BAGSC News

by Deb Shaw

Buddha’s Hand, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus, watercolor by Akiko Enokido, © 2011, all rights reserved.

The Awards for the Filoli Botanical Art Exhibition have been chosen, and Akiko’s painting, Buddha’s Hand, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus has been awarded the Juror’s Award. This award was chosen by the Art Exhibition jurors, Kristin Jakob and Susan Fisher for distinction  in botanical art representation.  The Award will be given at the Reception on June 30.  Congratulations Akiko!

by Bonnie Born Ash

Susan Frei Nathan, lecturing at the Huntington. Photo by Leslie Walker.

Susan Frei Nathan, ASBA Board Member and gallery owner specializing in contemporary botanical art, presented a workshop to BAGSC members on Thursday morning, April 28 at the Huntington Library. She summarized her career working with antique and contemporary botanical prints, watercolors, and drawings. In 2002 she established Susan Frei Nathan Fine Works on Paper, which represents botanical artists, offers consultation for private and corporate collections, and provides professional services including appraisals and expertise on conservation. Susan reviewed the current market values for botanical art and cited examples of sales prices for antique and contemporary botanical art.

She advises artists who are new to botanical art begin with small works and hone their skills. As technical ability improves, artists may challenge themselves to larger, more complex works. She recommends that artists choose subjects for which they have a passion, consider a “specialty,” and create a series of works of the same subject, all with the intention of developing a “body of work.”

With the intention of selling work, Susan advises artists to focus on regional plant life, the most popular subjects to collectors. Artists need to be aware of conservation issues in their choice of materials, and provide detailed descriptions for their mixed media works. She recommends that works on paper be handled with care – use cotton gloves. In finding the right gallery to represent your work, familiarize yourself with the galleries in the community that represent natural history related work. To exhibit your work publicly, consider ASBA juried exhibitions, the New York Botanical Garden, The Hunt Institute International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration, and check Susan’s website for additional links.

As Curator for the Sutton Collection, Susan described the development of the collection and discussed the exhibition at the Hunt Institute, Botanicals:  Environmental Expressions in Art, the Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton Collection. We were delighted to each receive a copy of the exhibition catalogue at the conclusion of Susan’s presentation. The workshop was followed by individual meetings with artists in half-hour sessions to discuss technique, composition, color and subject matter.

by Akiko Enokido and Deb Shaw

Akiko Enokido and her family attended the opening of the Green Currency show at the New York Botanical Gardens, where Akiko exhibited her Pomegranate, Punica granatum. Although the days were hazy and a little cold, they enjoyed their trip to New York, where the sun came out in the afternoon and the artists were treated to a tram tour of the New York Botanical Garden. Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias were in full bloom, and the daffodils were strikingly beautiful against the green fields.

The opening of the Exhibition was so well attended (and crowded!) it was difficult to even move, let alone see all the artwork! The artwork was all painted to a very high standard, and Akiko reports learning a lot from the exhibited work.

In the first juried show in the United States, the gold medal went to Beverly Allen; the silver to Asuka Hishiki (unfortunately, she could not come to New York), and the bronze went to Ingrid Finnan. Karen Kluglein’s Corn was listed in the Botanical Garden’s collection. Beverly Allen’s coconut was huge, with dyanamic composition and elegant color. Karen and Ingrid got also honorable mention award for their other work in the show.

Dr. Shirley Shirwood and Akiko Enokdo at the NYBG and ASBA "Green Currency" opening.

Dr. Shirley Sherwood attended the opening and Robin Jess introduced her to Akiko! (Thanks, Robin!) She spoke about the exhibition, and how wonderful of all the works are. Carol Woodin and the ASBA would like to bring this exhibition to other cities if the artists agree on a plan.

The Green Currency Exhibition has been so successful, it has been extended through August 21. For updates on the exhibition visit http://www.asbagreencurrency.blogspot.com.

An audio tour for the show is now available online.  It is very easy to access and use. The audio tours can be accessed from the NYBG Audio Tours page, where you can hear each of the artists talk about the subject of their painting in their own words. (You’ll hear Akiko’s daughter doing a wonderful job reading Akiko’s piece.)  The exhibition was linked to the NYBG; visitors can listen to the artists’ audio from their cell phones, and plants growing in the gardens that appear in the exhibit have been identified with special signage.

by Deb Shaw

Wild Rose Coin by Margaret Best, in packaging, courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint. (click image to enlarge)

BAGSC member, Margaret Best, was given a rare honor last year; she was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to paint an Alberta wild rose, Rosa acicularis, to be reproduced on a new Canadian 20 dollar coin. The collectible coin is being released May 2, and can be purchased online from the Royal Canadian Mint.

The silver coin is unusual, in that it is reproduced in full color, and contains three genuine Swarovski crystals. A limited run of 10,000 coins will be produced.

Margaret was one of three artists selected to submit designs. She submitted two designs, and her Alberta Wild Rose was chosen for the coin.

Once the design was chosen, it was vetted by a botanist, and Margaret had one month to complete the painting. Unfortunately, the flower was not in bloom at the time, but luckily Margaret had painted the flower before, and was quite familiar with it.

Front of the Alberta Wild Rose Coin by Margaret Best, courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint. (click image to enlarge)

Her contract with the Royal Canadian Mint meant that she had to keep the coin and the painting a secret, but, now that it has been announced there has been a flurry of publicity surrounding the coin’s release. An interview with Margaret on the CBC radio show “Alberta@Noon” was aired on Wednesday, 27 April. (Click the link to hear the podcast. Margaret’s interview is at the end of the program. Once you click the link, start the podcast and then move the slider to right above the sound symbol to skip to Margaret’s interview.) The radio interview was followed by a story in the Calgary Herald, and many phone calls. Tania Marien also covered the story on her blog, ArtPlantae Today.

Back side of Wild Rose coin, courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint. (click image to enlarge)

Margaret’s next venture is a one-person show in Bermuda, Bermuda Botanica. For more details on her Bermuda show and classes, see the prior article in the blog.

Congratulations Margaret!