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by Deborah Shaw/Clara Josephs
The Chapman Leatherby Libraries Exhibition Committee (L to R: Deborah Shaw, Mitsuko Schulz, Leslie Walker, Akiko Enokido, Diane Daly, and Irene Horiuchi (crouching)) meet at Diane's house and review submissions.
The BAGSC committee organizing the Chapman Leatherby Libraries exhibition met on Friday, 3 December to finalize details for the show. It’s looking like a wonderful exhibition; 22 BAGSC artists with 77 artworks. Keep an eye open for announcements about the opening reception, artwork delivery, etc. If you have any questions, please contact committee chairs Clara Josephs or Diane Daly.
by Deborah Shaw
Kathy Dunham at Watercolor West with her painting of day lilies, "A Love In Bloom"
Leslie Walker, Clara Josephs (and husband Jerry Josephs) were among the many attending the Opening Reception for Watercolor West, where Kathy Dunham exhibited her watercolor, “A Love in Bloom”. Congratulations, Kathy!
Kathy Dunham and Clara Josephs at the Opening Reception.
by Leslie Walker and Deb Shaw
The Opening Reception for the BAGSC “Fast Track” Show at the Fine Arts Building in Los Angeles will take place during the LA Artwalk on:
October 14, 2010
5 pm – 8 pm
Fine Arts Building
811 West 7th Street (7th east of Figueroa), Los Angeles
The Fine Arts Building is hosting a reception for BAGSC. The LA Artwalk is anticipating more than 20,000 people over the course of the entire walk during the evening. This is a grand event, and an opportunity to see LA in an entirely different light.
Sage advice is to try to get to the downtown area early if possible. The rush of crowds usually starts about 6 pm. As always, parking in downtown LA is a challenge and expensive. Street parking is difficult to come by and fills quickly. There are parking garages in the area, with prices averaging between $8 – $10.00.
There are fantastic restaurants in the areal as well, and the gourmet food trucks come in and participate in the walk too!
Interior art display area in the Fine Arts Building. Photo courtesy of http://www.ratkovich.net/development/office/fineartsbuilding
BAGSC has the following members exhibiting work:
Margaret Best
Bonnie Born
Kathy Dunham
Cynthia Jackson
Clara Josephs
Morgan Kari
Joan Keesey
Suzanne Kuuskmae
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence
Veronica Raymond
Janice Sharp
Deborah Shaw
Gloria Whea-Fun Teng
Please promote the show (which will be up until mid-November) to colleagues, friends and family. Please have your guests join us for the exciting opening reception and the LA Artwalk on the 14th.
by Janice Sharp
Deborah Ravin demonstrating technique during her class.
Deborah Ravin taught a BAGSC-sponsored class, August 19 – 21, 2010 at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.
Beatrix Potter display.
Beatrix Potter is well known for her “Peter Rabbit” children’s books featuring her pen and ink/watercolors illustrations, however, Beatrix was also an accomplished botanical artist. Her detailed renderings of fungi and lichens were scientific trendsetters in the era before microscopic photography was an option.
Beatrix Potter’s interests lay with botanical art, particularly in the study of mycology. Her investigation and discovery led her to develop theories expressed in her paper “On the Germination of the Spores of Agaricineae.” (Poculum). Her paper was submitted to the Linnean Society on March 18, 1897. However, her theories, like those of any other woman, were not taken seriously. The paper was withdrawn with the understanding that it needed “more work”. One hundred years later, the Linnean Society wrote an official apology for the sins of historic sexism.
Today, 450 of Beatrix Potter’s scientific, archaeological, and botanical art comprise the Armitt Collection in Cumbria. Tania Norris treated us to a close-up of a Beatrix Potter original that is in her personal art collection.
Deborah led us through a series of a variety of methods for applying ink and watercolor to illustrate our botanical drawings.
Afternoon tea during class.
The class featured a treat of afternoon tea with Almond-Cardamom Scones (baked by Jill Carlson to whom we are all very grateful-the recipe is on the BAGSC Blog under the “Recipes” section or can be viewed by clicking the link).
Deborah also shared a recipe for “Black Walnut Ink” which is also on the BAGSC Blog (or can be viewed by clicking the link).
Our artwork, accomplished during class.
As you may have read in the BAGSC blog, through the efforts of member Diane Daly we have been invited by Charlene Baldwin, Dean of Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, to hold an exhibit of members’ paintings. The exhibit will be on the second floor of the Chapman University Leatherby Libraries building in the city of Orange and will run from the first week of January through February 21st.
For the upcoming Chapman University Botanical Exhibition, we envision a display of botanical illustrations that show a wide variety of botanical subjects and illustration techniques from our guild members. We would like the exhibit, along with lectures and demonstrations, to educate the community about botanical illustration, its history and role in science, and its evolution as an art form.
The members of the exhibition committee are Diane Daly, Akiko Enokido, Irene Horiuchi, Clara Josephs, Deborah Shaw, and Leslie Walker.
IMPORTANT DATES
NOVEMBER 12: Digital submission ends.
YES! ALL PAINTINGS that will be in the January-February show must be FINISHED early in November! That date is driven by holiday closures on campus that effect the Risk Management Department, and printing schedules. November 12th is the LAST day to send in digital photographs or scans of the art you are submitting. That means you must FINISH your paintings in time for you to have the scan or photograph received by mail OR emailed by November 12th!
No submissions received after that date will be accepted for the show.
You may submit paintings that have been in other shows or were not recently completed, so look through your portfolio for your strongest efforts!
At this time, we believe we will have room for four paintings per member; so aim for that. As we know more about the exhibition area, we may need to adjust that number.
NOVEMBER 19: Acceptance Notification
You might want to hold off on framing your entries until the committee notifies you by email on November 19th you that your submissions will be in the show.
THIS IS NOT A JURIED SHOW. However, if there are space constraints, then the committee’s objective will be to display the greatest variety of subjects. So, we will look for those plants that are less frequently painted.
FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY: Installation of exhibit during campus recess.
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 7: Reception
The reception will be held sometime this week (after the show opening). Chapman University has a wonderful caterer who will provide refreshments. This should be a lovely event to which you will want to invite friends and family.
Week of FEBRUARY 21: Show closes and paintings removed.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Deborah has again agreed to arrange for the printing of postcards. She plans to have them to you after Thanksgiving, so you can include them with your holiday mailings.
To unify the appearance of the show, we are requiring that all submissions be framed according to ASBA guidelines, using simple L frames with Plexiglas and in the lightest colored wood. Leslie will have more information about frame sources and will bring a sample frame to the next BAGSC meeting on October 2.
The University allows for the sale of original works, and does not ask for participation in the sale. Artists who wish to sell will be asked to provide their email or other form of contact so the buyer can contact the artist. The artist and the purchaser will arrange for the transfer of sold artwork after the close of the show.
Again: all paintings in this show MUST be digitally submitted via email no later than NOVEMBER 12th! SO plan and paint NOW for this wonderful opportunity!
Have a great holiday weekend!
by Suzanne Kuuskmae
Suzanne Kuuskmae is the artist of the month at the Artist Studio Store located at the top of Crenshaw Rd. at the Palos Verdes Art Center. Go check it out! Also, there is a small group of budding botanical artists taking a class from Jennifer Seigal as part of the course offerings up at the Center. I (SK) was honored to be asked to speak to the group this past week about the five-step method of doing botanical drawing/painting. You may see some of these students at future BAGSC meetings.
In addition, I wanted all to know that the newly formed Pastel Society of Southern CA will be holding their first pastel showing from April 3 -17 with reception April 9 from 6 -9:00 p.m. at the Creative Arts Center in Manhattan Beach. Hope some of you can make it to the reception and show.
Clonard Thomas from the Aerie Art Garden has confirmed our worries: the desert is due for severe thunderstorms tomorrow, and so we need to postpone our trip until next week.
New date: March 6, 2010
Same times: arrive before noon or gates will close
Same place: Aerie Art Garden (please see the prior blog posting)
Coachella Valley Watercolor Show Announcement
An added bonus is that next weekend, March 6 & 7 is the big Coachella Valley Watercolor Society show in Palm Desert. Kathy Dunham will be exhibiting in the show. The hours are 10 am – 5 pm at the Palm Desert Community Center, and admission is free. BAGSC members can have a two-for-one day in the desert at the Gardens, and also stop off to view the watercolors at the Coachella Valley show.
We’ll be sending out an email blast in addition to the blog posting about the change in dates for this weekend. Please help by double checking with folks that you know might have been planning to go this Saturday. Please also RSVP if you can with Leslie if you are planning to go next weekend.
Thanks, and sorry about Mother Nature. The flowers, however, should be stunning by next weekend with this added dose of water.
by Janice Sharp
Home Tour Program and Ticket
The 42nd Annual Holiday Look In 2009 Home Tour benefiting The Pasadena Symphony Association ran Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm each day in Pasadena. The tour was attended by 2,300 people. BAGSC was invited by Jane Herrmann to hang members’ works in her back stairwell (see initial story below in the BAGSC News blog). Four paintings were sold as a result of the Tour, for a total of just under $3,000.00, including: Gilly Shaeffer’s, Three Hibiscus; Arillyn Moran-Lawrence’s, “White Satin” Still Life of Arum 6 lilies; Cynthia Jackson’s, “Bark”; and Patricia Mark’s, “Persimmon Pair”.
Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in a house built in 1917, a fuse blew and the power was out for a few hours on Sunday. The tour went on without light, but, eventually, the docents at the house were able to set up substitute lamps for the stairwell.
BAGSC Home Tour Catalog: Sample Pages
For the first time, BAGSC printed a catalog with thumbnail images of the artwork, and contact information for each of the artists. Catalogs were handed out to all of the tour participants, so that they would be reminded of the works they had seen. One painting sold after the tour was over, so the concept appears to be successful. We’ll explore more ideas about printing “take-away” pieces for future exhibitions.
The BAGSC show will remain up through the holiday season at Jane’s house, on exhibit during her holiday gatherings. Jane is very supportive of botanical art, with a wonderful collection throughout her lovely home, including antique and modern botanical paintings, including some Martha Kemp pieces.
Thank you to Jane & Carl Herrmann for opening their home. And best wishes to all for a happy holiday season.
As posted previously on the blog, Margaret will be teaching at the LA Arboretum, sponsored through BAGSC, January 15 – 17, 2010, (contact Leslie for more information); and at the Virginia Robinson Gardens, sponsored through the Virginia Robinson Gardens, January 19 – 20 (contact Tania for more information). Add one more venue: the Calgary Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Calgary, Canada, where she’ll be lecturing and teaching introductory botanical art (flyer attached: CalgaryZooBotanical Illustration).
I was very interested in the use of vellum prior to going to the conference so I looked for those artists using vellum at the Portfolio Sharing event. I found Jean Emmons and discussed how her work was displayed as it was mounted in an different manner.
Jean Emmons small works on vellum stretched over Art Boards.
First, these particular pieces were small and were stretched over a small board. Jean explained that the vellum was stretched over Art Boards. She had gessoed the surface of the Art Board so that the vellum was protected. The vellum was then glued over the board and around the sides. Jean uses transparent paint and the work is so gorgeous that it is hard to comprehend how she does it.
The Legacy Exhibition at the ASBA 09 Annual Meeting in Scottsdale. The Maple Leaf by Jean Emmons.
I saw her two pieces in The Legacy exhibition and was fascinated with the maple leaf and the colors that she used. Moving into the Techniques Showcase. Jean Emmons was demonstrating her painting technique. She studied the gourd and found numerous colors and added those to her Bristol board drawing. She explained that her technique is based on medieval manuscript illumination which was learned from Kevin Nicolay, who sadly died at the age of 33. The method is a difficult and time consuming but is a very special way of viewing light moving through plant layers. I watched and photographed her technique and was able to capture one shot of the beginning of her painting as that seemed to be the basis of her incredible technique.
BAGSC artwork for Pasadena Holiday Look-In Home Tour to benefit the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra.
Seventeen BAGSC members are participating in showing their artwork as part of the annual Pasadena “Holiday Look In” Home Tour. BAGSC paintings have been hung in Jane Herrmann’s back stair well by Leslie, Norma and Janice. The Pasadena “Holiday Look In” Home Tour will be Dec. 5 & 6, 2009 when they expect 2,000 people viewing the house & stairwell. All those visiting Jane’s house house during the holidays will have an opportunity to admire and purchase the art work.
The Pasadena “Holiday Look In” Home Tour is a much anticipated annual event offering visitors a chance to view four distinctive homes in the Pasadena area, decorated for the holiday season by prominent floral designers Tommy Farmer, Dolores Kroop of Padua, Jacob Maarse and Leonora Moss. Proceeds from this event are used to support the Pasadena Symphony’s annual concert series as well as many educational outreach and community engagement programs throughout southern California. The home tour is from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., December 5 & 6, and is $30 in advance, or $35 on the day of event.
Looking up the stairs at BAGSC artwork for Pasadena Holiday Look-In Home Tour to benefit the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra.
The Huntington’s exhibit showcasing 110 rare illustrated herbals and rose books, including a first edition of Redoute’s Les Roses, opened on February 9. I got a first glimpse of the show at a preview on February 8 along with a very enthusiastic crowd enjoying the work amid the perfume of baskets of dried rose petals (yes, you are encouraged to pick up and smell the roses). The botanical books on display trace the history of roses and are also marvelous “textbooks” on composition and technique for painters of flowers. In addition to the preview of the show, I enjoyed finding a wonderful book in the exhibit gift shop. It’s a new Taschen edition of The Roses and includes all of Redoute’s rose plates and a great chapter on his engraving techniques. Stock was running low when I was there, but the store manager said they should have more by the end of this month.
The exhibition is part of the 100th anniversary of the Rose Garden at the Huntington. Many rose garden events are planned during the year including a botanical watercolor class with Lisa Pompelli focusing on roses. Her class starts March 29 (and runs four Saturdays) when the rose garden should be in great bloom. Hint: If you want to attend make a reservation now, her classes fill up quickly.
“La Rose Imperiale” will be open through April 28. Don’t forget that the Huntington is now open on Mondays and closed on Tuesdays. Weekday hours are noon to 4:30; weekend hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Our BAGSC blog is a success! We’ve had a total of 812 visits. Our best day ever was the first 24 hours of our launch, when we received 234 visits. A warm welcome to those of you who have signed up to be contributors, and we’d like to encourage all of you who are “thinking about it” to join in anytime.
BAGSC News 