You are currently browsing dbshaw’s articles.
By Sue Kuuskmae
Joan Keesey & Sue Kuuskmae with Hibiscus Kokio
The 11th Annual Botanical Art Exhibition opened at Filoli on June 23rd. Participating artists from BAGSC were Peggy Irvine, Joan Keesey, and Suzanne Kuuskmae. Joan Keesey showed her watercolor, Krantz aloe, and Suzanne Kuuskmae showed two watercolors, Lace Cap Hydrangea and Hibiscus kokio. Also hanging was Cyclamen persicum, a watercolor by former member Nancy Boyarsky. I drove up to Woodside to attend the reception and help at the sales table where I was happy to find Joan Keesey and her husband there as well. I was also happily surprised to see Margaret Best who was there enjoying the beautiful botanical art, and we all had a few moments to chat.
The art exhibition this year was held in the Visitor and Education Center rather than in the previous location, the ballroom of the main house. The paintings were hung in the main room as well as two side rooms that are adjacent. At the Artist Reception held on Thursday, July 16 from 5 – 7 p.m. refreshments were served, and the gardens were open for attendees to visit. It was quite a warm evening, so we were all very glad when all the doors of the Center were thrown open to catch the light breezes.
When my shipping box came back several weeks ago, I found that my Lace Cap Hydrangea had been sold, which I guess I should have been happy about, but for me it is always a bitter-sweet experience when I really loved the piece. Knowing me, I will be thinking seriously of painting something similar soon.
Joan Keesey with her watercolor, Krantz aloe
Sue Kuuskmae's watercolor, Lace Cap Hydrangea
By Sue Kuuskamae
Dinner at the Plantation. Wendy Hollender is in the middle.
Early on the morning of August 21 I returned from the island of Kauai where I participated in a two-week colored pencil class given by Wendy Hollender of the New York Botanical Garden. The class was held on the grounds of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens where the students numbering around 13 had the run of the McBryde and Allerton gardens to find interesting plants, trees, or flowers to draw and paint. Also we were lucky to have Dr. David Burney, NTBG Director of Conservation, assisting with various garden plant identification walks, botanical lectures, and a day-long visit to the Makauwahi Cave Reserve where restoration of native plants is in progress.
Thunbergia Sky Vine
Wendy likes to use Faber Castell Polychromos pencils because she can easily reach a rich saturation color without the troublesome buildup that one sometimes gets using waxy pencils. She, like many other colored pencil teachers, stresses that one must keep a very sharp point on one’s pencils. Her method includes careful measuring of the specimen, a light drawing in graphite, a complete under-tone using a sepia pencil always keeping in mind the upper left scientific light source, and using a range of tones from dark to light in overlap areas. She reminded us constantly to keep in mind tone first and color second.
Sue Kuuskmae with colored pencil painting.
The students in the class ranged from those with an extensive background in art to those with little or no experience. Most of the students were either docents at the gardens or interested island residents. Four of the class members were from the mainland. Most were most interested in developing a skill using colored pencils, which many had not used before. The class was not only informative but quite a lot of fun due to Wendy’s great skill as a teacher, her ever present sense of humor, and the rapport that developed among the students. Enrollment in the class was fairly flexible with some taking only the first week, some showing up for only the second week, and a few taking days here and there. I know that Wendy will be traveling out this way several times a year to teach at Filoli in Woodside, CA continuing on to NTBG for follow up classes at the gardens. I know she would love to include a stop here in Los Angeles so hopefully more of us will be able to enjoy learning her methods in the coming years.
Ruth Poulton and Sue Kuuskmae at National Tropical Gardens in Kauai.
Compiled by Sue Kuuskmae
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov to start native plant nursery on Rincon Reservation
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov of Pauma Valley (San Diego area) was invited by the
Rincon Indian Tribe’s Environmental Department to start up a native plant nursery on the Reservation. Two acres will be developed to open on Earth Day next Spring.
Sally might have a new address
Sally Jacobs is thinking of moving to Culver City, which will take a bit of planning, so she is not able to spend as much time painting as she usually does.
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence exhibiting at the National Arts Club, New York
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence’s painting of the endangered Hawaiian Hibiscus clayi will be shown in an exhibition of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club at the National Arts Club New York City, NY. The National Arts Club is located at 15 Gramercy Park South. The 113th Annual Exhibition runs from October 1-23, 2009. Call the National Arts Club at 212-475-3424 for additional information. Catalog available.
Collected by Sue Kuuskmae
Artplantae.com Web Site
This web site is a great one for a wealth of information about plants and for finding classes in your area. There is also a companion blog with wonderful information that’s updated frequently.
Olga Eysymontt’s Botanical Art Classes
In the immediate Los Angeles area, Olga Eysymontt teaches botanical art at The Los Angeles Arboretum. Email Jill Berry or call her at (626) 821-4624 to sign up.
Jude Wiesenfeld Oil and Watercolor Classes
Jude Wiesenfeld just started working at Ben Bridge Jewelers in the Simi Valley Town Center. Please come in to see me and all the beautiful jewelry and watches! I am continuing to teach oil and watercolor every Thursday at Renee’s Art Studio in Chatsworth (818) 701-9887.
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov’s Class in San Diego County
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov will teach a class, Focus on Flowers, on the Mira Costa campus beginning Wednesday evenings for 7 weeks, September 30 – October 18, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Call (760) 795-6820 or register online.
By Sue Kuuskmae
President – Margaret Lindsey
1st Vice President – Lynn Attig (Communications/public relations)
2nd Vice President – David Wolfram (Programming/exhibitions)
Secretary – Suzanne Kuuskmae
Treasurer – Bonny Botello
President, Margaret Lindsey, presided over our first meeting held at the Automatic Printing Co. in Torrance, CA. We all had a chance to introduce our selves and art work to each other and then had a lively discussion about the goals of the group. One of our main concentrations will be to provide art demonstrations at meetings, to have several workshops with teachers of pastel during the year, and to have one show of our pastel work. There were 17 potential members in attendance. If any of you want to get involved in doing pastel painting, contact Margaret by email.
Our next meeting will be held Saturday, September 19 at Graphaids, 7280 Manchester Blvd., Westchester, 90045. The demonstrator will be Joe Mancuso who is a local pastel teacher. If you plan to attend, please let Sue Kuuskmae know.
By Sue Kuuskamae
The John Smolko colored pencil class will be held November 9, 10, and 11th from 9:30 to 3:30 at the home of Margaret Lindsey in Torrance. The final cost of the three-day workshop will be around $200 a person depending on the number attending. The following members of CPSA have made their deposit: Barbara Rogers, Rosa Weitzel, Joan Reeves, Gayle Uyehara, Sue Kuuskmae, Morgan Kari; independent artists: Donna Lock & Mary Ann Sapp; and Botanical Artist Guild member, Rita Hopper. We could take a few more students, so if you are interested or have additional questions, please contact Sue Kuuskmae by phone or by email (click on the name to launch the email) to make sure spots are still open. You can send a deposit check for $100 to Sue to hold your place. Additional detailed information will be sent out sometime in October.
Get out of the heat and come to the beach, Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:00 a.m. for the BAGSC meeting at the home of Deb Shaw.
RSVP by email or phone to Deb.
Lunch will be potluck style, so please let Deb know what you’re bringing. Members are encouraged to form car pools! The meeting agenda includes updates on classes and exhibitions.
Come prepared to share your latest work; we want to see your portfolio. Learn about how to automatically be notified of new articles as soon as they’re posted to the blog and how to become a blog editor yourself.
Following the meeting and lunch, we plan to pick Margaret Best up at the airport and visit the Orange County Museum of Art to view Illumination: The Paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin, and Florence Miller Pierce. Carpools will be available to the Orange County Museum of Art.
Illumination is the first exhibition to bring together the work of these four important American women modernists. O’Keeffe (1887-1986) and Pelton (1881-1961) were born six years apart in the 1880s, while Martin (1912-2004) and Pierce (1918-2007) were born six years apart in the 1910s. All four drew on nature as their primary focus, inspired by arid and spare desert environments.
Thank you, and we hope to see you on July 18th.
Agenda
I. Welcome members and guests
II. President’s Report
III. Secretary’s Report
IV. Treasurer’s Report
V. Membership Report
VI. Old Business
A. By-laws
B. Arboretum Marketplace Booth 2009
C. Jenny Phillips Class
D. Kathy Dunham’s sketching class in France
VII. New Business
A. Help with Secretary’s duties.
B. Margaret Best’s Class, Huntington Botanic Garden, July 21, 22 & 23, 2009.
C. ASBA Meeting & Classes in Phoenix, AZ, October 12-20, 2009.
VIII. Program
A. Making the most of the newsletter that became a blog
B. Portfolio sharing, and share new materials, tips and techniques
C. Lunch and OCMA Museum
Coffee will be ready at 9:30 am and there will be a Potluck Lunch following the meeting. Directions will be sent out via email blast.
Bonnie Born Ash is exhibiting botanical paintings in watercolor and landscapes in oil at the Thos. Moser Gallery in the Helms building in Culver City. The botanicals were exhibited through April 30th, but her landscape paintings will be up through August.
The Thos. Moser Gallery is located in the historic Helms Bakery Building in Culver City, just west of downtown Los Angeles. The gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm and Sunday, 11am – 5pm and is located at: 8705 Washington Boulevard (Helms Bakery Building), Culver City, CA 90232, Los Angeles, CA, Phone: 866-708-9816.
Be sure to see Bonnie’s work. Congratulations Bonnie!
Clematis, Margaret Best. Watercolor, 2008, all rights reserved.
Margaret Best is returning to teach at the Huntington Gardens this Summer. In this 3-day watercolor class, Margaret will be teaching the importance of the color purple to the botanical artist’s palette. Not only will Margaret be showing the many ways in which this invaluable color can add vitality to both highlights and shadow areas, she will also assist the participants in exploring ways to achieve the most intense purples possible using lightfast, transparent paints. This class will consist of important technical exercises both creating the color purple and mixing other colors with purple pigment, as well as an opportunity to apply this knowledge in a simple subject painting. One thing for sure – the subject matter will contain the color purple!
No special materials are required. Bring your favorite hot press paper, drawing materials, your paints, brushes, mixing palette and jars. If you have any further questions or would like to know more about Margaret’s well researched botanical artist’s palette, please feel free to e-mail her.
Limit 14
Fees : $295.00 for BAGSC members; $325.00 for non-members. A $50.00 non-refundable deposit will hold your space in the workshop. Full payment due by June 21 (deposit applies towards cost of class).
Register by contacting Leslie Walker and mailing her your deposit check and check for full payment. All checks should be made payable to BAGSC.
Saturday, March 21, 2009, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Kathy Dunham
RSVP by email or phone to Kathy
(she will need a guest list for the entry gate)
Lunch will be potluck style, so please let Kathy know what you’re bringing. Members are encouraged to form car pools! The meeting agenda includes updates on classes and exhibition plans. We’ll also be voting to approve revised BAGSC Bylaws – a draft was attached to the email blast announcing the meeting for you to review in advance.
Following the meeting and lunch, we plan to sketch/paint wildflowers in bloom. Thank you, and we hope to see you on March 21.
Agenda
I. Welcome members and guests
II. President’s Report
A. BAGSC Revised Bylaws
B. Website and Blog Updates
III. Secretary’s Report
IV. Treasurer’s Report
V. Membership Report
VI. Old Business
VII. New Business
A. Arboretum Marketplace Booth 2009
B. Brand Library Exhibit Schedule 2011
C. Additional events anticipated 2009
• Kathy Dunham’s sketching class in France
• Jenny Phillips’ class, Huntington Library, March 30-April 3
Next Meeting: Saturday, July 18, Location TBD
Mark your calendars! Once again, BAGSC will be participating in the LA Garden Show at the Los Angeles Arboretum from April 28 – May 3. All botanical originals or prints are welcome. Eligibility requirements include:
- Be a Guild member in good standing.
- Original work should have been created within the past two (2) years. However prints of the Original art may be exhibited in the show.
- Volunteer for shifts at the sales table or other show related activity.
- Sign and submit a waiver of liability with your application.
Some important dates to remember:
- Show entry deadline: March 13, 2009
- Art drop-off at the Arboretum: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 between 9:30 am and noon
- Show closing: Sunday, May 3, at 5:00 pm
All BAGSC members are encouraged to submit to this non-juried show. The Submissions Guidelines and Show Information will be emailed to all members. If you don’t receive yours, or if you have any additional questions, please contact exhibit chair Janice Sharp.
See you there!
Evening Lecture and Reception: Friday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Workshop (ART 310): Saturday, March 28th & Sunday, March 29th 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Learn the basics for creating botanical illustrations from professional botanist, botanical illustrator, and teacher, Dr. Linda Ann Vorobik. Linda, through demonstrations and lectures, introduces participants to drawing skills, parts of the plant, what botanical illustration is when defined precisely, and watercolor techniques as used for painting plant portraits. All skill levels are welcome: accomplished artists can increase their knowledge of botany and skilled botanists learn drawing and painting techniques. A list of required supplies will be mailed to participants.
Join us the Friday preceding the weekend workshop for a casual reception, where Dr. Vorobik will showcase some of her works and techniques.
Note: Each day of the workshop there will be a lunch break from noon – 2 p.m. Dr. Vorobik will stay in the classroom with short breaks only for those who wish to eat at the Garden or work through the lunch break.
Location: Friday Reception – Blaksley Library, Weekend Workshop – Arroyo Room
Limit: Friday Reception: 40, Weekend Workshop: 15
Friday Lecture Fee: No charge for workshop participants, $5 for all others
Register online!
Watercolor for Botanical Illustration Application and Techniques for Botanical Illustration
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA, 91007
4 Sessions, 9:30 – 1:00
Fees: $170 members / $187 for non-members
Rendering 3-dimensional plant forms in transparency is the main characteristic of botanical watercolor. The first class in this series covers the basic application and techniques of watercolor painting. Topics covered are wash techniques, dry brush, color palette and mixing green and neutral tint mixing. This class is for all levels. Please purchase Coral G. Guest’s book “Painting Flowers in Watercolour: a naturalistic approach,” before class begins. We will be following her book.
For more information or to register, please call Jill Berry at 626.821.4623 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org
Supplies: Please call or email Jill Berry.
Mark your calendars! Margaret Best will be returning in January for two workshops!
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden – 2 day weekend workshop
Saturday January 17 and Sunday January 18th
San Diego Natural History Museum – 3 day workshop
Tuesday January 13th, Wednesday January 14th, Thursday January 15th
Clematis, copyright 2008, Margaret Best
Botanical Water Colors Weekend Workshop at the
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and BAGSC
ART 300 – Botanical Art Workshop with Margaret Best
Saturday and Sunday January 17, January 18 10:00-4:00 p.m.
Margaret Best, internationally renowned artist and teacher, will return again in January to the Garden for a workshop focusing on watercolor. Whether you are a beginner, or have reached a more experienced level with botanical art, Margaret can help you hone your observational and technical skills to produce a scientifically accurate, yet appealing artwork.
Margaret’s previous workshops received rave reviews, so gather your supplies and join us for this one. A suggested materials list will be supplied to participants upon request.
In this class Margaret will focus on how to create natural-looking greens. Exercises will explore how to create variously shaped leaves, with textures ranging from smooth and shiny to textured and hairy.
Class Limit: 15
Fee: $150 for members of SBBG or BAGSC; $170, non-members
Be sure to bring your lunch, as there are no restaurant facilities at this beautiful garden.
Register online: Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens
Phone: 805-682-4726
Hemerocallis (Day Lily), copyright 2008 by Margaret Best
San Diego Natural History Museum
3 day Watercolor Workshop
with Margaret Best
Sponsored by the Botanical Art Guild of Southern California (BAGSC)
Tuesday January 13th, Wednesday January 14th, Thursday January 15th,
10 am – 4 pm
Responding to requests by BAGSC members who participated in Margaret’s classes at the ASBA conference, we are excited to be offering this 3-day workshop at the wonderful San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, San Diego.
This workshop will focus on an understanding of what can be achieved with a range of watercolor types from totally transparent to opaque colors. It will also aim to provide participants with specific exercises designed to upgrade technical brush skills from working in a wet-on-wet style to dry brush techniques. It promises to be a very busy three days with an excellent opportunity to hone some skills that you may have found challenging before.
Bring your favorite paints, paper, water jars and drawing materials as well as your own lamp. Margaret will make personal recommendations during the class regarding the supplies she uses.
The Museum has a popular coffee shop for light meals and snacks, however you may bring your own lunches to eat in the classroom.
Limit 14
Fees : $295.00 for BAGSC members; $325.00 for non-members
Register by contacting Leslie Walker and mailing her your check for full payment.
Jenny Phillips in the Getty Garden
This past June, July, and August, BAGSC participated in a variety of educational outreach programs held in conjunction with the Maria Sibylla Merian exhibit, titled “Maria Sibylla Merian & Daughters, Women of Art and Science” at the J. Paul Getty Museum, featuring activities that introduced the public to botanical art, entomology, botany, natural history, and Suriname.
Tania Norris was instrumental in bringing Jenny Phillips to the Getty to explore flower and insect drawings by Merian and her daughters in a Getty “Point of View” lecture. Jenny also demonstrated and lectured in an “Artist at Work” presentation, celebrating the beginning of summer with a one-day demonstration about the art and practice of botanical painting.
Tania provided the voice over for the GettyGuide Audio Tour of the exhibit, as well as the voice-over for the slide show on the web site at www.getty.edu.
Tania was also instrumental in connecting BAGSC with the Getty. BAGSC’s participation began in June when Deborah Shaw and Tania Marien introduced Getty Gallery Teachers to the techniques of botanical illustration and to plant morphology. They also taught a two-week course in June (repeated in July) to the public, designed to introduce participants to botanical illustration, and to provide an experience similar to what Merian must have experienced upon traveling to Suriname and observing unfamiliar plants. The Getty arranged for this class to be taught in conjunction with The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Jim Folsom, director of the botanical gardens at the Huntington Library, lead tours of the Huntington’s conservatory and greenhouses and introduced participants to how plants work.
Veronica at the BAGSC Family Festival table
BAGSC members participated in two Getty Family Festivals, where they conducted botanical art demonstrations in the Getty’s Central Garden and lead a host of children’s activities. Both festivals were well-attended. Children who visited the BAGSC area had the option of coloring engravings created by Merian, creating a natural history illustration with leaf rubbings, stamping fruits and vegetables with tempera paint to create their own “paintings”, and drawing plants and insects freehand. At other Family Festival venues, children of all ages could make a hat out of ti leaves, assemble floral brooches, create their own butterflies, create picture frames, stamp and mail postcards, and listen to the music of Suriname.
During the entire month of July, BAGSC members demonstrated botanical drawing and painting twice each week in the Getty’s Central Garden.
BAGSC member Kathy Dunham also taught classes at the Getty. Kathy led the Getty’s Drawing Hour and demonstrated how to create a nature journal during three early-evening classes in July and August.
Sally Markel with Deb in the Getty Garden
And, in a true “Small World” moment, Sally Markel ran into Deborah Shaw during one of the botanical art demonstrations. Sally happened to be out visiting friends in Southern California, and came across BAGSC members doing the Getty “Artist at Work” demonstrations. Sally generously donated her pineapple illustration for use on the ASBA Annual Meeting & Conference web site registration.
The exhibition is open at the Getty until the end of August. Information about the exhibition (and Tania’s voice over) can be found on the Getty web site. Once the exhibition is over, information can be found in the Getty web site archives. The exhibition catalog and other books about Maria Sibylla Merian can be found online in the Getty bookstore.
More photos will be published to the blog soon. Stay tuned!
BAGSC News 