Dr. Moras Shubert, in celebration of his 100th birthday and his service to the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver community. The deciduous trees of the Denver area have been a life-long passion of Dr. Shubert, who had the vision for this lavishly visual, limited edition book (225 copies).
The call for entries went out during the first week of February 2012 with a submission deadline of February 29, 2012. Artists had less than 4 weeks to create their illustrations!
Honey Locust, by Estelle DeRidder, colored pencil, © 2012, all rights reserved
Estelle submitted two illustrations: a Liquid Amber, and a Honey Locust.
The senior author of “Denver’s Canopy” is Sonia John; contributing authors are Panayoti Kelaidis and Martin F. Quigley. The 86 pages feature photographs and more than 30 botanical illustrations by Estelle DeRidder, Jan Boyd Haring, Marjorie Leggitt, Katherine McCrery, Randy Raak, Heidi Snyder and Amy Weinstein. Illustrations were done in a wide variety of media, including graphite, colored pencil, watercolor and pen and ink.
Congratulations to the Denver Botanic Gardens and illustrators for a wonderful project! And a very Happy Birthday to Dr. Shubert!
Liquid Amber, by Estelle DeRidder, colored pencil, © 2012, all rights reserved
By Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
If you’re thinking about taking Margaret Best’s 3-day workshop at the Huntington Gardens on July 26, 27, 28, now is the time to reserve your space, and send in your deposit and/or your full class fee.
Participants will bring their own specimens (your choice!) and Margaret will focus on meaningful compositional choices for your personal art, or for creating potential entries into the BAGSC Drought Tolerant Plant Exhibition at Chapman University Library next year (intent to submit to the Exhibition is not a requirement of this class). All mediums are welcome in this workshop. This open medium instruction will be a first for BAGSC. Margaret suggests you bring your usual supplies, that includes your own preferred paper and paints/colored pencils, but she is happy to provide her own color palette choices for both mediums upon request. She can be reached via her website with any questions in regards to supplies.
There are still a few spaces available, and you can read more about this class on the prior post for the BAGSC blog.
So, if you had been contemplating attending, now’s the time to both register and find your subject. The cost for this class will be $300. Hold your space with a $50. non-refundable deposit, check made out to BAGSC and sent to Leslie Walker. Final $250. payment due July 1, 2012. Fabriano 5 paper (only available in Europe) will be available for purchase from the BAGSC inventory at class, three half-sheets for $7.00.
Participants should be selecting plants (for drought-tolerant help call Deborah Shaw or Leslie Walker), and starting sketches, color matching, and composition ideas. The more preparation you do ahead of the class the more you will get out of the class.
by Clara Josephs, posted by Deb Shaw
As we firm up the dates for the Chapman show, now is the time for you to make final decisions about which plants you will portray.
Please email Diane with the names of your selections. As we receive names of plants, the list will be posted monthly on the blog. By checking the blog list, you can make informed decisions as you progress with your paintings for the show.
Several people have asked about duplicate subject matter. We don’t expect a problem with that issue. At the first Chapman show we reserved the right to exclude duplicate subjects if we had too many paintings for the available display space. We had no problem displaying 70 + paintings and probably could have displayed more. This would be our policy again, but this time we would refer to our “Intent” list and give preference to the earliest declarer.
As you know, the exhibit is not only about the plants, but about the artistry in presenting the plant. Certainly, several artists can successful portray the same plant in dramatically different compositions. So don’t let the fact that another artist has declared for a plant stop you from painting a subject you are passionate about. But, do be aware that there is a small chance that if space is tight, some duplicates could be excluded
We hope to announce the exhibit dates very soon. Email Diane as you make your choices. We expect to be able to hang four paintings per member.
By Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
Preparing for an exhibition submission can be an exciting project yet sometimes, also a little daunting. What subject should I pick? Where do I find it? How do I create that particular texture? What type of composition will show the specimen off to its best advantage both in terms of its unique characteristics as well as offer an aesthetically appealing result? You will be able to get help with all of these elements by signing up for Margaret Best’s 3-day workshop at the Huntington Gardens on July 26, 27, 28.
Margaret will be steering participants towards meaningful compositional choices to kick-start a direction for creating potential entries into the BAGSC Drought Tolerant Plant Exhibition at Chapman University Library next year. Not only has Margaret developed a new format for her workshops, already proven in Bermuda, Canada and recently in Italy, she is also experienced in teaching graphite, watercolor and colored pencil and will be therefore welcoming all mediums in this workshop. This open medium instruction will be a first for BAGSC. Margaret suggests you bring your usual supplies, that include your own preferred paper and paints/colored pencils, but she is happy to provide her own color palette choices for both mediums upon request. She can be reached via her website with any questions in regards to supplies.
What you are required to bring with you is your own specimen. For those of you who love to depict colorful flowers, there are many options in this category too, but you should also be aware that the purpose of the exhibition is to bring a focus on the unique structures of drought tolerant and drought resistant plants as well. And the choice is not restricted to purely Californian natives. Once you have made your selection, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with the plant by completing preliminary sketches and doing some research into the ways that the plant structures you will be depicting, assist in its toughness to survive in regions that are often subjected to periods of time without water. This pre-workshop preparation time is not a pre-requisite to attend (nor is there a pressure to exhibit if you do not wish to do so) but it will help you progress more efficiently with a compositional direction and give you more time for color application and technical assistance.
So the time to both register and start looking for a subject is right away. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of this wonderful exhibition but also to be able to prepare for it with Margaret Best.
The cost for this class will be $300. Hold your space with a $50. non-refundable deposit, check made out to BAGSC and sent to Leslie Walker. Final $250. payment due July 1, 2012. Fabriano 5 paper (only available in Europe) will be available for purchase from the BAGSC inventory at class, three half-sheets for $7.00.
Participants should be selecting plants (for help call Deborah Shaw or Leslie Walker) now, and starting sketches, color matching, & composition ideas. The more preparation you do ahead of the class the more you will get out of the class.
See you there!
by Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
There’s been a change in the dates for Margaret Best‘s class in July! Mark your calendars: the new dates are
Thursday, July 26
Friday, July 27
Saturday, July 28
The class will still be at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Details to follow soon!
BAGSC News 