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by Sally Jacobs, posted by Deb Shaw
Dahlias, watercolor by Sally Jacobs, © 2020
Sally Jacobs has an exhibition of watercolors at the TAG Gallery, entitled California Grown.
The show runs from March 17 – April 11, 2020.
All are invited to the Opening Reception on Saturday March 21, 5-8 pm.
In addition to the exhibition, there will be two workshops and an Artist’s Walkthrough:
Introduction to Botanical Painting
with Sally Jacobs
Tuesday, March 31, 10 am – 12 pm
Contact Sally Jacobs by clicking here.
Introduction to Painting on Yupo
with Shelley Lazarus
Tuesday, March 31, 12 – 2 pm
Contact Shelley Lazarus by clicking here.
Artist Walkthrough
Saturday, April 4, 3 pm
The TAG GALLERY is located at:
5458 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90036
www.taggallery.net · gallery@taggallery.net
(310) 829-9556
Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm.
Swiss Chard, watercolor by Sally Jacobs, © 2020, all rights reserved.
by Janice Hoiberg
Dr. Matt Ritter, author, botanist, and professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Dr. Matt Ritter, professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, presented a lecture, guided walk and book signing on Sunday, June 30, 2019, at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
“California Plants, A Guide to our Iconic Flora” is Matt’s latest book, a richly illustrated field guide to our State’s spectacular native plants. There are more than 5,000 native species in California—one in five of which are now rare or endangered. Illustrated with Matt’s beautiful photos, the book draws on his insights into California’s native flora, underscored with his unique humor, .
In his forward to the book Governor Jerry Brown writes:
Matt Ritter teaches us to better understand how our future is linked to that of all other living things: our soil, our microbiota, and our wonderful and indomitable native plants.
For anyone interested in California’s flora, Matt’s book is an informative reference and a joy to browse through.
“California Plants,” by Dr. Matt Ritter, book cover.
“California Plants: A Guide to Our Iconic Flora” is available in paperback from Amazon.com. Support BAGSC when shopping on Amazon by first clicking on the AmazonSmile button at the bottom of BAGSC’s home page or on the BAGSC Resources page and follow the instructions.
“California Plants: A Guide to Our Iconic Flora” also can be ordered through Pacific Street Publishing, with free shipping on orders of two or more books. A portion of the proceeds from each book supports the California Native Plant Society and The Wildlands Conservancy, to protect and preserve our natural lands and open spaces.
by Deb Shaw
Melanie Campbell-Carter will be giving a presentation at the Natural History Institute entitled, “Scallywags, Gloryhounds, Visionaries and Conservationists: Stories from the Arader Collection” on March 21, 2019 at 7 pm (Arizona time).
The presentation is free and open to the public. Everyone can attend, since the presentation will be livestreamed at: https://youtu.be/i9StvWYxCk4
Images by Mark Catesby, one of the artists featured in the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection.
Melanie will share little-known histories about the fascinating people behind the Josephine Michell Arader Natural History Print Collection images currently on display in the Natural History Institute Art Gallery.
Her talk explores the larger-than-life personalities represented in the Natural History Institute’s art exhibit. “I kept finding plenty of scallywags,” Melanie reports, “and had to dig really deep to find conservationists!”
“One was a draft-dodger; one’s spouse was guillotined; quite a few were rebels; and it’s fair to say most of them were very, very stubborn. The more I learned about these people, the more I wanted to know! I am delighted to share a few stories and appreciate the art in a deeper context.”
The Natural History Institute is located at 126 N. Marina St., Prescott, AZ 86301, (928) 863-3232, info@naturalhistoryinstitute.org, naturalhistoryinstitute.org
Melanie Campbell-Carter
About the presenter:
After retiring as a family practice physician in Texas, Melanie Campbell-Carter discovered her passion for botanical art and moved to southern California. Still a BAGSC member, Melanie moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2017, where she quickly became enamored of the plants of the Sonoran Desert.
Melanie’s art has been displayed in numerous exhibitions, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and St Petersburg, Russia to name a few. Her paintings are in permanent collections at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Kauai, Hawaii, and at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, Brody Educational Center in San Marino, California.
Melanie has recently begun a two-year group art project based on the life and botanical art of Sara Plummer Lemmon. (Mt. Lemmon in Tucson is named for Sara Plummer Lemmon.)
by Janice Hoiberg
Dudleya greenei, Greene’s Live-Forever, Watercolor on paper by Ellie Yun-Hui Tu, © 2015.
This year ASBA celebrates its 25th Anniversary! Founded 1994, with 200 original members, it has grown to the vibrant organization of over 1700 botanical artists from around the world.
As part of the celebration a special ASBA 25th Anniversary art catalog, “Celebrating Silver,” will be published. Each ASBA member in good standing is eligible to submit a scanned image of an artwork on the ‘silver’ theme. You may use the media of your choice, including Silverpoint, but all subjects must be of a plant with silver in its scientific or common name, or have a silvery appearance. Examples are Silver Birch (name) and Dusty Miller (appearance). For further information, see the Call for Entries page on the ASBA website. The catalog will not be juried. Submission deadline is June 10, 2019. The catalog is to be published October, 2019.
In addition to the Catalog each of the Chapters and Circles have been asked to plan an event as part of a rolling series of celebrations held across the country on the theme of “Celebrating Silver.” BAGSC members are encouraged to submit a scan to be included in the catalog. Plans are in the works for a BAGSC art show of “Celebrating Silver.” Stay tuned!
by Deb Shaw
Signage with artwork by Esmée Winkel, Leiden’s 300-Year-Old Tulip Tree in Autumn (2016), Liriodendron tulipifera. Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. Watercolor on paper. © Esmée Winkel. Courtesy of the American Society of Botanical Artists and the New York Botanical Garden.
The Los Angeles Times joined The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and BAGSC in letting everyone know that the “Out of the Woods” exhibition will be coming to a close soon. See the article: http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-out-of-the-woods-20180822-story.html?outputType=amp
Make it a day at The Huntington: see “Out of the Woods,” organized by The New York Botanical Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists, and “Amazing Trees,” the adjunct exhibition by BAGSC members in the Brody Botanical Center, Flora Legium Gallery. Then pop next door to the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science to see the blooming Corpse Flowers!
The exhibition closes Monday, August 27, 2018. The traveling exhibition will then go to the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, MO where it will be on display October 5 – December 28, 2018, including during the American Society of Botanical Artists annual meeting and conference.
In the beginning of next year, the exhibit will travel to the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, AZ, January 25 – April 13, 2019, and then on to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN, May 9 – August 13, 2019.
by Janice Sharp, posted by Deb Shaw
Please be aware that when you deliver artwork to a local BAGSC exhibition, the BAGSC members who are hanging the exhibition will be collecting everything together and transporting artwork to the exhibition location. This is usually done by one or two people who will be carrying the art into the location.
Mitsuko Schultz’s packing box showing the interior box and artwork. Photo by Janice Sharp, © 2018.
To do this efficiently—and safely for the artwork—it is best to have all the art in portfolios with good carrying handles, clearly labeled with the artist’s name and contact information.
Facilities where we hang art often do not have convenient places to pack and unpack art. Therefore, delivery in a portfolio allows the art to be simply slipped out of the portfolio or slipped back in.
Art in the portfolio can be protected with Foam-Core or cardboard. Plexiglass is notorious for scratching easily. Foam-Core or cardboard across the front that does not touch the surface of the plexi will help protect it. Please see the sample photos of Mitsuko Schultz‘s portfolio to the left which contains an interior box made of cardboard to support and protect the framed artwork.
The box is sufficiently wide to accept at least two pieces of art. An additional sheet of cardboard could be used between the frames if two were inserted into the box. This kind of a system makes it extremely easy (and safe) to unpack and repack art.
Mitsuko Schultz’s packing portfolio showing the interior box and artwork. Photo by Janice Sharp, © 2018.
We ask that all BAGSC members exhibiting use a similar system to make it easy for those who are hanging and taking down exhibitions.
Of course it is expected that people mailing art will do so in a suitable mailing container instead of a portfolio!
We thank everyone for their attention to these important details.
by Susan Eubank, Arboretum Librarian, Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, and Deb Shaw
Party in the Stacks!
Please join The Arboretum library and other plant and garden aficionados for a beautiful evening celebrating the Arboretum Library. The Arboretum Library is distinct among libraries as a comprehensive and very special collection of more than 20,000 books on botany, botanical illustration, gardening, California native plants, landscape design, gardens around the world, agriculture, and more.
For one night only, there will be merriment in the Arboretum Library stacks, twilight music in the Arboretum, outside viewing of mid-century travel slides, and inside viewing of mid-century library landscape materials, various nerdy library things, a little nosh and a no host bar. View a wonderful art exhibit, with personal artist tours of the exhibit “The naturalist’s desk: language and landscape” And of course a book sale too!
Consider spending an evening with your fellow BAGSC colleagues supporting the Arboretum Library. All proceeds from the event support Arboretum Library programs.
For one night only, there will be revelry in the Arboretum Library stacks and music in the Arboretum twilight!
Arboretum Library Benefit and Book Sale
Proceeds fund Arboretum Library programs
Friday, May 4, 2017, 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
There will also be…
- Light refreshments and a No Host bar featuring wine, beer, and literary spirits,
- Projections of Sunset magazine’s photographer, William Aplin’s mid-century travel slides,
- Displays of mid-century modern gardening and landscape architecture books,
- Pamela Burgess will give tours of her exhibit the naturalist’s desk: landscape + language, and
- First chance to purchase at the used book sale. Specialty books ready for their new owners.
You are invited!
Advanced Tickets: General Public $20, Members $15. Call 626-821-4623.
At the Door: General Public $25, Members $20
Members include:
BAGSC Members
Members of the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation
All plant, garden and landscape societies, all library organizations, and all botanic gardens and arboreta.
Questions? Contact Susan Eubank, 626-821-3213.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is located at: 301 North Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
arboretum.org
by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, posted by Deb Shaw
After choosing where you are going, find out what gardens are available to you. Choose at least three and label them:
- Rugged (but wonderful),
- Perfect (or almost),
- Problematic.
Etlingera elatior, aka Pink torch ginger. Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens, Ginger and Heliconia Gardens, North Shore, Oahu. HI. Photographer: Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, © 2017.
I began studying endangered plants in Hawaii, when the ASBA Exhibition Losing Paradise? was announced. I had three to four gardens I wanted to visit. One was the Lyon Arboretum, on the South Shore of Oahu, in the Rain Forest; Waimea Gardens on the North Shore of Oahu; and, Koko Head to the east of Honolulu. Ho’omaluhia on the East side of Oahu did not have endangered plants so I did not consider that garden in my plan. I also did not consider the small garden in Wahiawa nor several other gardens in downtown Honolulu. I focused on the three larger gardens.
I called the three major gardens ahead of my visit and contacted knowledgeable people with whom I made appointments. At the Lyon Arboretum I contacted Karen Shigematsu, Botanist. At Waimea I made an appointment with David Orr, Botanical Specialist. At Koko Head there was no botanist or specialist available. You are on your own with just the information on the plant labels in the specialized gardens.
These are three different gardens with three different personalities. This is true of all gardens all over the world. You can visit each of these three and decide on which one best delivers what you are looking for.
Rugged Garden Lyon, The Lyon Arboretum
This garden is very large and stunning as you walk out the backdoor of the Administration Building. It is rugged, however. Mosquitos and bugs like to bite you. Karen Shigematsu first showed me the nursery and then introduced me to the garden. The first garden has numerous plants to choose from. However, as you go deeper into the garden on the way to the falls you will find you need strong boots, a rain poncho, an umbrella and a map of the garden. Keep in mind that your cell phone may be blocked by the high mountains that surround the Lyon. If you have health issues you may want to check with the Administration Staff on the ability to make it to the falls and visiting the gardens along the way. There is a less difficult path close in area, to which they will direct you.
A back pack is the best way to carry items you will need to record plants of interest. Make it light as the trails are full of rocks and the heat or rain may wear you out. Rolling gear is only good in about a quarter of the Arboretum. There is no shuttle service, no food stands, and the toilets are in the Administration Building. You can buy t-shirts, books and more, in the Administration Building.
The Perfect Garden, Waimea
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence working on Stelechocarpus burahol, aka the Keppel Tree, while sitting on the steps in the Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens, Malesia Gardens, North Shore, Oahu, HI. Photographer: Michael Tyau, © 2017.
Waimea Gardens on the North Shore of Oahu is an example of the Perfect Garden. It has a retail shop, an outdoor restaurant, bathrooms, a shuttle to carry you to the waterfall for a swim, and gardens galore. All are scattered over this treasure of a garden on a paved trail with shuttles. The only problem is that the garden is in a valley and the cell phones do not work there.
David Orr, Botanical Specialist met me with a golf cart so we could cover a large area. He explained a great deal about the endangered plants and why so many are on the Red Lists. Hawaii has the most endangered place in the world, including animals, birds, insects and plants.
Ask if a guide is available to meet you on a special day, date and time. Carry bug spray, go in long sleeved t-shirts and long pants if you do not do well with bugs. Otherwise dress however you want. Any kind of shoes work in this garden. Have your small camera, iPad or cell phone with you. Carry a hand held battery charger with you as the gardens are superb and you will want many photos. If you find the perfect plant and don’t want to stand or sit on a rock go to WalMart and buy a cheap collapsible chair. You can always donate it and leave it behind when you fly home. Also, if you choose where you want to paint first and last you can then work on getting to the falls area and catch a ride back to the shop and restaurant area. One way is $5 and round trip is $10. There also are family rates available.
The Problematic Garden, Koko Head
Koko Head is an old volcano that is dormant. There is just the garden there and a gardner that is invisible. The last time I was at Koko Head you checked in with a man at a table at the entrance and you checked out when you left. There was no indication that any kind of help was available. I don’t know if the cell phone works well or at all at KoKo Head.
It is a long, hot dusty walk to the Hawaiian section, which is at the farthest point in the garden. Tackle this garden aggressively, but travel light. A small backpack with sketch pad, watercolor pencils and a water brush would be adequate. Be sure to take a bottle of water for you and your assistant. When you finally arrive at the Hawaiian Section, find your specimen, photograph your choices, and sketch and make color swatches. You can make notes about the plant from the ID labels that are below the plant. A red ID tag means the plant is endangered; a green/blue ID tag means it is not. Photograph the label so you have the information you need later.
The last time I was at Koko Head the garden was very young. I am sure you will find some nice growth there now. It is difficult to get to the plants at Koko Head, and there is no one to assist you. It would be difficult to work there alone. I fell down a small hillside in very soft dirt about 25 feet. I guess I could have been hurt but I wasn’t. However, a sprained ankle would have made it hard to walk a long way to your car.
Materials
- Small camera, cell phone, iPad, small portable charger.
- Sketch book, such as a Bee or Stillman & Birn, Mixed Media (both can accept watercolor).
- Paper, 8-1/2 x 11 or smaller. Arches or Fabriano 300 lb watercolor paper can be bound into a book at Fed Ex or at an office supply store. These can be used for plein air studies in the field or in your hotel room/with photos from your iPad or cell phone.
- Ruler, tape measure, water bottle, water brushes and three to four good watercolor brushes.
- Pens that have their own ink supply (such as Copic, Zig or Micron).
- Mechanical pencil.
- Small travel palette. Know the paint that you have in the palette. You can always shop for more paint at your destination. I have two great art supply stores that I go to in Honolulu.
- I have tried colored pencils. I find they break and you need a good sharpener. I like watercolor pencils because you can translate that color to real watercolor paint.
- Tombow markers with brushes. They are very strong colors but I have found them to be fun to do quick sketches and to work with on the plane. They don’t cause any problems. I carry 12 – 15 in a plastic box.
- A small folding chair. These can be found at Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, Daiso, sporting/camping stores, any variety stores, or online.
- Lightweight backpack. They sell some very nice lightweight backpacks in Honolulu. I bought a large one and a small-sized one made by Hawaii Island Spirit. I see them for sale in many places. If you plan on doing rugged hiking bring your own.
Things to Remember
It is not easy to work in a new environment with no desk, chairs, lighting or bathrooms. It is difficult to balance everything like paint, brush, water and paper when you are outside and the nearest place to put anything is the ground.
It also is dark in some gardens, and is hard to find what you are looking for if you have been directed to a particular plant. It can be wet and muddy.
Alpinia zerumbet. Shell ginger. Lyon Arboretum, Manoa Valley, Honolulu, HI. Photographer: Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, © 2017.
You need a lot of things to make life productive so make sure you test things at home to see if they work for you. Get overly organized. Keep things light and manageable. If you have a collapsible chair, that is an advantage. If not, see if someone can lend you a TALL bucket.
Having someone to help you is advisable. You can always contact an Art Academy or High School and see if they have a list of students who want to make some extra money. Pay them well so that they will want to really assist you.
posted by Deb Shaw
Sally Jacobs’ “Buddha’s Hand (Lemon Fingers) Watercolor,” 19×16. Part of Sally Jacobs’ “Sundays at the Farmers Market” exhibition at the TAG Gallery in Los Angeles.
BAGSC Member Sally Jacobs‘ exhibition, “Sundays at the Farmers Market” will be at the tag Gallery in its new location: 5458 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90036: April 17 – May 12, 2018
The Opening Reception is this Saturday, April 21, 5 – 8 pm
Artists’ Talk, Saturday, April 28, 3 – 4 pm
(includes a raffle for a print)
Drawing Class: “How to Draw a Leaf,” Saturday, May 5, 1 – 3:00 pm. Beginners welcome. Class size limited; contact Sally to register.
Jeanette Marantos, LA Times wrote an article about Sally’s exhibition for the Home & Garden section, entitled “This L.A. artist grows luscious fruits and veggies — in watercolor”. Read the article and see a slide show of all Sally’s paintings in the show.
Congrats Sally!
tag Gallery
5458 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
email: gallery@taggallery.net
310.829.9556
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm
Sally Jacobs with an armful of inspiration.
by Tania Norris, posted by Deb Shaw
BAGSC handouts for “Portraits of Bonsai from The Huntington Collection.” Cover image, Ficus retusa, watercolor on paper, © 2018 Anna Suprunenko. Brochure and photo by Olga Ryabtsova, © 2018.
The Botanical Center at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, is the location for the BAGSC exhibition ‘“Portraits of Bonsai from The Huntington Collection.” The paintings received many admiring comments from the public and participants at The Huntington’s Bonsai-a-Thon held the weekend of February 24 – 25, 2018.
Demonstrations during the two-day event were given by Olga Ryabtsova, Mitsuko Schultz and Tania Norris. The questions and comments from the viewers were many and varied. They ranged from ‘how do you?’, ‘I could never do that’, ‘are they for sale?’ and ‘where do I find classes?’ etc. People were really interested and appreciative of our participation.
Amazing Bonsais everywhere! Photo by Olga Ryabtsova, © 2018.
The wonderful and patient Bonsai master, Ted Matson, gave a long plug for BAGSC before he started the auction of bonsai for the attendees. He mentioned how BAGSC members had come weekly to paint The Huntington Collection. Ted also mentioned the upcoming ASBA “Out of the Woods” art show at the Brody Center (May 18, 2018 to August 27, 2018) and was most complimentary about the BAGSC paintings.
Olga Ryabtsova (L) and Mitsuko Schultz (R) demonstrate in front of the BAGSC wall of Bonsai Portraits. Photo by Jude Wiesenfeld, © 2018.
It was also wonderful to see many BAGSC members attending the event. A few additional BAGSC demonstrators or BAGSC members who could answer questions would have been appreciated. Don’t be shy — all levels of expertise are appreciated at our outreach events, and seasoned BAGSC participants are always on hand to lend a hand.
Jude Wiesenfeld with her painting Juniperus californica, © 2018. Photo by Mitsuko Schultz, © 2018.
Thank you to Ted Matson and The Huntington for this wonderful opportunity; and kudos to all BAGSC papticipants!
by Janice Sharp, posted by Deb Shaw
This weekend, (February 24 and 25) is the Bonsai-a-thon at the Brody Botanical Center, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California, from 10 am – 5 pm each day.
Andrew Mitchell, The Huntington, hangs the final painting in the ““Portraits of Bonsai from The Huntington Collection” in the Brody Botanical Center. Photo © 2018, Olga Ryabstova.
BAGSC’s “Portraits of Bonsai from The Huntington Collection” exhibition is on display in the Brody Botanical Center in conjunction with this event. The exhibition includes 12 artworks by ten BAGSC artists in a variety of media, including watercolor, graphite, ink, etching, colored pencil and oil on paper. Participating BAGSC artists include: Terri Munroe, Tania Norris, Veronica Raymond, Olga Ryabtsova, Mitsuko Schultz, Gilly Shaeffer, Janice Sharp, Deborah Shaw, Anna Suprunenko, and Jude Wiesenfeld.
BAGSC members have been invited to participate in the Bonsai-a-thon weekend, demonstrating art/drawing of Bonsais. If you are interested in participating contact Olga Ryabtsova to coordinate your participation. Artists should be prepared to be demonstrate from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Saturday February 24 and/or Sunday February 25.
Bring friends and family and come soak in the world of Bonsai. Southern California Bonsai masters will be there, sharing their knowledge and passion for the art form in this annual event that includes exhibits, demonstrations, prize drawings, a “Bonsai Bazaar,” and a live auction at 3 p.m. each day. Proceeds from the event support the Golden State Bonsai Collection at The Huntington.
The Huntington is located at: 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108. Parking is free, and the Bonsai-a-thon event is free; however, general admission is required. The Bonsai-a-thon and “Portraits of Bonsai from The Huntington Collection” exhibition take place in the Brody Botanical Center.
by Deborah Shaw
It’s #ColorOurCollections week! From February 5-9, 2018, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets and books based on materials in their collections.
This year, 162 participating institutions are sharing free coloring content. Download coloring books from all over the world at http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/ in a variety of subjects, including: botany, natural history, entomology, anatomy, Shakespeare, and more! Find the original and use the opportunity to “color from the master” or create you own unique coloring page.
Join the festival online through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Color your choice of page(s) and then post your creations with the hashtag #ColorOurCollections
#ColorOurCollections was launched by The New York Academy of Medicine Library in 2016.
The Bioheritage Diversity Library (see the previous post in this BAGSC News blog) is one of the participants. Their coloring pages can be downloaded from either the Color Our Collections website, or the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Happy coloring!
by Janice Sharp and Deborah Shaw
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is a global consortium of natural history and botanical libraries that cooperate to digitize their collections of natural history, botanical, and research libraries for use by the public all over the world. The BHL has digitized millions of pages, including: 134,030 titles, 221,383 volumes, 53,893,194 pages.
Do you use the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) to teach, inform or inspire your artwork?
If so, BHL has an opportunity for you to share your artwork with the biodiversity community and talk about BHL’s impact on your work.
BHL is looking for artists in the Southern California area to be featured in the BHL User blog series and/or potentially speak at the 2018 BHL Annual Meeting, to be hosted at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on 13 March 2018.
More details about each are below. If you are interested in participating in one or both of these opportunities, please contact Grace Costantino.
Participate at the BHL Annual Meeting
BHL is looking for an artist from the Los Angeles area to speak about their work and use of BHL as part of a panel of BHL users at the 2018 BHL Annual Meeting.
When? 13 March 2018
Where? Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
BHL User Blog Series
“BHL and Our Users” is a monthly blog series on the BHL blog in which we interview BHL users about their work and use of BHL. The series offers an opportunity to showcase your work to a wide audience.
Explore the series on the blog here: https://s.si.edu/BHLUsers
Learn more about participating in the series here: https://s.si.edu/BHLUserSubmission
by Janice Sharp, posted by Deb Shaw
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) will be holding its
2018 Conservation Conference
February 1 – 3, 2018
at the LAX Marriott, Los Angeles, California
The CNPS 2018 Conservation Conference features botanic art and photo contests and exhibits to highlight the beauty of California. The botanical art exhibition will be on display throughout the conference.
Artists are invited to enter original artwork in any two-dimensional medium that reflects the beauty and uniqueness of California flora and adheres to high standards of botanical accuracy. All entries must depict plants native to California (no introduced plants).
All the information (guidelines and entry form) are posted online for the botanic art contest and show. Both the entry guidelines and form are downloadable PDFs from this linked page.
Also included on the site are images of the winners of the 2015 botanical art and photography contests, including BAGSC members Joan Keesey who won first place for her watercolor of Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird Sage; and Lesley Randall, who won third place for her pen and ink scientific illustration of Malva assurgentiflora, Island Mallow.
The due date for entries is October 20, 2017.
by Lesley Randall, posted by Deb Shaw
In preparation for the upcoming BAGSC Exhibition, Ficus at San Diego Botanic Garden, here is a bit of information about this extraordinary group of plants.
We’ll start with the one most of us know best: the edible fig. Ficus carica, has been in cultivation since ancient times. Though humans typically eat only this species of Fig, others are considered to be keystone species in their habitats, providing food (leaves as well as figs) and shelter for a wide variety of mammals, birds and insects. Several species are plants of special significance in many cultures. For example, Ficus religiosa, the Bo Tree, is said to be the tree under which Buddha sat while gaining enlightenment.
Some figs are cauliflorous, a botanical term for plants which have flowers and fruits growing directly from their main stems or woody trunks rather than from new growth. The word comes from Latin. Caulis means trunk or stem and Flory means flower. Photo by Lesley Randall, © 2017.
The genus Ficus is a member of the Moraceae, or Mulberry Family. There are more than 800 species of Ficus. Most are tropical, but there are some species that survive in more temperate zones, such as the edible fig. The genus is highly diverse, with species growing as epiphytes, massive banyans, stranglers, shrubs, caudiciforms, vines and small trees. They are found from rainforests to dry rocky deserts.
So what makes a Ficus a Ficus?
Ficus auriculatus cut to reveal the interior and white latex. Photo by Lesley Randall, © 2017.
There are a couple of key characteristics that separate this group. First is the unusual flower/fruit arrangement—the fig itself. Known as a syconium in botanical lingo, the fig is an urn-shaped structure lined with tiny flowers on the inside. The flowers are pollinated by a specialized group of wasps that enter the syconium through an opening called an ostiole.
The second key characteristic are the paired stipules that enclose the developing leaf. Though these often drop off as the leaf begins to unfold, they leave a distinct scar at the base of the leaf. The stipules may be separate, or fused into one structure.
The third key characteristic is the sap: a striking white or yellow latex.
Other characteristics to note are: an alternate leaf arrangement, and typically, pinnate venation. All figs share these characteristics that, combined, distinguish them from other plant genera. How these characters are expressed are what makes the group so interesting. The syconium can be as large as a baseball or less than a centimeter wide. It may be scaled or smooth, sessile or stalked and borne in leaf axils or on the main branches and trunk (cauliflorous.) The leaves are typically entire, but several species have lobed leaves. Leaves may be thick and tough, light and delicate, very large or very small. The bark can be smooth, rough, or in the case of a couple Australian species, corky and fire retardant.
Ficus with stipules and scars. Photo by Lesley Randall, © 2017.
Where to find Ficus in Southern California?
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, San Diego Zoo, and San Diego Botanic Garden all have nice collections. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens have some as well. They also can be found in parks, lining city streets, in back yards, as house plants, in nurseries and as Bonsai specimens.
Want to learn more? Check out Fig Web which has information on specific species as well as general information on the group. BAGSC members who are interested in organizing and/or attending expeditions to find and paint specimens should let us know your interest and stay tuned!
Information about the Ficus exhibition at the San Diego Botanic Garden can be found on BAGSC’s website. Information about the “Call for Entries” can be found on the “Members Only” page of the BAGSC website.
Ficus religiosa, the Bo Tree, with reddish new growth. Photo by Lesley Randall, © 2017.
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