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by Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
Consider adding a pollinator to your artwork. Enlargement of Salvia apiana image, with friendly bee. © Deborah Shaw, 2012, all rights reserved.
We received an Invitation from the Theodore Payne Foundation (TPF) for a BAGSC Show in 2014, which will require us to work in “Fast Track Mode.” This wonderful new opportunity will showcase our California native artwork, and be titled:
“Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, the Art and Science of Native Plants”
The juried show will open on January 11, 2014, and go into March 2014. (Exact closing date to be determined.)
Entry deadline is November 30, 2013 when entry forms and scans or photos are due. (Instructions on where and how to send entries will be sent out later.)
Details are being worked out, but there is not a lot of time between now and the entry deadline, so we should be painting now. Each artist will be allowed a maximum of two works, no larger than 16″ w x 20″ l, featuring California natives and their pollinators (if you would like to include them).
The BAGSC entry fee will be $25.00, due prior to November 30, 2013.
All submissions must have the correct scientific binomial identification, which will be verified by Lily Singer at the Theodore Payne Foundation (TPF). All California natives and their pollinators are welcome, but, if you need specimens, you may go to TPF in Sun Valley to find plants to draw on their grounds, or purchase in their nursery. You can also speak to Lily if you need a cutting, which they may be able to provide.
Questions? Please email me.
By Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
Trichostema by Lee McCaffree, © 2013, all rights reserved.
BAGSC is bringing Lee McCaffree to Southern California to teach this November. The subject of this class will be textures. We will explore patterns, textures, and other plant surfaces through color, light and shadow, and negative space. The balance between texture and form will be continually evaluated.
All media are welcome. Graphite will be used to establish a reference subject. Watercolor dry brush techniques will provide a method to represent many different surfaces while maintaining the subject’s form. Colored pencil techniques can be used the same way, but students using colored pencils will be responsible for their own color mixing. This class will develop artist’s confidence to attempt more complex subjects.
The class will be Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10 from 9:30 am – 4:00 pm with a half hour to eat lunch in the classroom. Participants will bring their own lunch; coffee and tea will be provided and will be available all day. The cost for this 2-day class for BAGSC members is $200.00; the cost for non-members is $250.00.
A $50.00 non-refundable, down-payment is required to hold your place, with the final payment due October 12, 2013. All payments should be made by check, made out to BAGSC, with “McCaffree Class” noted in the memo line. Checks should be sent to Janice Sharp (email Janice if you need her address).
The class will be held in the LEED Platinum certified learning center at the Environmental Nature Center, (ENC), 1601 East 16th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663. The beautiful ENC learning center has plenty of on site and street parking, and is nestled in a 3.5 acre landscape featuring 15 California native plant communities, wildlife habitats, and walking trails. For the past 40 years, the ENC has been a hidden gem in Orange County.
Lee McCaffree is a botanical artist specializing in watercolor. She has studied in London with Christabel King and Capel Manor Environmental College. She has received medals for her “Pinus” and “Plants in Peril” paintings at the Royal Horticultural Society exhibitions in London. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Kew Gardens, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and in the Filoli Florilegium, in addition to private collections. Previous exhibitions include: Longwood Gardens, the Horticultural Society of New York, the Denver Botanic Gardens, Strybing Arboretum, the New York State Museum, Oakland Museum, Filoli, and other venues. She teaches botanical art at Filoli and to private groups. She also has served on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Botanical Artists.
by Deb Shaw
Getty signage and flyer announcing the “Artist-at-Work Demonstration: Botanical Drawing,” © 2013 J. Paul Getty. Used with permission.
BAGSC members will be participating in a wonderful opportunity at the Getty this summer. To complement the Getty‘s “Gardens of the Renaissance,” BAGSC members will be demonstrating botanical art in a variety of media at the Artist-at-Work Demonstration: Botanical Drawing.
Join us in the Central Garden as we demonstrate the materials and techniques used to render plants and flowers. Learn about the botany of fruits, vegetables, and spices, and how explorations in the New World changed dinner tables around Europe. See the “Gardens of the Renaissance” exhibition, and explore Renaissance gardens and their stories (from scandalous to virtuous) in this beautiful exhibition of illuminated manuscripts. Meet botanical artists, ask questions, and get close to the action as you learn about materials and techniques seen in works of art on display at the Getty Center.
This is a free, drop-in program:
Sunday, July 7 & 21, and
August 4 & 11, 2013
12:30–2:30 p.m.
Participating BAGSC artists (on various days) include: Tania Marien, Deborah Shaw, Linda Erickson, Cristina Baltayian, Patty Van Ousterhoudt, Suzanne Kuuskmae, Jan Clouse, Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, Akiko Enokido, Lori Vreeke, Estelle DeRidder, Tania Norris, Alyse Ochniak, Leslie Walker, and Patricia Mark.
by Deb Shaw
Insect, Tulip, Caterpillar, Spider, Pear, Joris Hoefnagel, Illuminator; Georg Bocskay, scribe. From the “Gardens of the Renaissance” exhibition. © 2013, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
BAGSC members Tania Marien and Deborah Shaw will be teaching an introductory botanical art class, in conjunction with the current exhibition, Gardens of the Renaissance, Wednesday, July 24, 2013 from 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m at the Getty Center, in the Museum studios and galleries.
Explore techniques of botanical illustration in this daylong drawing workshop. Learn how paintings and drawings of plants and gardens during the Renaissance contributed to scientific understanding and captured the beauty, luxury, and status of flowers. The class includes a trip and lecture in the gallery to see the exhibition, and drawing from live specimens in the Getty studio classroom.
Course fee of $125 includes materials, lunch, and parking. Open to 23 participants. Complements the exhibition Gardens of the Renaissance. Register for the class on the Getty website: use the “Get Tickets” button at the class description on the web page.
by Deb Shaw
Beginning Photoshop for Botanical Artists (or other artists) at Filoli. Composite image © Deborah Shaw, 2012.
BAGSC member Deb Shaw will teach a beginning Photoshop class for botanical artists at Filoli, Friday August 2 and Saturday, August 3, 2013, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm each day.
Explore using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to improve your botanical art in this hands-on class. A combination of quick lecture segments and hands-on tutorials will cover: how the software thinks about botanical art; how to keep the digital world from destroying your beautiful gradations; resolution, scanning, resizing, and layers; and using the computer as a tool for composition and feedback. Learn how to scan and reproduce your artwork for submission to exhibitions, printing, and uploading to the web. Detailed handouts and “cheat sheets” will be provided.
Images will be supplied for class exercises; feel free to bring your digital images for additional exploration.
Class participants can subscribe to a free, 30-day trial of Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or the entire Adobe Suite of programs. If you have an iPad (or similar tablet), you may also want to take a look at Photoshop Touch. It’s a great app, and we’ll cover it in class.
Fee: $245 for members; $295 for non–members
- Register on the Filoli website, or download a registration form from the same web page.
- Prerequisite/requirements: Participants must bring a laptop (either Mac or Windows) with Photoshop CS5 or higher (preferred) or Photoshop Elements 9 or higher installed and running. A 30–day free trial is available (see above). Please contact the instructor, Deborah Shaw, for more information and to get assistance with the download. Class time will not be spent on loading software. Participants must have basic knowledge of their computer, including how to save and find files on their hard drive.
- Enrollees in the Filoli Certificate Program will earn 8 hours of credit for this class.
by Deb Shaw
The ASBA’s new website now has Online User Accounts for all current members — this includes all current BAGSC members (although very recent members may not yet be in the ASBA system). Your Online User Account allows you to access exclusive “member only” features on the site. You should have received an email from the ASBA with instructions on how to activate your Online User Account. Just in case you haven’t, you’ll find the instructions in this article below.
You must activate your Online User Account in order to register for the ASBA’s 2013 conference in Pittsburgh. Conference registration begins Saturday, 29 June at noon Eastern time, so be sure to activate your Online User Account now to be able to register in a timely manner.
INSTRUCTIONS: Activating your Online User Account is a two-step process:
1) You’ll activate your Online User Account, and;
2) You’ll review and update the information in your “ASBA Member Profile.”
This should take less than 10 minutes.
1) To activate your “Online User Account”
- Go to www.asba-art.org and click on the “Member Login” link in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage. OR, click on this link: www.asba-art.org/user
- Click on “Request New Password.”
- Type in your email address. (Be sure you use the email address you gave to the ASBA when you joined or renewed — that is the email address that was used to enter you into the database.)
- Click “Email New Password.”
- You will immediately receive an email message from asbaonline@asba-art.org, Check your email box. NOTE: there have been reported problems with Verizon email addresses. If you have a verizon.net email address and/or do not receive an email when requesting a new password, please contact webmaster@asba-art.org for assistance.
- Click on the link provided in the email.
- The link will bring you back to the ASBA website. Click on “Login,” enter and confirm a password, and set your time zone setting.
- Click “Save” which returns you to the same screen with the phrase “The changes have been saved.”
(If you ever forget your password, you can always make a new one by repeating the steps above.)
2) Review and update your “ASBA Member Profile”:
- Click on “Edit your ASBA Member Profile” in the list of links under the Individual Member heading.
- Review the information in your member profile. This information can ONLY be viewed by ASBA members:
- Basic Contact Information
- Directory Instructions
- Chapter and Artists’ Circle Affiliation
- Personal Webpage Options
- Optional Profile Information
- Add any missing information
- Correct any erroneous or outdated information
- If you’re unsure, read the hints below each item
- Still have questions? Contact webmaster@asba-art.org
Once you activate your Online User Account, you’ll be able to do the following:
Available NOW
- Update your own membership record: change your address, email, etc.
- Search an interactive list of classes
- Submit articles, class listings and calls for entry to the journal and for the website
- Make donations via credit card
- Renew your membership and pay your dues via credit card
- Search the member directory, by name, chapter, etc. (member-only access)
- Register for the Annual Meeting & Conference
Coming Soon
- Upload exhibition entries, pay the entry fee via credit card, and apply for Artists and Education grants
- View announcements of ASBA volunteer opportunities
- Take a video tutorial
- Update your own Teacher Directory & Member Gallery page
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to activate your Online User Account today!
by Lori Vreeke, posted by Deb Shaw
Beech Leaves, coloured pencil by Ann Swan. © 2013, all rights reserved.
Ann Swan will come across the pond to teach a four-day coloured pencil workshop: Wednesday, September 25 – Saturday, September 28, 2013, in the Oak Room at the Los Angeles Arboretum. The class will meet from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, and is limited to 16 students. The cost is $440.00.
This workshop will focus on techniques used in Botanical Art Illustrations working in Color Pencil. Workshop will include lecture, demonstrations, and one-on-one critiques. All skill levels are welcome, though some colored pencil experience is recommended as is drawing and sketching of botanicals.
Students need to bring their own materials (list will be supplied). Supplies also can be pre-ordered, and a limited number of supplies will be for sale at the workshop.
Complementary tea, coffee and light snacks will be available in the classroom; food is available in the Peacock Cafe for purchase.
Ann works primarily in graphite and coloured pencil and is well known for her exquisitely fine detail, vibrant colours and strong contemporary style She is passionate about coloured pencils, believing they are easy to master, forgiving and accessible so that even a complete beginner can quite quickly produce work of quality.
Ann’s many exhibitions include: The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Hunt Institute’s 8th International Exhibition, Society of Botanical Artists, Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows. Her work is represented in the prestigious Shirley Sherwood Collection and features in many private collections around the world.
- RHS Silver Gilt Medal
- RHS Gold Medal 4X
- Silver Medal 14th World Orchid
- SBA President’s Award
- SBA Suzanne Lucas Memorial Award
- UKCPS 3rd Best in Show
- UKCPS People’s Choice Coloured Pencil
- UKCPS People’s Choice Mixed Media (shared) for ‘Merlot’
A deposit of $150.00 holds a place in the class; the final amount is due by September 1, 2013. Questions? Contact Lori Vreeke via email.
Oriental Poppies, coloured pencil by Ann Swan, 36 x 75 cms. © 2013, all rights reserved.
by Tania Norris, posted by Deb Shaw
Akiko Enokido, Chrysanthemum morifolium “Kokka Seija”
© 2013
Watercolor, 11″ x 16″
Akiko Enokido is a long time member of the Botanical Artists organizations in America and Japan and has been accepted in major exhibitions. Her beautifully rendered paintings are known for their exquisite color, detailing and composition and are prized by their owners. Akiko has shown her work in the United States and Japan, including the ASBA/Horticultural Society of New York exhibitions, and the 13th Annual Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration from the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
In Akikoʼs words her class:
“will observe the shapes and shadows of leaves. You may be surprised to realize how often you are drawing from your own assumptions and not from how the object is actually expressing itself. I will demonstrate the approach of placing multiple layers of color, putting emphasis on capturing reflection of light and to show depth of the objectʼs dimensions.”
Classes will be held at Virginia Robinson Gardens, August 5, 6, and 7, 2013, from 9.30 am – 3.30 pm daily. A supplies list will be sent to all participants.
Coffee, tea and water will be provided, but please bring your own lunch. Fees for the three day session will be $375. for members and $450. for non-members. A deposit of $100. to hold space can be accepted but is non-refundable. Full payment must be made by August 1, 2013.
To make reservations, visit the Virginia Robinson Gardens website, or call (310) 550-2068.
Mail check to:
Friends of Robinson Gardens
1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
If you have any questions, please contact Tania Norris.
Camellia japonica ‘Chandleri Elegans’, Variegated Camellia, by Akiko Enokido, watercolor on vellum, © 2012, all rights reserved.
by Deb Shaw
Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia, Jan Clouse, © 2013, all rights reserved.
BAGSC member Jan Clouse has had two paintings accepted into the Palm Loft Gallery open invitation juried show, “Make Hay While the Sun Shines.”
The exhibition runs from June 22 through August 11, 2013. The Palm Loft Gallery focuses on original works of art by established and emerging artists, and is located at 410 Palm Avenue, Loft A-1, Carpinteria, California, 93013. The Gallery is open Friday to Sunday, 11 to 6, also by appointment by calling (805) 684-9700.
Rose Hips, Jan Clouse, © 2013, all rights reserved.
by Joan Keesey
Common Poppy, photo by John Keesey, © 2013
Consider the “campi fiori,”
Arrayed in their natural glory.
Their existence is brief
Unless an artistic thief
Memorializes their story.
John Keesey, June 2013
Preci, Umbria, photo by John Keesey, © 2013
John and I just returned from Umbria, Italy, where I took Elaine Searle’s Botanical Art Class. We stayed for eight days at a resort, Il Collaccio, in the mountains near the walled hill town of Preci and adjacent to the Monti Sibillini National Park. The views of the mountains and valleys were beautiful; the fields were filled with wildflowers: red poppies, small wild orchids, fringed hyacinths, buttercups, and many flowers that I had never seen before.
The Studio, photo J. Keesey, © 2013
We were a group of 13 including Elaine: four Americans including Deborah Friedman and myself from BAGSC, six women from Britain, three ladies from Finland, Japan, and Trinidad respectively. We stayed in a lovely stone building in which the studio was also located. Il Collaccio provided all of our meals. They were very good, especially the lunches which were interesting, varied and served outside if the weather permitted.
Lunch at Il Collaccio, photo by J. Keesey, © 2013
There was no assigned subject. We could paint wildflowers, vegetables from the local market, or roses growing on the wall of our building. I chose to paint the poppies and a small orchid called the Bee Orchid.
Elaine gave a demonstration every morning on one of the selected subjects. We worked from 9:30 am until 1:00 pm when lunch was served. After lunch Elaine was available in the studio if we wished to continue painting, or we could take the afternoon off for a hike in the hills or a visit to one of the many Umbrian hill towns.
On one of the days we had a group outing to Spello, another beautiful walled town, and Fabriano where we were given a tour of the Fabriano Museum. Fabriano not only makes high quality art paper, they also make the paper for the Euro. We were shown how paper was originally made by hand in the 16th century and their extensive collection of watermarks. At the end of the tour we all made a piece of paper.
Making Paper at the Fabriano Museum, photo by J. Keesey, © 2013
It was a great trip—an opportunity to see a really beautiful part of Italy, to meet new and interesting people, and to concentrate on drawing and painting without the many distractions and obligations of daily life.
Bee Orchid, Ophrys apifera, watercolor by Joan Keesey, © 2013, all rights reserved.
Common Poppy, Papaver rhoras, watercolor by Joan Keesey, © 2013, all rights reserved.
by Deb Shaw
Aristolochia gigantea, ink on paper, Lesley Randall, © 2013, all rights reserved
Lesley Randall’s Aristolochia gigantea has been accepted into the 14th annual exhibition for the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
Lesley became interested in botanical illustration while a landscape architecture student at Cornell University. Working at a botanical garden in Hawaii, she found the plants fascinating to draw, and started illustrating professionally after moving to Davis, California in 1986. Lesley won first prize in the 2007 Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Botanical Illustration from the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia. The award was created to recognize excellence of botanical illustrations in scientific publications and commemorates the contributions Margaret Flockton made to Australian scientific botanical art.
The Hunt established the International Exhibition in 1964 with the hope of supporting and encouraging contemporary botanical artists. Every three years, the International Exhibition features the works of talented botanical artists from around the world. The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation will host the 14th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration in Fall 2013 in conjunction with the annual ASBA conference, September 26 – 28. The exhibition is open to all botanical fine artists and illustrators working in any medium on paper or vellum whose work has achieved a standard of excellence and who have not yet been represented in the Hunt Institute’s series of International Exhibitions.
by Deb Shaw
Elaine Searle, “Rhubarb” (Rheum rhabarbarum), watercolor, © 2013, all rights reserved
Elaine Searle‘s “Rhubarb” (Rheum rhabarbarum), and Joan Keesey‘s “Hummingbird Sage” (Salvia spathacea), were both accepted into the 16th Annual International American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York.
Congratulations to both of you!
Joan Keesey, “Hummingbird Sage” (Salvia spathacea), watercolor, © 2013, all rights reserved
by Deb Shaw
BAGSC members Akiko Enokido and Mitsuko Schultz have been accepted into the 16th Annual International American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York. Congratulations to both of you!
Akiko Enokido, Chrysanthemum morifolium “Kokka Seija”
© 2013
Watercolor, 11″ x 16″
Akiko wrote about her painting:
Since ancient times, Cherry blossoms in Spring and Chrysanthemum in Fall are both loved by the Japanese people. The chrysanthemum enthusiasts put a lot of effort to make straight stems and big beautiful flowers on each of the stems.
Flower exhibitions are held all over Japan during the season. We not only enjoy them for viewing but also for their taste in salads or tea.
I found this particular one in my neighborhood. The flower is not good shaped to show in exhibitions, but I was fascinated by its energy to grow. This will be a memorable piece. My first painting in Japan.
“Plantanus racemosa,” California Sycamore, Watercolor by Mitsuko Schultz, © 2013, all rights reserved.
Mitsuko wrote about her painting:
This is my first time to be accepted to the ASBA Horticulture show and I am so happy and excited. I have been studying watercolor with Akiko Enokido since July 2011 and she helped me immensely and has given me a lot of encouragement.
While painting this sycamore piece, Akiko continued to offer advice and encouragement even though she had returned to Japan. Thank goodness for email!
by Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
TAG 2013 California Open Exhibition: Call for Entries
TAG Gallery has invited BAGSC members to enter the 2013 California Open Juried Exhibition. Deadline for submission is June 26, 2013.
Details:
2013 CALIFORNIA OPEN EXHIBITION
TAG Gallery Juried Exhibition
August 14-30, 2013
at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica
Juror: Edward Goldman, Art Critic, National Public Radio and The Huffington Post
Open to U.S. artists 18+ working in drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, computer art and sculpture. Maximum size 48″h x 36″w, sculptures maximum size 48″h x 20″w and maximum weight 40 lbs.
Cash awards. Fee: $40/1 to 2 entries, $10/each additional, 6 maximum. Online submissions.
Entry Deadline: June 26, 2013. The prospectus can be viewed here: CA Open Prospectus Brochure, or at: http://www.caopen.net. Questions: 310-829-9556 or e-mail.
Please visit the California Open Exhibition website for more information and additional copies of the Prospectus.
By Joan Keesey; Photography by John Keesey, posted by Deb Shaw
The Sunken Garden at Filoli. Photo by John Keesey.
On Thursday, April 18th, John and I attended the Artist’s Reception at Filoli. We spent the morning checking out the exhibit and looking at the garden, always beautiful, but sensational in the spring. The garden is a series of “garden rooms” similar to the Hidcote Gardens in England; each room is surrounded by a hedge of shrubs or trees and usually contains a fountain or pool. Each “garden room” has a color scheme. I spoke with one of the volunteer gardeners who said that the colors change with the seasons and from year to year, but each year there is a master plan. The first garden you see is the sunken garden. This year it is cobalt blue and white columbine, cerulean blue forget-me-nots, and hansa yellow tulips. The wisterias that climb up the brick walls of the Georgian style house were all in bloom and spectacular.
There were also many bushes with a very small, quinacridone red azalea that was quite stunning. It was a perfect day.
Quinacridone Red Azaleas at Filoli. Photo by John Keesey.
There were 64 works of botanical art by 50 artists including the two jurors, Carol Hamilton and Susan Fisher. The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC) was very well represented with seven artworks by five artists—Alison Denning, Joan Keesey, Sue Kuuskmae, Mitsuko Schulz, and Deborah Shaw.
We went back for the Artists’ Reception at 5:00 pm. It is always very pleasant with wine, very nice appetizers, and the opportunity to meet other botanical artists. Carrie DiCostanzo won the 2013 Roth Award for distinction with an emphasis on traditional botanical art presentation with a beautiful picture of “Ponderosa Pine” (Pinus ponderosa). Maria Cecilia Freeman won the Juror’s Award with an exquisite picture of “Tan Oak” (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), and Ingrid Finnan won the Horticulture Aware with a delicate picture of “Dandelion” (Taraxacum offivinale).
“Aesculus californica,” California Buckeye, watercolor by Joan Keesey, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Aesculus californica,” California Buckeye, Watercolor by Joan Keesey, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Fragaria x ananassa ‘Fragoo Pink’,” Strawberry, watercolor by Mitsuko Schultz, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Iris,” Iris, watercolor by Alison L. Denning, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Castanospermum australe,” Blackbean, or Moreton Bay Chestnut, seed pod and seeds, Graphite and Watercolor on Vellum by Deborah B. Shaw, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Plantanus racemosa,” California Sycamore, Watercolor by Mitsuko Schultz, © 2013, all rights reserved.
“Vitis vinifora,” Grapes, watercolor by Suzanne C. Kuuskmae, © 2013, all rights reserved.
BAGSC News 