A Blog from the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California
By Leslie Walker
The next meeting will be October 10 at Tania Norris’ house. Nominations are solicited for the offices of President and Treasurer. The offices are for two years and the person nominated must agree to serve for two years. All members are encouraged to think about this and should feel free to nominate themselves if willing to serve and give some time to the Guild.
The Agenda and previous meeting’s minutes will be out soon.
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.
Compiled by Sue Kuuskmae
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov to start native plant nursery on Rincon Reservation
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov of Pauma Valley (San Diego area) was invited by the
Rincon Indian Tribe’s Environmental Department to start up a native plant nursery on the Reservation. Two acres will be developed to open on Earth Day next Spring.
Sally might have a new address
Sally Jacobs is thinking of moving to Culver City, which will take a bit of planning, so she is not able to spend as much time painting as she usually does.
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence exhibiting at the National Arts Club, New York
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence’s painting of the endangered Hawaiian Hibiscus clayi will be shown in an exhibition of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club at the National Arts Club New York City, NY. The National Arts Club is located at 15 Gramercy Park South. The 113th Annual Exhibition runs from October 1-23, 2009. Call the National Arts Club at 212-475-3424 for additional information. Catalog available.
Collected by Sue Kuuskmae
Artplantae.com Web Site
This web site is a great one for a wealth of information about plants and for finding classes in your area. There is also a companion blog with wonderful information that’s updated frequently.
Olga Eysymontt’s Botanical Art Classes
In the immediate Los Angeles area, Olga Eysymontt teaches botanical art at The Los Angeles Arboretum. Email Jill Berry or call her at (626) 821-4624 to sign up.
Jude Wiesenfeld Oil and Watercolor Classes
Jude Wiesenfeld just started working at Ben Bridge Jewelers in the Simi Valley Town Center. Please come in to see me and all the beautiful jewelry and watches! I am continuing to teach oil and watercolor every Thursday at Renee’s Art Studio in Chatsworth (818) 701-9887.
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov’s Class in San Diego County
Julie Schneider Ljubenkov will teach a class, Focus on Flowers, on the Mira Costa campus beginning Wednesday evenings for 7 weeks, September 30 – October 18, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Call (760) 795-6820 or register online.
By Sue Kuuskmae
President – Margaret Lindsey
1st Vice President – Lynn Attig (Communications/public relations)
2nd Vice President – David Wolfram (Programming/exhibitions)
Secretary – Suzanne Kuuskmae
Treasurer – Bonny Botello
President, Margaret Lindsey, presided over our first meeting held at the Automatic Printing Co. in Torrance, CA. We all had a chance to introduce our selves and art work to each other and then had a lively discussion about the goals of the group. One of our main concentrations will be to provide art demonstrations at meetings, to have several workshops with teachers of pastel during the year, and to have one show of our pastel work. There were 17 potential members in attendance. If any of you want to get involved in doing pastel painting, contact Margaret by email.
Our next meeting will be held Saturday, September 19 at Graphaids, 7280 Manchester Blvd., Westchester, 90045. The demonstrator will be Joe Mancuso who is a local pastel teacher. If you plan to attend, please let Sue Kuuskmae know.
By Sue Kuuskamae
The John Smolko colored pencil class will be held November 9, 10, and 11th from 9:30 to 3:30 at the home of Margaret Lindsey in Torrance. The final cost of the three-day workshop will be around $200 a person depending on the number attending. The following members of CPSA have made their deposit: Barbara Rogers, Rosa Weitzel, Joan Reeves, Gayle Uyehara, Sue Kuuskmae, Morgan Kari; independent artists: Donna Lock & Mary Ann Sapp; and Botanical Artist Guild member, Rita Hopper. We could take a few more students, so if you are interested or have additional questions, please contact Sue Kuuskmae by phone or by email (click on the name to launch the email) to make sure spots are still open. You can send a deposit check for $100 to Sue to hold your place. Additional detailed information will be sent out sometime in October.
Get out of the heat and come to the beach, Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:00 a.m. for the BAGSC meeting at the home of Deb Shaw.
RSVP by email or phone to Deb.
Lunch will be potluck style, so please let Deb know what you’re bringing. Members are encouraged to form car pools! The meeting agenda includes updates on classes and exhibitions.
Come prepared to share your latest work; we want to see your portfolio. Learn about how to automatically be notified of new articles as soon as they’re posted to the blog and how to become a blog editor yourself.
Following the meeting and lunch, we plan to pick Margaret Best up at the airport and visit the Orange County Museum of Art to view Illumination: The Paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin, and Florence Miller Pierce. Carpools will be available to the Orange County Museum of Art.
Illumination is the first exhibition to bring together the work of these four important American women modernists. O’Keeffe (1887-1986) and Pelton (1881-1961) were born six years apart in the 1880s, while Martin (1912-2004) and Pierce (1918-2007) were born six years apart in the 1910s. All four drew on nature as their primary focus, inspired by arid and spare desert environments.
Thank you, and we hope to see you on July 18th.
Agenda
I. Welcome members and guests
II. President’s Report
III. Secretary’s Report
IV. Treasurer’s Report
V. Membership Report
VI. Old Business
A. By-laws
B. Arboretum Marketplace Booth 2009
C. Jenny Phillips Class
D. Kathy Dunham’s sketching class in France
VII. New Business
A. Help with Secretary’s duties.
B. Margaret Best’s Class, Huntington Botanic Garden, July 21, 22 & 23, 2009.
C. ASBA Meeting & Classes in Phoenix, AZ, October 12-20, 2009.
VIII. Program
A. Making the most of the newsletter that became a blog
B. Portfolio sharing, and share new materials, tips and techniques
C. Lunch and OCMA Museum
Coffee will be ready at 9:30 am and there will be a Potluck Lunch following the meeting. Directions will be sent out via email blast.
Bonnie Born Ash is exhibiting botanical paintings in watercolor and landscapes in oil at the Thos. Moser Gallery in the Helms building in Culver City. The botanicals were exhibited through April 30th, but her landscape paintings will be up through August.
The Thos. Moser Gallery is located in the historic Helms Bakery Building in Culver City, just west of downtown Los Angeles. The gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm and Sunday, 11am – 5pm and is located at: 8705 Washington Boulevard (Helms Bakery Building), Culver City, CA 90232, Los Angeles, CA, Phone: 866-708-9816.
Be sure to see Bonnie’s work. Congratulations Bonnie!
A group of members of the Colored Pencil Society is planning a three day class with John P. Smolko, CPSA, an award winning colored pencil artist and teacher. He teaches a textural style using expressive line and a huge variety of color.
He advocates daring to be different and experimenting with various color combinations. The dates for the class will be either November 2,3,4, or 9, 10, 11 of 2009 and will be held in Redondo Beach at the home of one of our members. We are seeking 10 – 12 participants, but if many more show interest, we could probably accommodate a larger group at a local art supply store in the South Bay Area. The cost for the three days is estimated to be $200 but could fluctuate a bit depending on enrollment. If you have any questions, contact Sue Kuuskmae. You should send a deposit check for $100 to hold your spot. Please include your e mail address, mailing address, phone number, and name.
Clematis, Margaret Best. Watercolor, 2008, all rights reserved.
Margaret Best is returning to teach at the Huntington Gardens this Summer. In this 3-day watercolor class, Margaret will be teaching the importance of the color purple to the botanical artist’s palette. Not only will Margaret be showing the many ways in which this invaluable color can add vitality to both highlights and shadow areas, she will also assist the participants in exploring ways to achieve the most intense purples possible using lightfast, transparent paints. This class will consist of important technical exercises both creating the color purple and mixing other colors with purple pigment, as well as an opportunity to apply this knowledge in a simple subject painting. One thing for sure – the subject matter will contain the color purple!
No special materials are required. Bring your favorite hot press paper, drawing materials, your paints, brushes, mixing palette and jars. If you have any further questions or would like to know more about Margaret’s well researched botanical artist’s palette, please feel free to e-mail her.
Limit 14
Fees : $295.00 for BAGSC members; $325.00 for non-members. A $50.00 non-refundable deposit will hold your space in the workshop. Full payment due by June 21 (deposit applies towards cost of class).
Register by contacting Leslie Walker and mailing her your deposit check and check for full payment. All checks should be made payable to BAGSC.
Saturday, March 21, 2009, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Kathy Dunham
RSVP by email or phone to Kathy
(she will need a guest list for the entry gate)
Lunch will be potluck style, so please let Kathy know what you’re bringing. Members are encouraged to form car pools! The meeting agenda includes updates on classes and exhibition plans. We’ll also be voting to approve revised BAGSC Bylaws – a draft was attached to the email blast announcing the meeting for you to review in advance.
Following the meeting and lunch, we plan to sketch/paint wildflowers in bloom. Thank you, and we hope to see you on March 21.
Agenda
I. Welcome members and guests
II. President’s Report
A. BAGSC Revised Bylaws
B. Website and Blog Updates
III. Secretary’s Report
IV. Treasurer’s Report
V. Membership Report
VI. Old Business
VII. New Business
A. Arboretum Marketplace Booth 2009
B. Brand Library Exhibit Schedule 2011
C. Additional events anticipated 2009
• Kathy Dunham’s sketching class in France
• Jenny Phillips’ class, Huntington Library, March 30-April 3
Next Meeting: Saturday, July 18, Location TBD
Mark your calendars! Once again, BAGSC will be participating in the LA Garden Show at the Los Angeles Arboretum from April 28 – May 3. All botanical originals or prints are welcome. Eligibility requirements include:
Some important dates to remember:
All BAGSC members are encouraged to submit to this non-juried show. The Submissions Guidelines and Show Information will be emailed to all members. If you don’t receive yours, or if you have any additional questions, please contact exhibit chair Janice Sharp.
See you there!
Jenny Phillips will be teaching a Botanical Painting Class again at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens March 30, 31, April 1, 2 & 3, 2009. The classes will be held in the Botanical Building from 9:00-3:30. The cost of the class is $525 for BAGSC members and $575 for non-members. Spaces are being reserved as a $50 non-refundable deposit, payable to BAGSC. Contact Leslie for details. The balance payable to BAGSC is due March 1, 2009.
Evening Lecture and Reception: Friday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Workshop (ART 310): Saturday, March 28th & Sunday, March 29th 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Learn the basics for creating botanical illustrations from professional botanist, botanical illustrator, and teacher, Dr. Linda Ann Vorobik. Linda, through demonstrations and lectures, introduces participants to drawing skills, parts of the plant, what botanical illustration is when defined precisely, and watercolor techniques as used for painting plant portraits. All skill levels are welcome: accomplished artists can increase their knowledge of botany and skilled botanists learn drawing and painting techniques. A list of required supplies will be mailed to participants.
Join us the Friday preceding the weekend workshop for a casual reception, where Dr. Vorobik will showcase some of her works and techniques.
Note: Each day of the workshop there will be a lunch break from noon – 2 p.m. Dr. Vorobik will stay in the classroom with short breaks only for those who wish to eat at the Garden or work through the lunch break.
Location: Friday Reception – Blaksley Library, Weekend Workshop – Arroyo Room
Limit: Friday Reception: 40, Weekend Workshop: 15
Friday Lecture Fee: No charge for workshop participants, $5 for all others
Register online!
BAGSC News 