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by Deb Shaw
Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple, by Margaret Best, watercolor on paper, © 2012, all rights reserved.
BAGSC members Margaret Best and Akiko Enokido were selected to exhibit in the 15th Annual International exhibition for the American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York. The show is comprised of forty-three artworks by thirty-nine different artists from the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and the UK.
Jurors Patricia Jonas, Kathie Miranda and Derek Norman had the difficult task of selecting from 192 entries. The artwork in the show can be viewed in the exhibition section on the new ASBA website. Be sure to read interviews with Margaret and Akiko about their work in the show on the website as well.
Camellia japonica ‘Chandleri Elegans’, Variegated Camellia, by Akiko Enokido, watercolor on vellum, © 2012, all rights reserved.
Want a catalog of the exhibition? Order from ArtPlantae for $20.
The exhibition will be on display from September 14 – November 21, 2012 at The Horticultural Society of New York, 148 W. 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York, 10018. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 10 am to 6 pm.
Congratulations to all!
posted by Deb Shaw
BAGSC member Margaret Best will be teaching classes in various parts of the globe for the remainder of 2012, and into 2013. See below for descriptions and links to more information:
Mixing Natural Green and Painting Leaves (SOLD OUT!)
September 26-28, 2012. Filoli, San Francisco.
Three-Day Weekend Workshops (and more) – October 12-14, 2012, and November 23-25, 2012
These intensive 3-day workshops involve assigned subjects or specific technical aspects aimed at assisting participants in the creation of traditional botanical art studies. The selected subjects range from introductory level to advanced study.
The locations of the 3-day Weekend Workshops will be in and around Calgary and will be indicated in the description of each individual workshop as it is confirmed. Please bring your own lunch and refreshments other than coffee and tea, which will be provided. More information, costs and payment by credit card or PayPal can be made on the Traditional Botanicals website. Various evening botanical workshops and Saturday workshops are available in Calgary as well. See the Traditional Botanicals website for details.
Fabulous Foliage – Watercolor
November 2-5, 2012
Bermuda Society of Arts, Hamilton, Bermuda
A 4-day intensive workshop using the incredible variety of shapes and colors of tropical and subtropical leaves of Bermuda, capturing natural green colors, and achieving realistic surface texture, venation, leaf curl, and foreshortening. If you have always wanted to master the art of painting leaves, this is a class not to be missed. For more information, costs and payment, contact the Bermuda Society of the Arts.
Painting in Morocco (including lectures by Ethnobotanist Gary Martin) – April 22-30, 2013.
BAGSC member Jan Clouse at Margaret Best’s Quench Trip Design Tuscany Workshop, 2012.
This incredible botanical art opportunity has been arranged in conjunction with Quench Trip Design. Gary Martin, renowned ethnobotanist and the author of Ethnobotany: A Methods Manual will give lectures. Enjoy five nights in luxury accommodations, three nights in a mountain retreat, meals prepared by gourmet chefs and highly personalized instruction from Margaret Best. More information, costs, and itinerary can be found at the Traditional Botanicals website (click on the “Blog” link for information) and at Quench Trip Design.
by Jan Clouse
Jesselyn Cyr, Norma Sarkin and Leslie Walker in Margaret’s class at the Huntington.
Sometimes a perfect composition presents itself like a gift from heaven, but more often than not it is like Jacob wrestling with the angel—a struggle for a blessing. In her three-day workshop at the Huntington Garden, Margaret Best repeatedly returned to fundamental principles of composition, guiding the class through basic do’s and don’t’s. Each morning began with a slide show, lecture, and discussion that both guided and inspired us to create a pleasing and dramatic painting.
As always, Margaret dispels the notion right away that we will walk out the door with a “finished painting.” Rather her aim is that each student will have a thoughtfully composed finished drawing ready for color. Many of us had done our homework: we had selected appropriate specimens; most had done preliminary sketches, and some had transferred the sketches to paper. Yet under her tutelage we all drew or rearranged our sketches to improve the placement of the focal point. First consideration was the “rule of thirds” or Margaret’s magic grid.
We also looked at examples from traditional to contemporary painters who in various ways illustrated the basics of planning, focal points, cropping, color placement, contrast, and the use of positive and negative space. Yet Margaret always sent us back to consider our own works.
Speaking for myself, the process of looking at a variety of paintings and discussing them with nine other keen-eyed artists who all offered perceptive comments sharpened my eyes to assess the potential strengths and pitfalls in my own composition. I appreciated the fact that Margaret drew on the skills and talents of her students: individuals offered plant information to others, and Christina Baltayian even did a spontaneous colored pencil demonstration. Margaret is an exceptional artist, but she is also a masterful teacher notable for her ability to create an atmosphere where knowledge is readily shared.
I will admit that painting at the Huntington was an inspiration in itself, and indeed I gathered a couple of fallen bits from an oak just outside the Botanical Building, which turned out to be compositional gifts from heaven.
By Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
If you’re thinking about taking Margaret Best’s 3-day workshop at the Huntington Gardens on July 26, 27, 28, now is the time to reserve your space, and send in your deposit and/or your full class fee.
Participants will bring their own specimens (your choice!) and Margaret will focus on meaningful compositional choices for your personal art, or for creating potential entries into the BAGSC Drought Tolerant Plant Exhibition at Chapman University Library next year (intent to submit to the Exhibition is not a requirement of this class). All mediums are welcome in this workshop. This open medium instruction will be a first for BAGSC. Margaret suggests you bring your usual supplies, that includes your own preferred paper and paints/colored pencils, but she is happy to provide her own color palette choices for both mediums upon request. She can be reached via her website with any questions in regards to supplies.
There are still a few spaces available, and you can read more about this class on the prior post for the BAGSC blog.
So, if you had been contemplating attending, now’s the time to both register and find your subject. The cost for this class will be $300. Hold your space with a $50. non-refundable deposit, check made out to BAGSC and sent to Leslie Walker. Final $250. payment due July 1, 2012. Fabriano 5 paper (only available in Europe) will be available for purchase from the BAGSC inventory at class, three half-sheets for $7.00.
Participants should be selecting plants (for drought-tolerant help call Deborah Shaw or Leslie Walker), and starting sketches, color matching, and composition ideas. The more preparation you do ahead of the class the more you will get out of the class.
By Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
Preparing for an exhibition submission can be an exciting project yet sometimes, also a little daunting. What subject should I pick? Where do I find it? How do I create that particular texture? What type of composition will show the specimen off to its best advantage both in terms of its unique characteristics as well as offer an aesthetically appealing result? You will be able to get help with all of these elements by signing up for Margaret Best’s 3-day workshop at the Huntington Gardens on July 26, 27, 28.
Margaret will be steering participants towards meaningful compositional choices to kick-start a direction for creating potential entries into the BAGSC Drought Tolerant Plant Exhibition at Chapman University Library next year. Not only has Margaret developed a new format for her workshops, already proven in Bermuda, Canada and recently in Italy, she is also experienced in teaching graphite, watercolor and colored pencil and will be therefore welcoming all mediums in this workshop. This open medium instruction will be a first for BAGSC. Margaret suggests you bring your usual supplies, that include your own preferred paper and paints/colored pencils, but she is happy to provide her own color palette choices for both mediums upon request. She can be reached via her website with any questions in regards to supplies.
What you are required to bring with you is your own specimen. For those of you who love to depict colorful flowers, there are many options in this category too, but you should also be aware that the purpose of the exhibition is to bring a focus on the unique structures of drought tolerant and drought resistant plants as well. And the choice is not restricted to purely Californian natives. Once you have made your selection, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with the plant by completing preliminary sketches and doing some research into the ways that the plant structures you will be depicting, assist in its toughness to survive in regions that are often subjected to periods of time without water. This pre-workshop preparation time is not a pre-requisite to attend (nor is there a pressure to exhibit if you do not wish to do so) but it will help you progress more efficiently with a compositional direction and give you more time for color application and technical assistance.
So the time to both register and start looking for a subject is right away. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of this wonderful exhibition but also to be able to prepare for it with Margaret Best.
The cost for this class will be $300. Hold your space with a $50. non-refundable deposit, check made out to BAGSC and sent to Leslie Walker. Final $250. payment due July 1, 2012. Fabriano 5 paper (only available in Europe) will be available for purchase from the BAGSC inventory at class, three half-sheets for $7.00.
Participants should be selecting plants (for help call Deborah Shaw or Leslie Walker) now, and starting sketches, color matching, & composition ideas. The more preparation you do ahead of the class the more you will get out of the class.
See you there!
by Leslie Walker, posted by Deb Shaw
There’s been a change in the dates for Margaret Best‘s class in July! Mark your calendars: the new dates are
Thursday, July 26
Friday, July 27
Saturday, July 28
The class will still be at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Details to follow soon!
BAGSC News 