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by Deb Shaw
Aristolochia gigantea, ink on paper, Lesley Randall, © 2013, all rights reserved
The 14th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration by The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation has been traveling around the United States for the past two years. Its final stop is at the Petaluma Arts Center in Petaluma, California, for a botanical art exhibition entitled Floribunda, which will run from October 16, 2016 through December 11, 2016.
Floribunda is a celebration of all things floral, featuring the 36 artists from nine countries in The 14th Hunt exhibition, including BAGSC members Leslie Randall and Deborah Shaw. Additionally, the Petaluma Arts Center will feature the work of Aimee Baldwin, Evan Kolker and Randy Strong—three Bay Area artists who create three-dimensional representations of flowers.
“This exhibition is designed as a source of inspiration and an invitation to see the natural world around us in distinct ways, to illuminate the relationship between art and science,” explained Petaluma Arts Center Exhibitions Manager Kim Chigi. “With Botany as one of the sciences, we are excited about the juxtaposition of traditional botanical illustration with the contemporary three-dimensional creations, working in tandem, to explore the connections between the creativity of both artist and nature.”
The Petaluma Arts Center will host a series of events related to the exhibition, including artists’ talks, studio workshops, and botanical art demonstrations:
- Saturday, November 5: Botanical Art Demonstrations with BAGSC member Nina Antze, and Martha Kemp, Lucy Martin and Vi Strain, 1:00 pm, FREE
- Thursday, November 10: Artists’ Talk with Evan Kolker and Randy Strong, 7:00 pm; doors open at 6:30 pm.
- Sunday, November 12 -13: Watercolor Botanical Workshop with Amber Turner
Nina Antze, Martha Kemp, Lucy Martin and Vi Strain, will demonstrate botanical art in a variety of media starting at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 5, 2016. The demonstrations are free.
Details and ticket information can be found on the Events page on the Petaluma Arts Center’s website. To arrange for group visits or school tours, email or call Kim at (707) 762-5600 x104.
Following the 14th International Exhibition at the Hunt, the travel exhibition went to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art—Loretto and was on display from October 18 through December 6, 2014. The exhibition then traveled to the Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown, Ohio where it was on display until January 10, 2016.
The Petaluma Arts Center is located in the historic train depot at 230 Lakeville St, Petaluma, California, 94952. Gallery Hours are: Thursday through Monday, 11 am-5 pm. The gallery is closed Tuesday, Wednesday and holidays.
Prosopis pubescens seed pod (Screwbean Mesquite, or Tornillo), watercolor and graphite on honey vellum, © 2012, Deborah Shaw, all rights reserved.
Admission to the Petaluma Arts Center is $5 for general admission and $4 for seniors. Students, teachers, military, and PAC members are free.
by Jude Wiesenfeld and Janice Sharp
Last April Alexander Viazmensky (Sasha) and his students held their first Botanical Art Exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia (see the article on page 9 of The Botanical Artist, the journal of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) for June 2016, Volume 22, Issue 2, ISSN 1523-5165*).
Sasha Viazmensky demonstrating initial watercolor technique for painting a mushroom.
This October 19 – 21, 2016, Sasha came to teach a workshop about painting mushrooms for BAGSC artists. Held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California, Sasha brought with him a wealth of knowledge on his speciality. His technique is largely wet on wet. He reiterated often that we should get ready to put the paint on the paper, then STOP and think about where we will place the paint before proceeding.
One thing we learned to observe is how many more gills appear at the edge of the mushroom that are thinner and closer together than the ones near the stem.
Sasha was an excellent and affable teacher. Each day we watched him demonstrate the techniques for different types of mushrooms. He spent a great deal of his time individually guiding each of us.
* The Botanical Artist is a quarterly publication for members of ASBA. Back publications are available to members for purchase. View a sample of The Botanical Artist.
Sasha demonstration of a Polypore Mushroom (fungi that grow on tree trunks).
Those in attendance were (from left to right):
Beth Stone, Gilly Shaeffer, Olga Eysymontt, Sasha, Cynthia Jackson, Janice Sharp and Bonnie Ash (missing from the photo are Pat Mark, Kathy Morgan and Jude Wiesenfeld).
These are examples of our work!
by Deb Shaw
Cristina Baltayian will continue her monthly series of botanical art classes at the LA Arboretum through the Fall:
4 Tuesdays per session per month
10am – 2pm (includes lunch break) / Oak Room
The Fall session dates are:
October 4, 11, 18, 25
November 1, 8, 15, 22
December 6, 13, 20, 27
Costs are $275 for Arboretum members per month / $295 non-members per month (includes Arboretum Admission).
To register, please call the LA Arboretum Education Department at 626.821.4623 or pay at the class.
These classes will explore color pencil, graphite, pen and ink, and watercolor on various papers, vellum and other surfaces. The emphasis will be on plant observation, drawing, composition, color theory and matching, and medium techniques. In conjunction with the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, students will be studying and portraying many of the Arboretum plant introductions from the last 50 years. The goal is to build a collection of paintings that will celebrate and document the invaluable contribution of the Los Angeles Arboretum to the state of California.
The LA Arboretum is located at: 301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007.
by Sally Jacobs, posted by Deb Shaw
E-invite for Sally Jacobs exhibition, Larger than Life at TAG Gallery.
Sally Jacobs will be giving an “Artists’ Panel” for her exhibition, Larger than Life this Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 3:00 pm at the TAG Gallery in Bergamot Station Arts Center. It’s a great way to see the show and hear about her approach, technique, and more.
The Los Angeles Times gave the show a great review! See the LA Times review of Larger than Life here: http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-sally-jacobs-20160926-snap-story.html
The gallery is located at:
TAG Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Ave., D3, Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.829.9556
Contact: gallery@taggallery.net | http://www.taggallery.net
by Veronica Raymond and Deb Shaw
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens has created an internal online resource for staff and volunteers for What’s In Bloom! [Click on the title to be connected to the link.]
Although this in-house resource is not generally available to the public, Jim Folsom, the Marge & Sherm Telleen/Earle & Marion Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens, has shared the link to this fabulous site for use by botanical artists.
Thank you to Jim and his team for producing this valuable resource!
by Estelle DeRidder, posted by Deb Shaw
As part of the 9th California Island Symposium, the Island Art Exhibition now moves from the Ventura Beach Marriott to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
The public is invited to the opening reception of the Island Art Exhibition at the Pritzlaff Conservation Center at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden on October 11 from 6 – 7:30 pm. Guests will be able to enjoy the art and views of the Channel Islands. Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. The event is free, but registration is required. The exhibition will be on display at the Garden from October 11 through November 6, 2016.
Plantanus racemosa, California Sycamore, Watercolor by Mitsuko Schultz, © 2016, all rights reserved.
First place went to an acrylic painting by Marcia Burtt that depicts Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. Nicole Strasburg won second place with a gouache etching of Scorpion Valley on Santa Cruz Island. Third place winner Estelle DeRidder used colored pencil to illustrate a native Toyon. An honorable mention was awarded to Mitsuko Schultz for her watercolor of a California Sycamore.
Registration and information for the opening reception at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is available on their website.
About the Island Art Exhibition:
The Island Art Exhibition explores creative practices at the intersection of art and science as a component of the California Islands Symposium. The Islands Symposia have been held every five years since 1965, and present recent work in all disciplines of natural, environmental, and cultural science on the California Islands, which include all of the islets, rocks, and islands off the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, Mexico. This juried art exhibition encourages a greater understanding and appreciation of the unique California Islands. The display features original paintings, watercolors, and pen and ink drawings that reflect the beauty of the islands.
About the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden:
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a 78-acre nonprofit educational and scientific institution that conserves California’s native plants through gardens, research, education, and sustainable practices. The Garden was founded in 1926 and is one of the nation’s oldest botanical gardens focused exclusively on native plants.
by Janice Sharp
Eucalyptus forrestiana, photo courtesy of Australian Native Plants, © 2016.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Australian Native Plants Fall Plant Yard Sale has been cancelled. Australian Native Plants is still open by appointment, however, and they have a wonderful selection of Australian and South African native plants, from ground covers to trees and everything in between. They also have a great selection of pots, furniture and gifts.
Australian Native Plants is located at 9040 North Ventura Avenue, Casitas Springs, CA 93001. (The nursery entrance is off of Nye Road.) Make an appointment via email, or by calling 805.649.3362.
BAGSC News 