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by Deb Shaw and Diane Daly

Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Red Bird of Paradise, or Mexican Bird of Paradise, watercolor by Diane Daly, © 2013, all rights reserved.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Red Bird of Paradise, or Mexican Bird of Paradise, watercolor by Diane Daly, © 2013, all rights reserved.

We’re updating our list of who is painting which Legumes for the Chapman University Exhibition in the Leatherby Libraries. [Just updated New Year’s Day — keep ’em coming and Happy New Year!]

The Legumes Exhibition follows closely on the heels of the Camellia Show at Descanso! (Each year, January seems to get busier and busier for BAGSC members!) Don’t forget that the entry forms for the Legume Exhibition are due the same day, Friday, January 16, 2015 that the Camellia Show will be staged and hung. Entry forms should be emailed or mailed, on or before that date to Diane Daly.

The list below are the Legume subjects BAGSC members have painted, are painting, or are thinking about painting. Don’t panic if you see something you’ve painted (or are thinking of painting) on the following list. This is only a preliminary list, and it’s always fun to see the same subject painted by different people. If you haven’t sent your subject to Diane Daly, please do so. We will be using our subject list to develop educational outreach materials with Dr. Jennifer Funk’s students.

  • Cristina Baltayian: Coral Tree, Papago Beans, Tamarind Pods
  • Melanie Campbell-Carter: Snail Vine (Viga caracalla)
  • Diane Daly: Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), Calliandra Eriophylla
  • Cynthia Jackson: Knife Acacia (Acacia cultriformis)
  • Clara Josephs: Desert False Indigo with Dogface Butterfly, Carob Tree
  • Joan Keesey: Wisteria, Coral Tree, Lupine
  • Suzanne Kuuskmae: Lupine, Wisteria, Vicia sativa
  • Pat Mark: Hyacinth Bean
  • Arillyn Moran-Lawrence: Shelling Pea, Green Arrow, Pisum sativum (Heirloom), plus hopefully one more
  • Robyn Reilman, Acacia Stenophylla
  • Mitsuko Schultz: Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
  • Janice Sharp: Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus), and Australian native
    Wistera Hardenbergia violacea
  • Deborah Shaw: Castanospermum australe (if it gets done!), Acacia seed pod (Wattle Bush)
  • Patty VanOsterhoudt: Desert Museum x Parkinsidium Parkinsonia x Cercidium (Palo Verde)
  • Leslie Walker: Delonix regia

Need inspiration for your artwork? (There’s still time!) See some of Dr. Funk’s suggestions in our prior BAGSC News Blog article.

by Norma Sarkin, posted by Deb Shaw

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander has put out a call for art to be displayed in the Council District Twelve Community Service Center. All artists in the San Fernando Valley area (including botanical artists) are invited to participate in this event.

The 2015 Art Show is a celebration of the rich and unique culture in the San Fernando Valley. The Art Show coordinators are looking for artwork created by local artists to be displayed for five months in the Community Service Center, located at 9207 Oakdale Avenue in Chatsworth. By providing a gallery space for local artists, San Fernando Valley is hoping to raise awareness of the arts and foster a more culturally rich community.

The show is open to all local San Fernando Valley artists. Entries in the following media categories will be accepted: painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and ceramics.

The deadline for submission of new work is Tuesday, January 13 and the show will be on Thursday, January 22, 2015. Any questions about this exhibit, or any artists interested in submitting artwork, should contact Alexa Meyers via email, or by phone at (818) 882-1212.

by Beth Stone, posted by Deb Shaw

Camellia japonica 'Guilio Nuccio' with Camellia japonica 'Horkan' and Camellia wabisuke 'Sukiya', watercolor by Beth Stone, © 2104, all rights reserved.

Camellia japonica ‘Guilio Nuccio’ with Camellia japonica ‘Horkan’ and Camellia wabisuke ‘Sukiya’, watercolor by Beth Stone, © 2104, all rights reserved.

The winter months are Camellia show season. This year, BAGSC members will have a Camellia Painting Exhibition at Descanso Gardens, Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18, 2015.

The BAGSC Camellia Painting Exhibit will take place in Van de Kamp Hall, just inside the main entrance, in conjunction with the first Camellia flower show of the 2015 season. Camellia shows are exhibitions of hundreds of individual Camellia blooms presented for judging by amateur Camellia growers. Blooms are placed into classes based upon Camellia Species and characteristics such as nominal bloom size and culture conditions.

Each show has about 25 individual classes. Each class is judged by one of several teams of three judges. The teams select first place blooms of each cultivar entered in the class. They also choose multiple first place blooms from each class that merit further judging. All judges present, typically about 20, then vote for the top blooms in each class, evaluating the first place cultivars against one another. The ballots are tallied and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place from each class is determined. Winners may choose crystal “trophies” or may accumulate points throughout the show season, which are then converted into a gift certificate redeemable at Nuccio’s Nurseries.

Camellia Grand Prix, by Janice Sharp, colored pencil, © 2014, all rights reserved.

Camellia Grand Prix, by Janice Sharp, colored pencil, © 2014, all rights reserved.

Southern California has a consortium of five different Camellia Societies which conduct Camellia flower shows nearly every weekend from mid-January to mid-March each year in locations ranging from Bakersfield to San Diego. The January 17 and 18, 2015 exhibition at Descanso is the Pacific Camellia Society’s 50th annual show.

The Camellia Painting Exhibit and Flower Show will be open to the public:
Saturday January 17, 2015 1:00 PM (pending completion of the flower show judging) to 4:30 PM
Sunday January 18, 2015 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Admission to the Camellia Painting Exhibit and Flower Show is included with admission to Descanso Gardens. General admission is $9. Seniors 65 and over and students are admitted for $6. Children (5 to 12 years) are $4. Descanso members and children under five are admitted for free. There is ample parking at Descanso and you can also get a quick, easy and tasty lunch at their café.

Descanso Gardens is located near the intersection of the 210 and 2 freeways at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, California, 91011. It is a 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles, depending on traffic.

Allow time on your visit to Descanso Gardens to take a walk through the Camellia Forest and visit the Camellia room in the Boddy House. You may also want to explore the newly opened natural Oak Woodland.

Minato-no-haru Camellia, Clara Josephs, watercolor, © 2014, all rights reserved.

Minato-no-haru Camellia, by Clara Josephs, watercolor, © 2014, all rights reserved.

More information about the Camellia Societies and Camellia culture can be found at http://www.socalcamellias.org.

Nuccio’s Nurseries will also have an exhibit in Van de Kamp hall for the duration of this show which will be packed with examples of everything currently blooming in their Nursery. If you haven’t been to Nuccio’s, you owe it to yourself to see one of Southern California’s nursery treasures. Everything Camellia and Azalea can be found at Nuccio’s.

Want to volunteer to help with the Camellia Exhibition?

BAGSC volunteers are needed to help

  • Stage and hang the show on Friday, January 16, 2015.
  • Stay with the exhibit all weekend while it is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, 2015. BAGSC volunteers supporting the exhibit will provide information to the public about BAGSC and our art form and will handle any sales. [There will also be at least one Camellia Society volunteer on hand at all times while the exhibit is open to talk with the public about the Camellias on display.] All BAGSC members are invited to volunteer and help support the show; you may volunteer regardless of whether or not you have work in the exhibition.
  • Help with taking down and packing up the exhibit on Sunday, January 18, 2015.

An email blast went out to all BAGSC members with a call for volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Beth Stone.

See you there!

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