Category Archive

by Akiko Enokido

The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University has an International Exhibition every three years, the opening reception coinciding with the ASBA conference.

They seek fine artists and illustrators who are not  represented in their collection. The exhibition for Fall 2010 is the 13th since the Institute was established in 1964.

Sadly, the curator of art, Mr James White has stepped down from his position due to health reasons. His assistant,  Ms. Lugene Bruno has taken over his position. I know her only via telephone, but she seems to be a wonderful person.

They requested I send six slides from my works painted within the last two years (they accept up to dozen slides or transparencies), a letter and a resume.

Camellia Japonica, watercolor, © 2009, Akiko Enokido

A week later, I received an e-mail from Ms. Bruno informing me that that they had accepted my Camellia Japonica painting.

I painted this piece last spring. I had painted camellias before, but this time I tried to focus on creating the texture of the shiny leaves in watercolor. I showed my work to Jenny Phillips when I took her class at the Huntington Library. She gave me some advice which was very helpful. Thank you, Jenny.

I’m not perfectly happy yet with this piece but I’m glad my effort was acknowledged.

The opening will be held on September  23 at Hunt Institute Gallery, 5th floor, Hunt Libarary, 4909 Frew Street, Carnegie Mellon University. The artwork will be on display until December 21st. I hope you can come and see the exhibition. The ASBA Annual Conference will be held September 23-25.

Gloria Whea-Fun Teng, © Gloria Whea-Fun Teng, all rights reserved.

From November 1 to December 31, 2009 Gloria Whea-Fun Teng’s Botanical & Chinese Brush Paintings will be on display at the Main Long Beach Library. The Library is located at 101 Pacific Ave., at Ocean Blvd., Long Beach.

Irene Horiuchi attended the show and sent these images and comment: “Gloria’s show is a wonderful combination of Chinese brush paintings and botanicals. Great show.”

Gloria Whea-Fun Teng's Botanical Painting, © Gloria Whea-Fun Teng, all rights reserved.

Gloria Whea-Fun Teng's Chinese Brush Painting, © Gloria Whea-Fun Teng, all rights reserved.

We’ve put out a call to all BAGSC members that attended the ASBA conference to post their impressions and any images. We’ll post them as they arrive. Keep writing and reading. If you have any questions or comments about techniques, please post them by clicking on “leave a comment” at the top of this article. Feel free to ask participants to give a demonstration of what they learned at a BAGSC quarterly meeting.

It was an honor and a privilege to watch Lizzie Sanders and Jean Emmons work side by side during the techniques showcase session. Each worked with a gourd of the same colors for a subject. It was a study of contrasting different painting techniques, with brilliant and magnificent effect. Lizzie applied paint with very tiny strokes while molding the subject to perfection before moving on to an adjacent  small section. She uses a dry brush and doesn’t wash. The four basic colors were naples yellow, new gamboge, cad orange, and indigo all used in various combinations. For shadows she simply puts on more paint. The result was a rich and articulate color that gave form and luminosity. Jean painted her gourd from a butcher tray palette loaded with tiny spots of colorful paint.  She likes Holbein paint with a little white in the formula and the Daniel Smith quinacridone color series among other paints. Jean uses optical mixing and impressionist color theory creating 20 to 40 washes of mostly transparent colors. A bright and radiant gourd began to emerge from the surface of her bristol board.  Here were two highly accomplished master artists simultaneously demonstrating two very unique approaches to the same  subject. It was fascinating to watch them work.

I took Elaine Searle’s classes called Succulents in Watercolor and  also her class Painting White Flowers in Watercolor.  She was a wonderful teacher giving loads of individual attention and encouraged us to relax, to experiment and to paint without feeling the pressure of a performance. The classes were filled with technique direction, demonstrations, exercises, useful tips, and helpful answers to any question. Her handouts gave colorful illustrations of how to formulate a painting once home. I would highly recommend Elaine for  any future workshop and hope to take a class from her again.

We’ve put out a call to all BAGSC members that attended the ASBA conference to post their impressions and any images. We’ll post them as they arrive. Keep writing and reading. If you have any questions or comments about techniques, please post them by clicking on “leave a comment” at the top of this article. Feel free to ask participants to give a demonstration of what they learned at a BAGSC quarterly meeting.

Chihuly glass plants at the Desert Botanical Gardens, photo by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence.

The  ASBA conference in Scottsdale, AZ, was my first and I was very impressed.  Everything was very well organized and ran smoothly, except for one bus that broke down on the way to the museum exhibition. From the portfolio sharing, the luncheon meeting, the Legacy gallery show, the Techniques Showcase, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibition and the creative hors d’oeuvres and dessert that was  presented by the museum, all were exceptionally well done.

The workshop that Elaine Hultgren presented was “The Illuminated Desert”. Prior to the workshop, I learned about sources while purchasing many intriguing items from a NY company. I traveled with my expensive piece of vellum and small dab of 24k gold right next to my side. We chose a desert flower, then a capital letter style relating to  the genus of the flower and sent that information on to Elaine. On arrival she had prepared a portfolio for each of us so that we could begin work immediately. We designed the desert flower design around the chosen letter and transfered it to the vellum. We learned to make “skins” of paint to use in painting on the vellum, how to apply  the gold and burnish it, and how to draw a ” line” of gold. The workshop was only 7 hours long and most of us did not finish the   project, however Elaine has asked us for our finished illumination and she will then send us a slideshow of all of our work.

Portfolio Sharing. Kelly Leahy Redding, her framed vellums and her Artist in Residence Book from her trip to Italy. Photo by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence.

M. Alice Rezende, Brazilian recipient of a Margaret Mee Fellowship to paint endangered species in the Amazon. Shown with Jenevora Searight, from England, who lived in Brazil for 30 years and worked with Margaret Mee. Photo by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence.

Jean Emmons fascinating work on vellum. Photo by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence.

by Akiko Enokido

Akiko Enokido and Vicky Obenshain with Akiko's Camellia Japonica.

I sent my work of Camellia Japonica to the Horticultural Society of New York last March. I had just finished painting it so I could only submit one piece.

I was very honored and excited when I found out that my piece made it to the 12th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition 2009.

The opening reception was September 16. I flew in to New York in the morning of 16th and flew back on the 17th. I wish I could stay longer, but I had not visited New York since I moved to California five years ago, so I was very excited. This was the first time for me to see this Exhibition.

"Camellia Japonica", watercolor by Akiko Enokido, © 2009

The subjects of the paintings were so wide-ranging. The 41 paintings included grasses, leaves, fresh or dry fruit, mushrooms, and bolls. There were not many flowers entered in the exhibit, maybe less than half. Some artists were using vellum. I thought those were technically remarkable.

Juror Dick Rauh discusses the paintings at the exhibition.

All of the paintings were high quality and workmanship was precise. HSNY provided magnifying glasses, so we could see the details. I understand composition was an important factor for the judges. I felt I have to work on how I express the characteristic, volume and texture of the subjects.

I was able to talk with a couple artists. Ingrid Finnan from New York, uses oil paint on watercolor paper. She applies gesso on front and back of paper four times then use transparent oil paint. She uses this method to express the deep color of leaves.

"Lords and Ladies", watercolor by Margaret Best, © 2009

Margaret Best had two paintings in the show, “Rocky Mountain Maple” and “Lords and Ladies”.

Milly Acharya won a couple of awards in this show. She painted Wisteria this time. The flowers of Wisteria are very fragile and short-lived. She said she painted directly on the watercolor paper for 18 hours non-stop.

I really enjoyed the exhibition. Artists shared their pain and pleasure that they went through during the course of painting their subjects.

List of Awards are as follows. You can also find them in the catalog: Best in Show /  Lynne Railsback “Purple Fountain Grass”; ASBA Best Painting / Linda Petchnick “Orchid”; NY Central Award / Anne Mcelwain “Mayapple”; Tales Award /  Karen Kluglein “Stock”
Ursus Award / Geoge Olson “Dock and Compass Plant”; Honorable mention / Deirdre Bean “Figs”, Mary A. O’Malley “Monterey Pine Cone”, Milly Acharya “Wisteria”

The ASBA and the Horticultural Society of New York sent out a press release about the show. To download and read it, click here: asba_2009_press_release.

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.

August 1 – 3, 2008

Renaissance Hotel

Seattle, WA

By Suzanne Kuuskmae

The evening before classes began the Hospitality Room was a gathering spot for picking up art supplies donated by several vendors as well as an impromtu demonstration by Ester Roi of her Icarus Drawing Board which features two working zones: a warm zone and a cool zone. You can learn more about this technique at: www.icarusart.net or by calling Ester at (949) 481-4010.

I had signed up for both classes and the first one was with Carlynne Hershberger entitled, “The Unconventional Portrait. We first created a colored background using colored pencils and mineral spirits. All of this was totally new to me because as a botanical artist, I am always working on a white background and the only portrait I am doing is an exact portrayal of plants and flowers. I did a portrait of my granddaughter complete with various symbols of activities that are very important to her at her age of 11. I finished it at home and am happy with the result. Also, I prepared several other sheets of paper with various colors in the background and am working on a huge hydrangea flower; quite a bit off track from my usual work but most rewarding.

The second class was with John Smolko entitled, “The Scribble – Colored Pencils and the Expressive Line.” In this class we did a very large letter imposed on a circular background of scribbled colors going from light in the center to darker tones toward the outside. After laying down the various fields, then one mixes in the adjacent color to make for a smooth transition. In the afternoon we were free to use the scribble line technique on a painting of our choice. My painting was one of water lilies, which I am working on to finish at home. This is a technique I think would be helpful to work further with as it encourages the artist to add lots of colors, which allows for a most pleasing effect. I know that John has recently retired from teaching and would love to come to Los Angeles to give a week long class. Maybe that will be my project for 2009, planning a class with John Smolko.

The hotel was quite comfortable and the delicious luncheons supplied on the days of the classes was salads and sandwich fixings. The dining room, which was at the top of the hotel, gave us a fantastic view of the surrounding area while we enjoyed eating and talking with our fellow artists. Seattle certainly has quite a bit to offer, and my husband and I did a harbor tour, went to the top of the Space Needle, visited Pike Market, and had an interesting dinner down at Pioneer Square. I cannot report on the banquet because I was not able to attend due to a prior commitment with friends who live outside Seattle.

The art exhibition was spectacular where it was hung at the World Trade Center. The art work displayed showed a good cross section of subjects and did justice to the talented members of CPSA. The convention was a rewarding experience!

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!