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by Diane Daly and Deb Shaw
The Opuntia cactus in the courtyard at the entrance to Bowers Museum. Another beautiful Fall day in Southern California. Photo © Deborah Shaw, 2015.
BAGSC members Diane Daly, Deb Shaw, and new BAGSC member Linda Carpenter spent a gorgeous Fall day at the Bowers Museum on November 22, demonstrating botanical art and talking with visitors to the Museum. BAGSC members are demonstrating in conjunction with the Bowers exhibition “The Red that Colored the World,” on display through February 21, 2016.
Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is a scale insect that lives on Opuntia cacti. The insect produces carminic acid, from which carmine dye is derived. The females and their nymphs secrete a waxy, white web to protect them from the sun and predators. Photo © Deborah Shaw, 2015.
There is a huge Optuntia (Prickly Pear) growing in the courtyard at the entrance to the Bowers, serendipitously covered with Cochineal. We were lucky to have a large pad that had fallen to the ground, and, in addition to botanical art, we were able to show visitors the Cochineal scale insect, the color, and even some Mealybug Ladybird (ladybug) larvae who were feasting on the Cochineal. It was a whole world on one cactus pad. Visitors to the museum were fascinated (as were we!).
Live Cochineal (under the white on the Opuntia cactus paddle); dried Cochineal; and paint from the crushed insects. Photo by Diane Daly, © 2015, all rights reserved.
Diane Daly teaches at the Bowers Museum Treasures Program, which reaches out to senior centers, community centers, libraries, social service agencies and residential communities, engaging older adults who may be feeling isolated through art. The Thursday program focused on Cochineal as well, complete with demonstrations of crushing the bugs and using them to make paint. The seniors then painted an Aztec design using the paint. They could add lemon juice to some of the paint, which made it a lighter, warmer red.
Deborah Shaw will be teaching a a two-day color mixing class, “What’s Cool (and Warm) about Red” (with paint from the art supply store) on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 at Bowers. Registration is through the Bowers website.
Additional BAGSC demonstration days in conjunction with the exhibition will be held in January and February. Come join us and learn about a color that changed the history of the world, that’s still in use today. (You’ll be amazed at how much Cochineal is still used in food, make-up and clothing dyes.) Email Deb to sign up!
by Melanie Campbell-Carter, posted by Deb Shaw
It’s time to renew your membership in ASBA and BAGSC!
Member Renewals
An email reminder will be distributed at the first of the year, but the sooner the better for renewing your membership! All renewals are handled through the ASBA website, and the Membership Chair is notified of renewals only after they are processed by the ASBA. Therefore, it is conceivable that some delay may occur between a member’s online transaction and BAGSC’s awareness of that renewal. Please notify the ASBA or Melanie (BAGSC Membership Chair) if you feel your renewal may have gotten “lost” in cyberspace.
How to Renew:
The ASBA website renewal has been revised, and it’s much clearer and easier!
- Go to the ASBA Home Page
- Click on Membership, then
- Join/Renew Now (or simply click “Join/Renew Now on this line and get taken directly there)
- (Make membership selections)
Most of us will go through the following drill:
Select:
- Myself >
- Renewing >
- United States >
- Join a chapter >
- BAGSC
- Checkout – $100 for one US membership plus BAGSC; international membership is $125 (US) for one US membership plus BAGSC
Once you go through the process, you will be given the opportunity to join multiple chapters if you would like, and make donations to ASBA and to the chapters you join.
In case of confusion or problems:
- If you joined ASBA but forgot to join BAGSC, it is easy to fix. From the Home Page, go through Membership to Join/Renew Now. Toward the bottom, there is a link for those who have already paid their 2016 ASBA dues but failed to join a chapter. Click there and proceed.
- If you have difficulty with the website, please email Melanie or contact ASBA directly. Help is available!
BAGSC had seventeen renewals for 2016 in November. These “early birds” are setting a great example for us all. Please get your renewal done as soon as you can. We have a great calendar for 2016 with lots of great member events and opportunities!
by Suzanne Kuuskmae, posted by Deb Shaw
Red Lilies, watercolor on paper, © 2015, Suzanne Kuuskmae, all rights reserved.
Currently I have two botanical paintings out and about. One got into the Palos Verdes Art Center Show and is called “Red Lilies” and the other is in the Torrance Museum South Bay Focus Show and is called: “Camellias Next Door.” I think because no one around here is doing that kind of art, it attracts quite a bit of attention. I also sold two botanical this past few months: “Purple Iris,” and “Morning Glories.”
We are going to have a few openings in the gallery portion of our Destination: Art co-op so it might be that some other botanical artists might be interested in joining us? The cost is $60 a month for a 6 foot space.
Camellia #3, watercolor on paper, © 2015, Suzanne Kuuskmae, all rights reserved.
Our co-op did a Holiday Tree for the Torrance Memorial Hospital which took us all of October and November to put together as we hand-made all the ornaments. One group of ornaments was small 8 x 6 canvases on which we painted some of the old masters but with a Christmas touch, such as: Mona Lisa with a Santa’s hat. They turned out really well as one of our imaginative artists built frames for each one, and then we painted and put ribbon around each. He also cut out Christmas trees that we painted and decorated with shiny gems; a very labor intensive undertaking. Our tree sold right away at the Festival so we were able to make quite a nice sum for the Hospital plus make a name for our art group.
by Clara Josephs, posted by Deb Shaw
University of California, Riverside, Botanic Garden. Photo by Tania Marien, © 2015, all rights reserved.
Mark your calendars: the first BAGSC Quarterly meeting of 2016 will be Sunday, March 6, 2016, at 9:30 am at the University of California, Riverside Botanic Gardens.
A guided tour of the Gardens begins promptly at 9:45 am.
Sack lunch and quarterly meeting immediately following at 11 in the conference room.
Cost: $8 for tour (payable at the meeting) plus parking fee.
Tania Marien has arranged a guided tour just for BAGSC members of the spectacular botanic garden at UC Riverside. This world renowned garden and research facility has a unique collection of plants and trees from all over the world, including rare and bizarre plants from Baja, California and unique specimens from the Sierra Foothills. Ongoing research projects include the development of dwarf, low winter-chill lilacs and a breeding project focused on developing heat resistance in Cantua (Magic Flower of the Incas).
The tour will last approximately 1-1/4 hours. There is bench seating along the route. Please bring $8 to cover the cost of the guided tour, money for parking, a sack lunch and drink. Our quarterly meeting and lunch will begin at 11. You will want to bring your camera or sketchbook! Plan to arrive in the parking lot by 9:30. Restroom facilities are at the entry to the garden. We plan to begin the tour promptly at 9:45 am.
Carpool meeting locations will be established in various Southern California locations to make travel to Riverside easier. More to come later on carpooling. Please note that parking in lots other than the small lot at the botanic garden is subject to University parking fees. Carpooling is encouraged.
Visit the UCR Botanic Gardens online. You’ll be impressed by what you see!
BAGSC Meeting Dates for 2016
- March 6
- June 4
- September 11
- December 3
Parking Information for UC Riverside Botanic Gardens
Weekend parking at the botanic gardens is .25¢/hour. Parking is limited. Weekend parking in UCR Lot 10 is $1.25/hour, 2-hour maximum.
BAGSC News 