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by Deb Shaw

Artwork from the "Visual Voyages" exhibition at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.  José María Carbonell, Loranthus, Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada led by José Celestino Mutis (1783–1816), tempera on paper, approx. 21¼ × 15 in. Archivo del Real Jardín Botánico- CSIC (Madrid).

Artwork from the “Visual Voyages” exhibition at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.
José María Carbonell, Loranthus, Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada led by José Celestino Mutis (1783–1816), tempera on paper, approx. 21¼ × 15 in. Archivo del Real Jardín Botánico- CSIC (Madrid).

Join BAGSC and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens for an innovative seminar, held in conjunction with The Huntington’s exhibition “Visual Voyages,” part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative.

BAGSC and The Huntington are co-sponsoring this exciting weekend in November, and are experimenting with a new seminar format. Participants can register for one or more (or all) of the seminar components. BAGSC members have first options on spaces. Each of the seminar components are open to BAGSC Members, their guest(s), and the public. Individual prices are listed with each description; the price for the complete seminar package is listed below.

See full details about the seminar on BAGSC’s website, along with information about how to register for some or all of the events described below.

Friday, November 3
Wine and cheese reception: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Join us for a private exhibition tour and discussion of “Visual Voyages” led by Lugene Bruno and Alice Tangerini: 5:00 pm – 7 pm. This seminar will be a discussion of the artwork of images of Latin American Nature in the exhibition and will compare and contrast the works to contemporary botanical art.
BAGSC Members: $50/person
Non-members: $60/person
Limited to a maximum of 30 participants

Saturday, November 4
Round Table Discussion and Tour of “In Pursuit of Flora: 18th-Century: Botanical Drawings from The Huntington’s Art Collections.” Go from Latin America in the Boone Gallery Friday evening to British artists in the Huntington Art Gallery — Works on Paper room. “In Pursuit of Flora” pulls work from The Huntington’s collection to reveal 18th-century European appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. Lugene Bruno and Alice Tangerini will lead a tour of this exhibition and discussion of the artwork, as it compares to the “Visual Voyages” exhibition and contemporary botanical art.
9:30 am – noon
BAGSC Members: $30/person
Non-members: $35/person
Limited to a maximum of 30 participants

A practical (and fun!) demonstration of pressing and preserving plants for future drawing and painting, and secret recipes for “restoring” preserved samples to use for drawing and painting. Learn how to press plants to preserve specimens for future drawing and painting, as well as how to “bring them back” to view for drawing and painting.
Alice Tangerini: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
BAGSC Members: $30/person
Non-members: $35/person
Limited to a maximum of 30 participants

Individual Portfolio Reviews. Lugene Bruno will provide private portfolio critiques by appointment, one-half hour each: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Reviews will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis for the best time possible for your schedule, and for Lugene’s.
BAGSC Members: $50/person (not available to non-members)

Gymnanthemum koekemoerae, © 2017 Alice Tangerini.

Gymnanthemum koekemoerae, © 2017 Alice Tangerini.

Sunday, November 5
Botanical Scientific Illustration Workshop. Pencil and watercolor on film, Alice Tangerini: 10:00 am – 2:15 pm. A hands-on workshop using pressed, “revived” and live specimens. Workshop will break for lunch. Lunch will not be provided; please bring your own, or feel free to purchase lunch at one of The Huntington’s cafés. Please be advised that the cafés can be crowded on the weekends.
BAGSC Members: $30/person
Non-members: $35/person
Limited to a maximum of 16 participants
Please note: the workshop costs above do not include materials. BAGSC will purchase some of the materials in bulk to save money for participants; we will post materials costs as soon as possible.

Individual Portfolio Reviews. Lugene Bruno will provide private portfolio critiques by appointment, one-half hour each: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Reviews will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis for the best time possible for your schedule, and for Lugene’s. Please only request an appointment within the allotted time frame; we may not be able to accommodate other times due to other scheduled seminar activities.
BAGSC Members: $50/person, (not available to non-members)

Dudleya rigida Rose, Crassulaceae, watercolor on paper by Frederick A. Walpole (1861–1904), 1897, 35.5 x 25.5 cm, on indefinite loan from the Smithsonian Institution, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation accession no. 4304.

Dudleya rigida Rose, Crassulaceae, watercolor on paper by Frederick A. Walpole (1861–1904), 1897, 35.5 x 25.5 cm, on indefinite loan from the Smithsonian Institution, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation accession no. 4304.

“Hidden Treasures: The rediscovery of art treasures in our collections” Public Lecture with Alice Tangerini, Smithsonian Institution and Lugene Bruno, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm in Rothenberg Hall.
Lugene Bruno and Alice Tangerini will present an illustrated lecture on missing artworks that were rediscovered in and curated for their museum collections. These art pieces represent historical events and important discoveries or were created for publications in the realm of science and art. They may have been stored in places where their presence was not easily detected; sometimes amongst old boxes of artifacts, in the files of herbarium specimens or even catalogued as another kind of object. Artists such as Frederick Walpole (1861–1904), Paulus Roetter (1806–1894), Isaac Sprague (1811–1895) and Mary Emily Eaton (1873–1961) portrayed each plant subject with aesthetic beauty and scientific accuracy. Walpole divided his time between Washington D.C. for the USDA and field trips to the Northwest as far as Alaska, during which time he made field drawings, watercolors and exquisite ink drawings that resemble fine line engravings. His talent was extinguished at 43 when he died of typhoid while working in California. Isaac Sprague, a self-taught artist, and one-time assistant to John James Audubon, was one of the most prolific illustrators of the 19th century and, from his home in Massachusetts, he drew in pencil and ink illustrations for published descriptions of native floras and plants collected during exploring expeditions and railroad surveys by some of the most important botanists of the period. Paulus Roetter, an émigré from Germany went on to create some of the finest drawings of the cactus family while accompanying the botanist George Engelmann on one of the government boundary surveys in the Southwest from 1853–1854. Engelmann named the cactus Cereus roetteri in honor of this artist’s skill. Mary Emily Eaton contributed drawings and watercolors for a four-volume opus, Britton’s The Cactaceae (1919–1923), while working as a scientific illustrator for the New York Botanical Garden. She lost her job during the depression and returned to England where she exhibited her work over the years. Each artwork has a storied past, and the history and the images of the artist’s field studies and finished drawings and paintings that were rediscovered in the collections will be featured in this presentation. By curating, cataloging and imaging these art works the Smithsonian Institution and the Hunt Institute preserve for the future a part of American history.
BAGSC Members: FREE
Non-members: FREE
Maximum of 250 participants

The Works

Want to participate in the entire weekend? Sign up for “The Works!” Complete Seminar Cost (everything included, except individual portfolio reviews)
BAGSC Members: $150
Non-Members: $175

Questions? Contact the BAGSC Education Chair.

About the Instructors

Lugene Bruno, Curator of Art & Senior Research Scholar at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Lugene Bruno, Curator of Art & Senior Research Scholar at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Lugene Bruno, Curator of Art & Senior Research Scholar at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. Since 1996, Lugene Bruno has held a position at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation where she has immersed herself in the collection. She is responsible for all activities of the Art Department, including the curation of the art collection and twice-yearly exhibitions in the Institute’s gallery (most notably the triennial International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration). She designs the exhibitions and companion catalogues; provides talks and tours related to collection items on site and at botanical conferences; responds to research requests; and makes available for study selections of the art collection to visiting scholars, students and artists. She is an honorary member of several botanical art and florilegia societies in the United States and abroad. Bruno is also a practicing artist working with the concepts of gestural abstraction and employing the mediums of photography and graphite drawing.

Alice Tangerini, Staff Illustrator and Curator of the Botanical Art Collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Alice Tangerini, Staff Illustrator and Curator of the Botanical Art Collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Alice Tangerini, Staff Illustrator and Curator of the Botanical Art Collection at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.  As a Staff Illustrator for the Botany Department at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Alice Tangerini has been specializing in drawing plants in pen and ink and graphite since 1972 and now her illustration media includes digital color.She has illustrated at least 1000 species of plants appearing in scientific periodicals, floras, and botanical and nature books. Most of her subjects are based on the Department’s extensive collection of over 4 million herbarium specimens.Alice also teaches classes in illustration techniques, presents lectures on botanical illustration and juries shows in botanical gardens and in academic institutions.She has exhibited her botanical artwork in numerous shows connected with the botanical and scientific illustration societies of which she is also a member. Her responsibilities in the department also include managing and curating an extensive collection of botanical illustrations, both historical and contemporary, which are available for viewing on the Department of Botany website.

by Deb Shaw

"Every Berry", watercolor, © 2017, Martin J. Allen.

“Every Berry”, watercolor, © 2017, Martin J. Allen.

Following the 2017 ASBA Conference in Northern California, Martin J. Allen will arrive in Southern California to teach a BAGSC-sponsored workshop, entitled Larger than Life
Tuesday – Thursday, October 24, 25 & 26, 2017
9:30 am – 3:30 pm each day
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Oak Room

Cost, BAGSC Members: $250
Non-Members: $275
Maximum Registration: 16 students

There are still a few seats available in Martin’s workshop. If you were unable to get into his workshops at the ASBA conference, now is your chance to enjoy a focused workshop with Martin, close to home.

Registration deadline is Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Please see the BAGSC website for details about how to register, materials list, and other workshop information. Questions? Contact the BAGSC Education Chair.

Workshop Description

This three-day workshop with Martin Allen looks at how to take digital reference photographs and use them to enlarge small parts of plants to create an exciting new image. Martin will cover how to take useful photographs and the practical challenges of translating that photograph into a realistic image on paper using a straight-forward painting technique.

About the Instructor

Martin J. Allen

Martin J. Allen

(Please read the full text about Martin Allen on the BAGSC website.) I began painting plants in the autumn of 1992 whilst recovering from illness, studying with Colin Swinton. What was intended initially as therapy, quickly turned into a serious interest.

In early 1995 my first Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) exhibit was awarded a Gold medal (the second in 1997 also gained Gold) and in the same year RHS Enterprises Limited commissioned three autumn flower designs as part of their Collectors’ Plate Series. Awards at The Society of Botanical Artists’ exhibitions followed in 1996 and 1998.

I became a member of the then newly formed Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society in 1995, taking part in their 1999 RHS Gold medal group exhibit, becoming a Fellow in 2000 and regularly writing articles on botanical art for their newsletter. I am now honoured to be an Emeritus Fellow.

I am represented in America by Susan Frei Nathan, Fine Works on Paper, and Forum Botanische Kunst in Germany.

by Jude Wiesenfeld, posted by Deb Shaw

Flyer for Malibu Lake Exhibition.

Flyer for Malibu Lake Exhibition. To download a PDF, click here: 2017 ART Show Exhibitors

BAGSC member Jude Wiesenfeld will be exhibiting in the Malibu Lake Art exhibition, Sunday, November 19, 2017, from 11 am – 7 pm. Open to the public, the exhibition features art, jewelry, photography, holiday decor, wine and more.

The MLMC Clubhouse is located at: 29033 West Lake Vista Drive, Agoura, California, 91301.

 

by Clara Josephs, posted by Deb Shaw

Leaf in mixed media, © 2017, Rita Hopper.

Leaf in mixed media, © 2017, Rita Hopper.

BAGSC member Rita Hopper exhibited two paintings, including this beautiful leaf in mixed media, in the Tustin Art League member show at the Tustin Senior Center. The exhibition was free and closed September 28, 2017.

Congrats Rita!

by Deb Shaw

The BAGSC September quarterly meeting will be held on
Saturday, September 23, 2017

at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, in the Brody Botanical Center Auditorium (downstairs).

Arrive about 9:30 am to chat, settle in and view the BAGSC 20th Anniversary history that was on display at the celebration at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on August 26. The meeting portion of the program will begin promptly at 10 am and will cover upcoming classes, workshops, exhibitions and member news.

Bring your current and latest works and sketchbooks to share. Bring lunch and eat in the Auditorium at the desks or in the Atrium area outside the Auditorium. Feel free to purchase lunch at any of The Huntington’s cafés, although lines can be long during the weekend. Eating is not allowed on The Huntington grounds except in designated areas,

At 12:30 pm, Deborah Shaw will give a presentation entitled “Mushrooms in Djibouti: Protecting Traditional Botanical Art in an Increasingly Digital World.”

This is an important presentation that not only will cover scary horror stories and how to protect your artwork, but also will highlight solutions, tools and resources, and fun apps to try on your tablet or smart phone. Extensive handouts will be given out with resources lists, websites and digital Photoshop recipes to follow at home. Technical jargon will be kept to a minimum, and I haven’t had anyone fall asleep during this lecture yet!

The goal of the presentation is to keep everyone safe on the web AND get everyone prepped for filling out our BAGSC website gallery and creating or refining your own digital presence. Added bonus: get a quick view of the BAGSC website and blog so you can use those resources too!

Do you have a “computer-savvy” helper you prefer to have do the digital work while you paint? (Very smart of you.) Bring them along; there is no charge and all are welcome.

After the presentation, there are lots of things to do. Deb will hang around, answer questions, and take in images for the BAGSC Website Gallery. See the BAGSC exhibition wall upstairs, “Inspired by Latin America.” View the wonderful exhibition in the Florilegium room and then head over to the new, spectacular “Visual Voyages” exhibition in the Boone Gallery at The Huntington. Bring your art supplies and draw/paint Bonsais in preparation for the upcoming exhibition, “Bonsais of The Huntington.”

Have topics for the agenda? Please email Sally Jacobs.

Please RSVP.
We will need to have passes for everyone and want to be sure to have enough handouts. Please email Clara Josephs to let her know you will be attending the meeting. As always, carpooling is encouraged.

This email duplicates some of the information in the Members Only area of the BAGSC website, and will be posted to the blog. A map, parking instructions and details about what to bring if you would like your artwork to be posted to the BAGSC gallery are on the BAGSC website in the Members Only section, on the BAGSC Quarterly Meetings page.

Hope to see you there!

by Janice Sharp, posted by Deb Shaw

The exhibition wall faces the stairway in the Brody Botanical Center. The BAGSC logo is a permanent sign, and information about BAGSC and ASBA is available as a handout. Photo by Janice Sharp, © 2017.

The exhibition wall faces the stairway in the Brody Botanical Center. The BAGSC logo is a permanent sign, and information about BAGSC and ASBA is available as a handout. Photo by Janice Sharp, © 2017.

BAGSC’s latest exhibit at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, “Inspired by Latin America,” is now open in the Brody Botanical Center.

The art was hung on September 5, 2017, and the show will run through to January 15, 2018. Eleven paintings by eight BAGSC artists are featured in the exhibition, including Melanie Campbell-Carter, Sally Jacobs, Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, Kathly Powell, Olga Ryabtsova, Mitsuko Schultz, Janice Sharp, and Deborah Shaw.

Janice Sharp and Andrew Mitchell review the plans for the exhibition layout. Photo by Beth Stone, © 2017.

Janice Sharp and Andrew Mitchell review the plans for the exhibition layout. Photo by Beth Stone, © 2017.

We thank The Huntington for providing the beautiful new signage identifying the artwork on the wall as belonging to the “Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California.” The plexi banner will be a permanent feature of the display. We have also added a container to dispense handouts. For this exhibit, the handout lists the artists and their paintings, with information about BAGSC and ASBA on the back. We also thank Andrew Mitchell for his patience with us in hanging the artwork.

The next Huntington exhibition, beginning in January, will be “Bonsai’s of the Huntington.”

by guest writer Lisa Reynolds, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, San Diego Botanic Garden, posted by Deb Shaw

Amorphophallus titanium (Corpse Flower) getting ready to bloom at the San Diego Botanic Garden. Photo Credit: Lisa Reynolds.

Amorphophallus titanium (Corpse Flower) getting ready to bloom at the San Diego Botanic Garden.
Photo Credit: Lisa Reynolds, © 2017.

If you have always wanted to see, smell, draw or paint an Amorphophallus titanium, and will be in the San Diego area the weekend of September 16 – 17, 2017, now is your chance! The San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) is expecting their Amorphophallus to bloom this coming weekend.

Here is the information sent to us by Lisa Reynolds:

Deathly-smelling Corpse Flower Blooming THIS WEEKEND at San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas

This stinky wonder will emit its noxious odor for just over a week. Come and see (and smell) this rare and unusual bloom before it’s gone!!
High-resolution images available at: http://www.sdbgarden.org/media.htm

Characterized by a scent Morticia Addams might use as an intoxicating perfume, the deathly-smelling Amorphophallus titanium, also known as Titan Arum, is expected to be in bloom THIS WEEKEND at San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas. The plant will be on public display in SDBG’s Bamboo Garden during regular business hours from 9 am – 5 pm daily. Admission prices are $14 for adults, $10 for students/seniors/military, $8 for children, and no admission charge for children under 2 years of age.

“If there is any plant that creates a stir when in flower, it certainly is the Titan Arum,” says SDBG President & CEO Julian Duval. “One cannot predict when it will bloom. Individual plants only bloom about every 5 to 10 years and from start to finish this amazing plant usually goes through the whole bloom cycle, producing its huge inflorescence in less than 30 days.

“It (Titus Arum bloom) changes almost hourly, so you need to see it in all its stages. Yes, it stinks. But it is also other-worldly beautiful.”

Due to its odor, which smells like a rotting corpse or carcass, the Titan Arum is characterized as a carrion flower. It is best known by its more common name as the ‘Corpse Flower.’ This plant grows in the rainforests of Sumatra. This is a climate that will be replicated at the Garden once our Dickinson Family Education Conservatory is erected in late Spring/early Summer 2018, where the Garden hopes to have the titan arum as part of our permanent display.

Once this plant is in full bloom possibly this Saturday or Sunday, the Corpse Flower will be approximately 4 feet tall and emit its unique stench for only 2 days, so plan ahead because you don’t want to miss it! Today, through the end of this week, the flower will continue to grow approximately 3 inches per day until attaining its peak bloom height and then finally open up to display its full glory.

Edward Read, Manager of the Biology Greenhouse Complex at CSUF, brought this wonderful specimen down to the Garden in his Vanagon! Photo Credit: Megan Andersen, © 2017.

Edward Read, Manager of the Biology Greenhouse Complex at CSUF, brought this wonderful specimen down to the Garden in his Vanagon! Photo Credit: Megan Andersen, © 2017.

This plant is currently on loan from California State University Fullerton (CSUF). Edward Read, Manager of the Biology Greenhouse Complex at CSUF, brought this wonderful specimen down to the Garden – in his Vanagon! – for display at SDBG’s Gala in the Garden that occurred on Saturday, Sept. 9th.

This specimen was grown from seed planted in 2017. The seed was obtained as a collaboration between SDBG, CSUF, Fullerton Arboretum, and community member James Boohman. Mr. Boohman lent his Corpose Flower for display at the garden in 2006. It was pollinated by the staff from Fullerton and Mr. Boohman shared this sAeed with the pollen donors. This is the 12th plant to bloom from seed planted in 2007 by Mr. Read.

Come see – and smell! – this rare and unusual bloom TODAY at San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas.

About San Diego Botanic Garden
The San Diego Botanic Garden is a beautiful urban retreat nestled on 37-acres in the midst of Encinitas. Visitors enjoy restful vistas, flowering trees, majestic palms, and the nation’s largest bamboo collection. Thanks to our mild Southern California climate, plants from all over the world thrive here. Our diverse topography provides a wide variety of microclimates giving visitors the sensation of strolling through a tropical rainforest to hiking in the desert. Four miles of trails wind through 29 uniquely themed gardens including the acclaimed Hamilton Children’s Garden. In addition, the Garden regularly offers classes covering many topics including water conservation, fire-safe landscaping, hands-on flower and plant arranging, art in various media, and healthy cooking. Visitors and members also participate in frequent special weekend events and Docent-led tours.

By Janice Sharp and Beth Stone, posted by Deb Shaw

On September 6 – 8, 2017, Marjorie Leggitt taught at BAGSC-sponsored workshop entitled “Fresh Art: Pencil and Paint in the Garden” at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Marj expertly led us on a scary path down the road of fast drawing and minimal supplies.

This class presented a unique opportunity to escape the classroom and venture out into the gardens. We were all grateful that it was cooler than previous weeks, so we enjoyed being outside.

It was great, challenging and yes, frustrating, to use quick techniques: modified blind contour drawing; big wet brushes and simple pallets. Each designed to shift our focus away from the tools and back to observation of our subject. We came away with good tips which we can apply to making thoughtful studies or even initial drawings for a full botanical rendering.

Click on any one of the circles to see the images in a slide show format:

By Gilly Shaeffer, posted by Deb Shaw

Matt Ritter talking with Diane Nelson Daly about her watercolor of Bauhinia x blakeana, Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

Matt Ritter talking with Diane Nelson Daly about her watercolor of Bauhinia x blakeana, Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC) celebrated its 20th Anniversary on August 26, 2017 with a three-event program held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. The late afternoon program started in the Arboretum Library with a tour of our current exhibition, Illustrating the Urban Forest: 20 Years of Botanical Art. Following a welcome from LA Arboretum Librarian Susan Eubank and BAGSC President Janice Sharp, our guest speaker, Matt Ritter, led the exhibit tour and called on several BAGSC artists to join him in discussing their paintings.

From the exhibition, BAGSC members and guests went to Ayres Hall at the Arboretum for Matt’s keynote presentation on the trees of Southern California. We were grateful to have Matt, a botanist, tree expert and very engaging speaker, share his knowledge of trees and take us on a tour of the urban forest. His presentation shed light on many issues that affect trees in our Southern California environment, as well as focusing on those that do well in our climate, neighborhoods, streets and parks.

BAGSC member Terri Munroe played beautiful harp music to accompany our dinner on the Peacock Café patio.

BAGSC member Terri Munroe played beautiful harp music to accompany our dinner on the Peacock Café patio.

After Matt’s presentation, BAGSC members and guests meandered over to the Peacock Café patio. As members and guests arrived on the patio, we were welcomed by heavenly harp music by BAGSC member, Terri Munroe, and a magnificent view of the setting sun casting a golden light over our dinner celebration. Members and guests checked out a table display of our 20-year history in photographs, past BAGSC newsletters and other memorabilia from group events.

Before beginning a delicious dinner, we heard a few words from a letter sent by Olga Eysymontt about the beginnings of our group, and listened to fun reminiscences of early times in BAGSC by Leslie Walker (a former BAGSC president). Janice Sharp (current BAGSC president) spoke about what the group is doing now and our plans for the future, including exhibitions, workshops and collaborations with various public gardens in Southern California.

An elegant and delicious dinner on the patio of the Peacock Café.

An elegant and delicious dinner on the patio of the Peacock Café.

Later during the dinner program, I had the pleasure of expressing the group’s deepest appreciation on behalf of BAGSC members to three members who have made outstanding contributions to our group over the years.

The first person to be mentioned was Tania Marien. She was responsible for starting our BAGSC newsletter, and was editor for a number of years. Her selfless spirit and dedication to botanical art found further expression when she became one of the main organizers for the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) 2008 Annual Conference which was held at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. In 2015, Tania played a major role again as a key organizer of the ASBA “Weird, Wild & Wonderful” Symposium which also was held at The Huntington. Her tireless efforts have increased awareness about plants and botanical art in Southern California and around the world.

We are also grateful for the contributions made by Deborah Shaw to furthering people’s awareness of botanical art and the role of our BAGSC organization. Deb has been instrumental in helping our group become acquainted with current digital technologies. Some of her accomplishments include creating the BAGSC Blog and the beautiful BAGSC website. She has been an extraordinary force in keeping our membership well informed about BAGSC events and ASBA events. She was also a key organizer of the ASBA Annual Conference of 2008 and the ASBA “Weird, Wild & Wonderful” Symposium of 2015. It is hard to imagine how Deb manages to keep our group well informed while also creating paintings that draw great admiration.

And last but not least, our Tania Norris deserves a big thank you for outstanding contributions she has made to BAGSC and botanical art. Tania helped to get the “ball rolling” which led to the 2008 ASBA Annual Conference being held at the The Huntington. She helped in many ways to make the first ASBA Conference held in LA a big success. Tania was also a key organizer for the 2015 ASBA “Weird, Wild & Wonderful” Symposium held at The Huntington. Her selfless efforts have helped to lay the foundation for a special collaboration between BAGSC and The Huntington Brody Botanical Center. Her love for botanical art and her generous support have helped in establishing Los Angeles as a great place for this art form to thrive.

A big and heartfelt thank you to the many others who also have contributed to BAGSC and botanical art over the last 20 years. The truth is, we could not have reached this 20-year milestone without everyone’s contributions and support, too numerous to name.

We could not have had this lovely event without the help of BAGSC member, Jan Clouse and her husband, Charles, who designed the printed post cards and invitations for this 20th celebration. Additional thanks go to Cristina Baltayian for designing and creating the floral centerpieces for the tables. Thank you to Terri Munroe, for volunteering to play music for the dinner, which added a special magic to our evening. And, of course, a heartfelt thank you to Susan Eubank and the LA Arboretum—one of our first botanical homes and an avid supporter of BAGSC, plants, and botanical art.

Most importantly, thank you to all our dedicated members and supporters for all you have done during this 20-year period to make us the strong and vibrant group we are today. We gratefully look forward to the next 20 years.

P.S. from BAGSC members: A big thank you to Gilly Shaeffer, who served as BAGSC President for many years, and volunteered to chair our 20th Anniversary Celebration committee.

Click any of the circles to see the slide show and the captions:

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