Category Archive

Margaret teaching at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens in January.

There a few spaces left at Margaret Best’s second class at the magnificent Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Her first class last January class was filled with a waiting list and was very well received. So … she has been asked to come back.

The class is on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August at the Garden from 10 am – 4 pm. By request, Margaret is going to focus on ways to introduce higher level of realism into your work through understanding the form of the plant. She will also help you look at ways to improve overall composition. Although Margaret herself works in watercolor, she welcomes participants who wish to work in graphite or colour pencil. The class is open to all skill levels – come and enjoy the beauty of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden with Margaret Best from Canada. See Margaret’s work on her web site, www.bestbotanical.com

Fee $125.00 for BAGSC and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden members, $145.00 for non-members.

If you would like to register for this workshop, you can do so online on the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s web site, or by calling (805) 682-4726, ext. 102.

Desert Studies Center in the Mojave National Preserve, Zzyzx, CA

(California State University College of Extended Learning)
Friday, April 4, 7pm, through Sunday, April 6, 3pm.
Contact: (909) 537-5975, 3910 for ART 1509
Schedule # 43453CQ (credit)/43452CQ (non-credit)

http://cel.csusb.edu/desert_studies.html

Registration deadline: April 1, 2008

Donald Davidson-Instructor

http://www.nps.gov/plants/cw/watercolor/index.htm

The Filoli Botanical Art Certificate Program offers a unique in-depth study of botanical art through challenging, integrated and comprehensive courses. The curriculum includes the systematic study of artistic skills and concepts, basic botany and botanical art history. A certificate will be presented upon successful completion of the course work (180 classroom hours plus homework) and presentation of a portfolio and final project. This program is for the serious student who wishes to develop knowledge and skills in botanical art.

(Submitted by Tania Norris, posted by D. Shaw)

A plant will be selected from the garden to paint in watercolour.

February 5 – 8, 2008
10:00 am – 3:00 pm daily

Virginia Robinson Gardens
1008 Elden Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Fees: Members of the Friends of Robinson Gardens – $535.00: Non-members $565.00
Make checks payable to: “Friends of Robinson Gardens” and mail to the address above as soon as possible, as spaces are limited. Supply lists and other information will be sent after your registration is received.

Please call the Friends Office at (310) 550-2068 with any questions.

(Submitted by Tania Norris and posted by D. Shaw)

To be held under the sponsorship of The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC)
at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Street, San Marino, California

June 23 – 27, 2008
Fees: $525 for members of BAGSC: $550 for non-members

Checks should be made payable to: The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California and mailed to: Tania Norris (please see her address in the roster). Registration should be received no later than June 1, 2008 as space is limited and will be allocated by the date your check is received. A materials list will be sent once registration has been received.

For further information contact Tania Norris.

(Submitted by Jill Berry and posted by D. Shaw)

301 North Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
Registration: Call 626.821.4624 or email Jill Berry.

Understanding and Practicing Proportion & Perspective in Graphite
January 16, 23, 30 | Oak Room
3 Wednesdays, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm (12 hours of class)
$165 / $181 non-member

Materials for class : 14″ X 17″ Strathmore Drawing Pad, series 400, medium surface (no sketch or recycled paper), Drafting Pencil with holder and Sharpener, 2H, HB and 2B leads, Kneaded Erase, Staedtler Mars White Plastic Eraser Stick, Erasing shield, Drafting Brush, Mars Drafting Dots (masking tape,)14” x 17” Medium Weight Tracing Paper, Portable Task Lite ( Ott-Lite). (Vis a Vis wet erase fine point marker, 1 Clip, 8″ X 10″ Plexi and 2 – 8″ X 10″ format supplied by instructor for $10.00)

Using Basic Shapes with Natural Forms in Graphite
(Sphere, Cylinder and Cone)
February 6, 20, 27 | Oak Room
3 Wednesdays, 9:30 am — 2 pm (12 hours of class)
$165 / $181 non-member

Botanical Illustration: Flowers in Continuous Tone in Graphite
March 5 (Palm Room), March 12 (Bamboo Room), March 19 & 26 (Oak Room)
4 Wednesdays, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm (12 hours of class)
$165 / $181 non-member

Introduction to Colored Pencil Techniques in Botanical Illustration
April 2, 9 (Bamboo Room), 23, 30 (Oak Room)
4 Wednesdays, 9:30-1:00 pm (12 hours)
$165 / $181 non-member

Plant Families in Colored Pencil
May 7, 14, 21, 28 (Oak Room)
4 Wednesdays, 9:30-1:00 pm (12 hours)
$165 / $181 non-member

by Margaret Best

Even the most experienced botanical artist needs inspiration from time to time. One of the best ways to find this renewed connection is to seek a change from your setting of solitary painting and to mingle with other artists. So besides BAGSC meetings, where do you find this opportunity? The answer is participation in exhibitions and workshops.

In the last quarter of 2007, I had a dizzy schedule of exhibitions (two in the USA and one in Canada) and came out of these intense few months very uplifted from meeting so many wonderful artists, appreciating amazing work and eager to try new things. I cannot believe that any artist that attended the 12th International exhibition at the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation at the ASBA conference last year did not leave with the same rush of enthusiasm that I felt to paint with every possible second available.

But… Thanksgiving and Christmas followed with all the usual family gatherings, crazy shopping trips (next year will be internet buying all the way) and long hours in the kitchen putting on the spread. Fortunately, being on a creative “high” between traveling to exhibitions and conferences, helped me put my new GET GOING class together that I will be teaching at the Santa Barbara Gardens on 26 and 27 January.

Laurie Hannah, a BAGSC member approached me at a class I was teaching at the Huntington Botanical Gardens two years ago to consider coming to the area again to offer a workshop. Who needs a second invitation to travel to such a magnificent setting and to be amongst botanical art enthusiasts?

I have designed the GET GOING workshop to cover the essentials that beginners need to know about the genre in order to find a positive path to follow for progress. At the same time I am offering new inspiration to more experienced artists that need to GET GOING… AGAIN with a renewed vigour. As I am both a professionally trained teacher and a practicing botanical artist, my goal is to help other artists identify areas in their skill sets that require a practical focus in order to advance.

In the class I will be referring to two excellent books that address specific technical skill development and serve to inspire. These include:
How to Draw Plants, by Keith West
The Art of Botanical Painting, by Margaret Stevens

If you do not have your own copies of these excellent reference books for botanical artists, you can purchase them from www.artplantaebooks.com.

If you would like to register for this workshop, you can do so online on the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens’ web site, or by calling (805) 682-4726, ext. 102. You can also contact Leslie Walker, our BAGSC President.

BAGCS member Kathy Dunham was selected as the poster artist for the 2008 Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, CA. The January 25-27 show is in it’s 22nd season. With over 260 artists this is a must see show for collectors and art lovers. Kathy’s painting “Matilija Poppies” is the subject of the poster. A natural subject for the festival, this California native wildflower is named after the Indian Chief “Matilija”. Of course, a wonderful love story accompanies the flower. Show hours are 10-5; Friday – Sunday January 25-27, 2008.

Kathy’s upcoming workshops:

February 16th & 23rd, 2008 “Botanical Watercolor” The Living Desert, Palm Desert, CA 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. online registration @ www.livingdesert.org

March 10-14, 2008 “Creating Dynamic Paintings in Watercolor” Palm Springs Art Museum 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. online registration @ www.psmuseum.org

May 14-26, 2008 “Painting and Sketching in France” The Dordogne Region, France (south of Bordeaux). 12 days of enjoying and painting the French countryside. The flowers, local markets, the scenery. Most meals, lodging, ground transportation, instruction included. More information @ www.rousset-perigord.org

For those artists who may be interested in learning about gilding with 23K
gold. A free opportunity is being offered at the Getty Museum.

Each Thursday through January 17, artist Sylvana Barrett will be giving a
detailed demonstration of fine art gilding on parchment from 1:00–2:00 p.m.

This will be followed at 2:00–3:00 p.m by a demonstration of painting,
including the paint making process as it was done during the Renaissance.

Since the demonstrations are free, seating is limited and no reservations
are required, it would be a good idea to show up early. Parking at the Getty
is $8.00 per car. Admission is free.

This a demonstration, not a hands-on class. I have taken a number of classes
with Sylvana Barrett at the Getty and at the Huntington. She is excellent at
clearly conveying complex information.

Co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and BAGSC

Saturday and Sunday

January 26th and 27th, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Whether you are a beginner who is interested in exploring botanical art, or are at a more experienced level, Margaret can help you improve your observational and technical skills to produce a scientifically accurate, yet appealing artwork. This workshop will focus on watercolor. Participants can purchase plants from the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden nursery, or bring a favorite specimen from home. Come and enjoy this great opportunity in the glorious setting of Santa Barbara.

Fee:
$125, members of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and/or BAGSC
$145, non-members

For registration, a materials list and further information, please call (805) 682-4726, ext. 102

BAGSC members may also contact Leslie Walker or Deborah Shaw with questions.

Save the Date! Anne-Marie will be at Robinson Gardens February 5 – 8, 2008. Look for more information later.

On November 12 – 16, 2007, master colored pencil artist Gary Greene came to the Manhattan Beach Creative Arts Center in Manhattan Beach, California and taught how to paint startlingly realistic flowers with colored pencil. Using simple floral studies, the class studied the colored pencil techniques Gary uses in his floral paintings. A sample of Gary’s work is shown below (click on the image to open an enlargement in a new window):

Participants in the class were enthusiastic. Some comments:

“I really enjoyed Gary Greene’s Colored Pencil Class. I am a rank beginner. He took me through the colored pencil techniques step by step. By the end of the week I felt I was able to turn out a pretty good product using the techniques he taught. He was very encouraging and always helpful. Thank you so much Gary! Your class was a fun, informative, and an all around wonderful experience!” — S. Tanner

“I feel this class was well worth the time as I did learn two interesting new techniques. One was with wax-based color pencils (using Bestine) and the other was with water soluble pencils using water in three different ways. I plan to use both techniques in the future for better effect with certain subjects. Happy coloring!” — R. Hopper

Thanks to Sue Kuuskmae for arranging the class.