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by Olga Ryabstova, posted by Deb Shaw
The Special Auction Preview for the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) 6th Annual Online Auction has opened today!
This event supports both our artists and the ASBA in our dedication to educating the world about this exquisite art form.
Showcasing the amazing botanical artwork created by some of our most talented members, this online auction is open to the public and features works available for purchase to a worldwide online audience.
The auction preview week will feature new artwork every day from now on, with the Auction opening March 15 – April 5, 2020.
Register to bid, come back often and bid on some amazing art!
Click here for the ASBA Online Auction.
Click here to learn more about ASBA and botanical art.
ASBA 6th Annual Online Auction
by Melanie Campbell-Carter and Deb Shaw
Melanie Campbell-Carter (and Miss Ellie!) participated in a mural created by Sue Ann Breems, celebrating the natural habitat of the RillitoBend neighborhood.
A three-year undertaking, the 33-foot-long mosaic tile mural was unveiled Sunday, March 8, during an afternoon neighborhood dedication at the northeast corner of East Prince Road and North Cactus Boulevard in Tucson, Arizona.
Click here to read about the project, Melanie’s participation, and see photos of the mural, including one with Miss Ellie’s appearance in the artwork!
by Diane Daly, posted by Deb Shaw
If you have Netflix and are looking for a cute, feel good movie, check out “Dare to be Wild”. It’s a true story about Chelsea Flower show garden designer Mary Reynolds, starring Emma Greenwell, Tom Hughes, and Janie Dee.
Writer and director Vivienne De Courcy was inspired to tell the story when she hired Irish landscape designer Mary Reynolds to design her garden.
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 Deb Shaw
The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants is currently exhibiting works by Donnett Vanek: “California Wildflowers and Pollinators,” January 18 through April 25, 2020.
Donnett’s exhibition is in the Theodore Payne Gallery at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants
10459 Tuxford Street
Sun Valley, CA
91352
818-768-1802
This is Donnett’s story about the exhibition and her work:
by Donnett Vanek, posted by Deb Shaw
Donnett Vanek, © 2020, all rights reserved. Clockwise from left: California Thistle Sage, dry brush watercolor; Painted Lady & San Joaquin Milkvetch, dry brush watercolor; Dried Jimsonweed seed pod, graphite
Each year the Theodore Payne Arts Council invites three artists whose work reflects the mission of the foundation—to promote and educate the public on California wildflowers and plants. This is a wonderful opportunity for local California artists and is offered every year through the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants (TPF) Arts Program. Information about submissions and the call for art is on the Theodore Payne website Arts Program page.
In fall of 2018, I was invited to have a solo show of my work in January 2020 at Theodore Payne. I chose California Wildflowers & Pollinators as my theme.
The exhibition invitation started me on a year-long journey into a subject I was already interested in. With my camera in hand and my husband accompanying me, I started looking for plants I would like to learn more about and that, through my art, would interest people in the native ecology of California. We went to Carrizo National Plains, hiking in Los Padres National Forest, Wind Wolves Preserve, and the Poppy Preserve in Antelope Valley in search of plants and pollinators. I take my camera when researching native plants in the field, because places like the Carrizo Plains National Monument doesn’t appreciate it when you cut native flowers! So, I take my camera and take many photos from all angles. I then go back and research the plants and insects that I have found and use the photos for reference when rendering the art.
One of the most interesting plants I came across in the Carrizo National Plains was the California Thistle Sage, Salvia carduacea. Although it is called a sage, all sages are actually in the mint family. This plant grew in a huge meadow, alongside San Joaquin Milkvetch, Astragalus asymmetricus. Fluttering between the two plants were Painted Lady butterflies and large red beetles, which I later learned were Little Bear Scarabs, Paracotalpa ursina. These would be the first plants and insects I decided to render for my show. I went on to have a total of 12 artworks of native plants and pollinators. I not only included plants I thought would be unusual to the general public, but also chose to do a rendering of a dandelion, specifically the Spearleaf Mountain Dandelion, which grows in my yard. Like all dandelions, it is an important source of food for all bees and other pollinators. I worked on these pieces throughout 2019. My show at the Theodore Payne Gallery is a reflection of my year long research and rendering of California Wildflowers and Pollinators.
My work is rendered in Dry Brush Water Color, Graphite and Block Print.
Here is my (short) Artist’s Statement;
Donnett Vanek: California Wildflowers and Pollinators
I think of my renderings of California wildflowers and pollinators as portraits. My art is a way to put down on paper what I have observed and depict the never-ending and intriguing variations of color, shape, texture, and size of plants and insects in the natural world. When I observe these plants in their native habitat I’m interested in where they grow, how they grow, how large they grow and the unique relationships they have with pollinators. Through my work, I hope to encourage people to consider the important role that native plants play in the ecology of our California landscape. Look more closely before pulling what you consider to be a weed. It might be the humble Spearleaf Mountain Dandelion. While at first glance, a dandelion may not seem as intriguing as the brightly colored and thorny Thistle Sage, it’s no less important to pollinators and the world of native plants. Go out and enjoy nature, look closely, look down; you just might be stepping on a tiny beautiful flower that you have never seen before.
Click here to see a YouTube video of Donnett’s talk at the opening. (NOTE: It was taken with a phone, and so sometimes is sideways!)
by Monica Ray, posted by Deb Shaw
BAGSC member Monica Ray will be teaching a Two-day Workshop in Colored Pencil at the Inn of Cape May, New Jersey,
May 18 & 19, 2020.
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (with lunch break)
Cost of two-day workshop: $195.00 (includes packet of different papers and practice pieces)
Class size: limited to 15 students
Registration deadline: April 15, 2020.
Colored Pencil is a versatile medium and lends itself perfectly for nature’s treasures found on the beach, and local coastal plants, capturing their different textures and colors with relative ease. A work in colored pencil can be rendered as a drawing or be closely reminiscent of a work done in watercolor or oil. Learn the techniques for painting in colored pencil and some new tricks along the way.
This workshop is designed for all levels of students, either new or experienced at working in colored pencil. Through demonstrations, discussion of materials, handling properties and techniques, hands-on time, and individual attention, students will develop and improve their skills.
The workshop will be held at the Inn of Cape May (www.innofcapemay.com) in the lovely historic town of Cape May, New Jersey. The inn is right across from the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
On Tuesday, the 19th, an early morning nature walk in the local State Park with a knowledgeable naturalist has been planned—bring binoculars if you plan on attending. Besides drawing and painting, enjoy a stroll on the beach or boardwalk, explore the town, or simply indulge in a quiet moment sitting on the deck and watch a pod of dolphins, swim by in the distance.
Good times are to be had!
Art Retreat in Cape May, Monica Ray, colored pencil, © 2020 all rights reserved.
To register, send an email to Monica Ray (click here). Registration is on first-come, first-served basis. Cancellation deadline: April 15, 2020; no refunds after April 15, 2020.
Students are responsible for making their own lodging and transportation arrangements. The Inn of Cape May offers a special rate of $147.95/night (including tax), full breakfast and $40.00/day “inn-money” to spend at the hotel for lunch, dinner, or drinks. Make room reservations as soon as possible and not later than March 31st; mention block #160754.
by Deb Shaw
Akiko Enokido has her first solo botanical art exhibition at the Beijing Botanical Garden, China.
Her 35 original artworks on display were painted from 2005 to 2019, the majority painted in California, Hawaii and Japan.
The exhibition is currently on view at the Beijing Botanical Garden until March 15, 2020.
Images of the exhibition can be viewed here.
posted by Deb Shaw
In anticipation of the opening of The Chinese and Japanese Gardens at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, this 2020 group show by the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC) focuses on the plants of Asia.
The exhibition can be viewed at the Brody Botanical Center during regular visitor hours, from January 15 – May 6, 2020.
BAGSC artists in the exhibition include: Natalia Alatortseva, Stephanie Buehler, Akiko Enokido, Janice Hoiberg, Laurel Tucker Krishock, Susan Mark-Raymond, Terri Munroe, Lang Anh Pham, Mitsuko Schultz, Beth Stone, and Jin Wang.
BAGSC artworks in the Brody Botanical Center at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
BAGSC artworks in the Brody Botanical Center at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
by The Natural History Institute, posted by Deb Shaw
Artwork by Melanie Campbell-Carter, Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Christmas Cholla, © 2019.
Melanie Campbell-Carter will give a botanical talk at the Natural History Institute on Thursday, February 6th at 7 pm (Mountain Standard Time, MST). Entitled Passion, Devotion, Intimacy: Art and Natural History, Melanie will explore the strong connection between art and natural history. She will also share some of the stories behind Arizona Originals: Native Plants of Arizona, an exhibition by the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists on display from from January 24 – April 10, 2020 in the gallery at The Natural History Institute.
Melanie Campbell-Carter
Everyone is invited to join Melanie and other artists from the Southwest Society chapter for an evening of fresh ideas about a cherished tradition belonging to both art and natural history. This event is free to the public and will also be available via livestream for those who can’t attend. To watch the livestream lecture, click here. It will be livestreamed at 7 pm MST Thursday, February 6, then archived at the same link for future viewing.
For more information about these events, or to register for the field workshop, contact the Natural History Institute: info@naturalhistoryinstitute.org ~ (928) 863-3232. The Natural History Institute is located at 126 N. Marina Street, Prescott, Arizona, 86301.
Two other events will take place around the Arizona Originals exhbition. The first is an opening reception, which will take place on Friday, January 24th, from 5 – 7:30 pm MST. This free kickoff event is open to the public and is part of Prescott’s 4th Friday Art Walk.
The second and final event takes place on Saturday, March 7th, 1-5 pm MST. From Eye to Paper: Artists’ Insights, is a field workshop led by the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists and naturalist Bob Ellis.
The workshop will begin at the Natural History Institute, then move to a nearby field location where a team of artists and naturalists will guide participants in a direct experience of observation and drawing. The registration fee is $25. Space is limited to 12 participants.
The Southwest Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) is the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the tradition of botanical art which combines science and art.
by Deb Shaw
Back by popular demand! Last year’s BAGSC BOTANICAL ART WORKSHOP was such a great success, we’ve created a new one! Start a creative 2020 with:
BASIC BOTANICAL ART WORKSHOP
A Day of Botanical Art Skills & Techniques for All Levels
Sunday, January 26, 2020
9am to 4pm
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, CA 91007
Participants may choose from a variety hands-on sessions taught by skilled BAGSC teachers in a new, longer, 80-minute format! Choose which sessions you want to attend the day of the event.
- Color Mixing and Pigments
- Colored Pencil and Watercolor Pencil
- Drawing Leaves and Flowers
- Dry Brush Technique
- Fixing Fiddly Bits with Masking Fluid
- Graphite (Pencil) Techniques
- Nature Journaling
- Pen & Ink
- Pen, Watercolor & Colored Pencil
- Silverpoint
- Watercolor
- AND MORE!
BAGSC Artists include:
- Cristina Baltayian
- Sally Jacobs
- Kathlyn Powell
- Lesley Randall
- Olga Ryabtsova
- Mitsuko Schultz
- Gilly Shaeffer
- Deborah Shaw
$50 BAGSC Members ~ $60 Non-Members
Register online at
https://bagsc.org/classes/bagsc-botanical-art-workshop-2020
No refunds after January 17, 2020.
BAGSC Basic Botanical Art, photo © Deborah Shaw.
All basic supplies are included in the registration cost. Beginners can try new techniques while others can brush up their skills and try out new materials.
Please register early. Spaces are limited, and this workshop is open to the public. Registrations are expected to fill quickly.
Questions? Contact BAGSC’s education chair at the link on the online registration page above.
by Janice Hoiberg
The American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. The celebration is being commemorated with a “Special Exhibition,” a catalog of member’s artwork to be published in October 2019, based on the theme “Celebrating Silver.” Each original features a plant with ‘silver’ in the common or scientific name, or is a plant that has a ‘silvery’ element or appearance. The catalog also will document ASBA’s history, and include articles about its pioneers.
One wall of “Celebrating Silver.” Photo by Janice Hoiberg.
Some of the original artworks created by BAGSC members as part of “Celebrating Silver” is now on display in the Brody Botanical Center at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. The exhibition opened on July 10 and will run until September 4, 2019.
Participating BAGSC artists in The Huntington exhibition include: Nina Antze, Nancy Beckham, Melanie Campbell-Carter, Jan Clouse, Diane Nelson Daly, Yulia Feldman, Janice Hoiberg, Sue Jackson, Mary Jansen, Laurel Tucker Krishock, Patricia A. Mark, Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, Kathy I. Morgan, Terri Munroe, Marilyn Parrino, Kathlyn Powell, Patricia Savage, Gilly Shaeffer, Beth Stone, and Leslie Walker.
Additional artwork in “Celebrating Silver.” Photo by Janice Hoiberg.
Once the exhibition closes at The Huntington, it will then move to Mt. San Antonio Gardens in Pomona, California, where it will be displayed from October 1 to November 26, 2019. An opening reception will be held at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens’ gallery on October 3, 2019. Everyone is invited!
by Marilyn Parrino, posted by Deb Shaw
Sierra Madre will host their 57th Annual Art in the Park this Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th. Join one hundred juried artists who will be displaying an array of Fine Art and Fine Craft in:
Sierra Madre’s Memorial Park
222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Sierra Madre, California
9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Admission is free, and each day features a food court; live music on stage at the band shell and on the southeast lawn of the park, and a silent auction!
Be sure to visit the booth “Beautiful Botanicals,” featuring the artwork of BAGSC members Marilyn Parrino, Nancy Beckham, and Robyn Reilman.
All Proceeds from the Art Fair benefit the Sierra Madre Public Library. For more information please call the Library at 626-355-7186.
Sierra Madre Art in the Park
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 Deb Shaw
There are still a few spots available for BAGSC’s first Basic Botanical Art Workshop: A Day of Skills and Techniques for All Levels. Join us on:
Sunday, January 27, 2019
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
for a day of mini-workshops and fun exploring techniques and supplies.
Cost, BAGSC Members: $50
Non-Members: $60
Register online at: https://bagsc.org/classes/bagsc-basic-botanical-art-workshop
Bring your own lunch or purchase from the Arboretum Café.
This day of botanical art is designed to allow participants of all levels an opportunity to enjoy a hands-on botanical art experience in different mediums. The day starts with a presentation about botanical art. Then, each participant can choose any combination of four (4) one-hour, hands-on workshops taught by skilled BAGSC instructors. Registration is for the entire day—no pre-registration for individual workshops is required.
Participants may choose to sit down with different artists to experience techniques applied to creating botanical art. Currently scheduled are:
- Creating 3D forms by light to dark shading in graphite
- How to do a watercolor wash
- Easy color mixing in watercolor (NEW—just added!)
- Dry brush techniques (NEW—just added!)
- Using pen and ink in scientific illustration
- Drawing with silverpoint
- Color pencil techniques in botanical art
- Labeling your painting with calligraphy
- Creating 3D forms by light to dark in watercolor
- How to draw a leaf in graphite
- Using mixed media in scientific illustration
- Graphite tips and tricks
- Perspective for plants
- Watercolor pencil techniques
BAGSC teacher members will be sharing their skills, displaying some of their works and bringing information. Currently scheduled to participate are:
- Cristina Baltayian
- Diane Daly
- Akiko Enokido (NEW—just added!)
- Sally Jacobs
- Lesley Randall
- Olga Ryabtsova
- Gilly Shaeffer
- Deborah Shaw
- Ellie Yun-Hui Tu
All basic supplies, including paper and paint, are included in the price. Additionally, most artists will bring special supplies to share that can be used with their techniques. Participants are welcome to bring some of their supplies if desired. Please see the lists in the right-hand column of BAGSC’s website about the class.
Questions about the Workshop? Contact the BAGSC Education Chair.
by Deb Shaw
California Current, colored pencil by Nina Antze, © 2018.
There are still a few seats left! Nina Antze will be teaching her color pencil technique in a two-day workshop at the Madrona Marsh Preserve in Torrance in February:
Non-Native Invasive Plants of the Madrona Marsh
Workshop in Color Pencil with Nina Antze
February 7-8, 2019
Madrona Marsh Preserve Nature Center
3201 Plaza del Amo
Torrance, CA 90505
Workshop in Color Pencil with Nina Antze
February 7-8, 2019
Madrona Marsh Preserve Nature Center
3201 Plaza del Amo
Torrance, CA 90505
$200 for BAGSC members, $250 for non-members
Learn about the non-native invasive plants at the Madrona Marsh Preserve in Torrance, California. Participants will tour the nature preserve and select an invasive plant to use as their specimen. Participants can remove as many specimens from the preserve as they would like!
Additionally, BAGSC members are invited to submit works for the exhibition “Non-Native Invasive Plants of the Madrona Marsh” to be held in the summer of 2019, opening June 1 and running until August. Nina’s workshop is a great opportunity to get your artwork started for submission to this important exhibition.
Exhibit submission deadline: May 15, 2019
To see more details and to register for Nina’s workshop: go to BAGSC’s website at https://bagsc.org/ click on “Classes” and then on “Class details” under the workshop name, OR go directly to https://bagsc.org/index.php/classes/nina-antze-2019.
BAGSC News 