Boston Flora

Tag: American Society of Botanical Artists

  • Friday, April 29 – Saturday, May 7 – Leiden, The Floriade, & Dutch Botanical Arts Tour

    The American Society of Botanical Artists is really excited to offer this new travel adventure to our Members. Our initial journey will be to the historic Leiden area of the Netherlands, home to the 16th century medicinal gardens and nurturing sciences of the Hortus Botanicus, the National Herbarium and its associated botanical art, birthplace of Rembrandt and embarkation of early Pilgrims to the New World. We will tiptoe through tulips at the famous Keukenhof Gardens, practice our brush strokes on pottery at the Royal Delft Pottery, visit flower markets, bulb museums, experience the International Horticultural Floriade Expo 2022 and so much more.

    Join fellow botanical artists as we enjoy these experiences, while soaking in the unique Dutch ambience; all exclusively designed for ASBA Members. You will cement old friendships, make new life-long friends, and perhaps meet some of our Dutch Members. Come join us in the Netherlands in early May 2022. Contact your Guest Services Coordinator, Alex Hollis, by phone at 1-800-856-1045, ext. 2 or email at ASBA@connoisseurstours.com

    Details and complete itinerary are available at https://www.ctjourneys.com/leiden2022

  • Sunday, September 22 – Sunday, November 17 – American Society of Botanical Artists 22nd Annual International

    Launching American Society of Botanical Artist’s collaboration with Marin Art & Garden Center (MAGC), 30 Sir Frances Drake Boulevard in Ross, California, the 22nd Annual International is being held at the first West Coast venue for this exhibition opening September 22. The selection jury of Frank Almeda, Julie Bly DeVere, and Martha G. Kemp met in May, selecting 48 artworks from a competitive field of 230 entries. Artists included hail from the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, and the UK. Of the 45 artists included, eighteen of these have never before been included in an ASBA international exhibition.

    MAGC is an 11-acre historic property that is open to the public free of charge from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.  The Center is owned and operated by a nonprofit organization and supported by its community, including individuals, foundations, and businesses who make financial contributions and sponsor events and programs. The vision of MAGC is to preserve and share its beautiful historic site, while enriching our community through exploration and discovery in the arts and the natural environment. MAGC was founded in 1945 by leaders in the local conservation movement who wanted to save the property from development and foster a community engaged with the arts and gardens.  Their vision included a variety of arts and garden groups, some of which still participate in the life of MAGC today. With its gracious gardens, specimen trees, and water features, MAGC is a welcoming environment for visitors to enjoy and a destination for learning.  

    For more information visit https://www.asba-art.org/exhibitions/22nd-annual-international

    Prunus avium, Cherries, Watercolor, copyright Sharron O’Neil

  • Friday, May 11 – Sunday, July 22, Opening Reception Saturday, May 19, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Impressions of Woody Plants: Disjunction, Two Artists, and the Arnold Arboretum

    The word disjunction, defined as the relationship between two distinct alternatives, can be applied to botanical artists Bobbi Angell and Beverly Duncan: their media–copper and watercolor, their plant focuses–exotic and native, their backgrounds–botany and art. In the end though, as in this Arnold Arboretum exhibition, it is all about the wonder of woody plants, and the artists’ approaches to creating images. Angell is attracted to unusual, cultivated specimens due to her long history working with botanists and horticulturalists. Her subjects, all Asian natives, several of which were introduced into cultivation by the Arboretum, represent the remarkable history of plant collecting around the world. All can be found in the collections of the Arboretum. Her drawings are developed into finely crafted copper etchings, which are then printed in limited editions. Duncan is drawn to the familiarity of native plants. She translates the common and recognizable into intimate portraits in detailed watercolor paintings.Her sketches capture the various stages in the life of a native plant. For this exhibition, Duncan focused on paintings of seedlings, the delicate early life of a tree or shrub. All her subjects can also be found as mature trees on the grounds of the Arnold Arboretum. Bobbi Angell has been drawing plants since 1978, illustrating floras, monographs, and new species for botanists at The New York Botanical Garden, Harvard University, and Smithsonian Institution. Drawing herbarium specimens has been the focus of her work. Angell’s copper plate etchings reflect her interest in fine detail. They have allowed her a satisfying and natural extension of her compositional style. Beverly Duncan is an award-winning botanical artist, the first to receive Best in Show at the annual exhibition of the Horticultural Society in New York and the American Society of Botanical Artists. Her work is in corporate and private collections around the world. Duncan exhibited and received recognition at the 2014 royal Horticultural Exhibit in London. She teaches Botanical Drawing and Painting classes, and has illustrated commissions for numerous books and magazines.

    The exhibit runs from May 11 – July 22, with an opening reception Saturday, May 19 from 1 – 3. There will also be a workshop with the artists on Saturday, June 9 from 1 – 3. Note – The Hunnewell lecture hall is used for programs, classes, and other events. Please call 617 384-5209 for accessibility. Free, no registration required.

    Image result for Bobbi Angell art

  • Saturday, May 20, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – From Sicily to the Arnold Arboretum: Sicilian Wildflowers in Art and Words

    From Sicily to the Arnold Arboretum: Sicilian Wildflowers in Art and Words brings together botanical artist Susan Pettee and writer Mary Taylor Simeti. Members of the Harvard Class of 1962, Pettee and Simeti, bring their creative vision and exploration of the wildflowers of Sicily to the Arboretum for this first look at an exciting watercolor illustration and research project that will eventually culminate in a book entitled The Garlands of the Gods: Wild Flowers from the Greek Ruins of Sicily. Working together for almost a decade, Pettee’s and Simeti’s sensibilities have evolved from sharing a passionate admiration for the Sicilian flora to an awareness of how climate change is affecting the flowering of these plants. The exquisite watercolor and rich, articulate text for each plant assume a more urgent relevance as the artists realize how the increased use of herbicides is threatening to alter forever the experience of visitors to the archeological parks of Sicily.

    A graduate of Radcliffe College, botanical artist, Susan Pettee has had her art included in the American Society of Botanical Artists’ International Juried Exhibition and has participated in exhibitions with New England Society of Botanical Art, including the 2016 show at the Arnold Arboretum. Her work has appeared in Washington, D. C., Paris, Périgueux, France, and in the Berkshires, where Pettee currently lives.

    Writer, Mary Taylor Simeti, is also a graduate of Radcliffe College. She has authored a number of books, including On Persephone’s Island: A Sicilian Journal and Pomp and Sustenance. Simeti writes travel and food articles that have appeared in The New York Times and various other American and British publications. She makes her home in Sicily, assisting on a family farm that produces wine, olive oil, and organic produce.

    Talk and Presentation by Mary Taylor Simeti, Sicilian Flora from the Grand Tour to the Present, Saturday, May 20, Noon-1:00pm
    Opening Reception with the artists, Saturday, May 20, 1:00-3:00pm
    The show will be on view from May 12 – July 16 in the Hunnewell Building at 125 Arborway.

  • Thursday and Friday, August 21 and 22, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Watercolor Painting with Carol Woodin

    Gain confidence and comfort in this two day Berkshire Botanical Garden class devoted to techniques of botanical painting in watercolor. Using flowers as subjects, students will learn to capture the vitality and drama of these flowers. After creating a base watercolor layer for guidance, artists will add a series of dry-brush layers, gradually increasing color intensity and form. Through demonstration and individualized attention, the instructor will guide students through mixing believable greens and maintaining color clarity. By the end of the class, each student will have a painting either finished or nearly so. The class will be taught by Carol Woodin on August 21 and 22 from 10 – 4, and the cost is $260 for BBG members, $290 for nonmembers. Registration and a materials list may be found at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ai1ec_event/botanical-watercolor-painting-with-carol-woodin/?instance_id=2605.

    Carol Woodin has been painting botanicals in watercolor for over 20 years. Her focus is orchids, rare plants and heirlooms. Her work is included in collections around the world, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Shirley Sherwood Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Director of Exhibitions for the American Society of Botanical Artists, she has organized exhibitions of botanical art throughout the US.

    http://d2918aghi3b457.cloudfront.net//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/tam_may10_floral4.jpg

  • Friday, January 17 – Sunday, January 19, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Painting with Watercolor: Master Class with Carol Woodin

    Gain confidence and comfort in this Berkshire Botanical Garden class devoted to techniques of botanical painting in watercolor. Using pomegranates as subjects, students will learn to capture the vitality and drama of these luscious fruits. After creating a base watercolor layer for guidance, artists will add a series of dry-brush layers, gradually increasing color intensity and form. Through demonstration and individualized attention, the instructor will guide students through mixing believable reds and maintaining color clarity. By the end of the class, each student will have a painting either finished or nearly so.  The three day class will be held Friday, January 17 – Sunday, January 19  from 10 – 4 at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  Bring a bag lunch.  A materials list can be found on the website, http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ai1ec_event/botanical-painting-with-watercolor-master-class-with-carol-woodin/?instance_id=2433, where you may also register.  $320 BBG members, $360 nonmembers.

    Carol Woodin has been painting botanicals in watercolor for over 20 years. Her focus is orchids, rare plants and heirlooms. Her work is included in collections around the world, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Shirley Sherwood Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. As Director of Exhibitions for the American Society of Botanical Artists, she has organized exhibitions of botanical art throughout the US.

    http://www.botanicalartists.com/CarolWoodin/woodin-paphiopedlium.jpg