Boston Flora

Tag: art class

  • Monday & Tuesday, January 10 & 11, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Fun with Perspective: Understanding the Basics

    Explore the fundamentals of perspective with Carol Ann Morley and take your drawing skills to a new level. Learn methods of measuring and how to draw in proportion; foreshortening; overlapping shapes and illusion of depth; linear and atmospheric perspective; light source; and techniques of shading with graphite. Examine how key shapes like the cube, cone, sphere and cylinder underlie all organic subjects and are the
    foundation of drawing. Beginner to experienced students welcome. Friends of WCBG $225, nonmembers $275. To register, email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu or call 781-283-3094. This class will take place in person in the Putnam classroom at the Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley.

    Pedro Medina Art

  • Wednesdays, December 1 and 8, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Holiday Cards in Dry Brush Watercolor

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden two session workshop December 1 and 8 from 19 – 1 will focus on using dry brush watercolor to replicate the colors and forms of the Season’s Flora, poinsettia, ivy, and laurel. “Dry brush” refers to the art of using only a small amount of paint to damp a brush. Create paintings to turn into seasonal holiday cards. Learn the basics of the dry brush technique, including color mixing and layering, working from light to dark, adding fine detail and using dry brush with the “skin” of dried paint on the palette. Techniques to be covered: color mixing and layering, working from light to dark, adding fine detail, using a dry brush. We will also create botanical tints for the base layer, which will generate shape by adding a luminous shadow.. This two-session class led by botanical artists Anastasia Traina will include instructional time and group critique.

    Anastasia Traina is a member of SAG, WGA, The Dramatists Guild, The American Society of Botanical Artists, the Tri-State Botanical Artists of NYBG, the SBA, as well as Circle East and graduated with honors from the NYBG botanical art degree program. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, dog, two rabbits and her 40,000 bees.

    $95 for BBG members, $110 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/seasonal-cards-dry-brush-watercolor

  • Thursday, December 2, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Herb and Fruit Hand Printed Cards, Gift Tags, and Gift Wrap

    Get into the holiday spirit and add a personal touch to your decor this year. Imagine a wrapped gift with your own printed wrapping paper. Imagine a holiday card with a hand craft botanical touch. Artist and teacher Suzanne Hauerstein will guide you through simple ways to create your personal and one of a kind hand-printed holiday cards, gift tags and gift wrap using fresh fruit and herbs. All materials will be provided for this Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on December 2 from 12:30 – 2:30. .

    Suzanne Hauerstein is a professional teaching artist and the Coordinator of Volunteer & Intern Services at Tower Hill. She has over 25 years of experience designing and facilitating art-based programs for informal learning environments. Suzanne is committed to creating programs that are accessible, positive, and enjoyable learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities.

    $45 Member Adult; $60 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register Here.

    1. All materials will be provided for this workshop.
    2. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill, which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, or parking spaces, in addition to some noise.

  • Tuesday, November 2 – Thursday, November 4, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Drawing Dried Leaves

    The rhythmic forms of dried leaves present great images to draw. Under the tutelage of Carol Ann Morley, capture the drama and grace of these beautiful leaves as they twist and turn. Choose to draw solitary forms or branches of overlapping leaves. Drawing concave, convex shapes can sometimes be a challenge — we will explore their complexity through a series of graphite exercises analyzing the spatial depth and angles to bring clarity to these great leaf forms. Render them in contrasting graphite tones or explore their colors and shapes with the brilliance and fun of mixed media. Open to artists of all levels.

    Carol Ann Morley is an illustrator and dedicated teacher of botanical illustration working in New Hampshire. She founded the Botanical Art Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden and teaches illustration there and at other major botanical gardens.

    This three day class at Berkshire Botanical Gardens will take place November 2 – 4 from 10 – 4, and is $320 for BBG members, $350 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/drawing-dried-leaves-capturing-their-beauty-and-drama

  • Sunday, October 31, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm – Drawing Leaves and Seeds

    Whether it’s acorn leaves and nuts or a milkweed pod and leaves, explore the wondrous and sometimes crazy shapes of seed pods through observational drawing. Add color with colored pencils and learn how to achieve an accurate shape and the importance of shading. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on October 31 is focused on learning and applying botanical illustration skills. It is an all levels workshop but it is encouraged to have some basic illustration experience.

    Materials List (Not included with registration):

    1. Mixed media paper pad, 9″ x 12″, such as Canson XL or Strathmore or Canson Mi-Tentes Drawing Paper Pad, assorted colors
    2. Colored pencils, assorted colors, brands such as Prismacolor, Caran d’Ache, Derwent, Faber-Castell Polychromos
    3. No. 2 pencil and an eraser

    Instructor Carol Schwartz graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

    $30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE

  • Wednesday, September 1 – Saturday, September 4, 10:30 am – 2:45 pm – The Garden in Pastel

    Learn how to capture the splendor of Garden with the deep pigments that can only be found with pastels. This four session Berkshire Botanical Garden class, September 1 – 4 from 10:30 – 2:45 each day, is appropriate for beginners to intermediate students. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Students will work in-plein-air, learning the fundamentals of this medium before using it to rendering the late summer garden in all its glory. Instructor Cheryl Moore is an artist and educator who specializes in watercolor and oil pastel. She has more than 40 years of teaching experience working with children and adults. Cheryl holds a B.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and has trained in botanical art with Janet Walsh, Charles Reid, and Jack Flynn.

    $250 for BBG members, $300 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/garden-pastel

  • Saturday, August 21, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Eco Printing: Botanical Prints on Paper

    Use leaves and flowers collected at Mass Hort to print images directly on paper using a process called eco printing. In this August 21 class at The Gardens at Elm Bank, you will experiment with two forms of eco printing. First, you will learn how to treat paper with a mordant that helps the plant pigments bind to paper. You will arrange plants on your mordanted papers and steam them to capture nature’s beauty. While your first batch of prints is steaming, you will make a second bundle of plants and paper that you will boil with rusty objects. The iron from the rusty objects will bind the plant pigments to the paper. You will leave with lots of prints that can be used for cards, framed pictures, or collages.Mary DeLano is a fiber explorer who loves eco printing, natural dying, stitching, wool applique, and rug making. Mary enjoys sharing her passion for fiber arts with new students.  She teaches throughout New England, including at Maine Fiber College, where she also serves on the organizing committee.  Click here for a class example. This class  registration will close down a week prior for supplies to be prepared. $75 for Mass Hort members, $98 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Thursday, August 19, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Eco Printing: Botanical Prints

    Eco printing is a process that captures plant images directly on fabric or paper.  While there are many ways to capture these images, iron is one of the most interesting and reliable chemicals used to do so.  Iron can be used alone to capture the image, in conjunction with tannin to create a colored background for the image, as a modifier to neutral mordant, or as a dip for the foliage.  Each method produces a different result.   
    In this August 19 Massachusetts Horticultural class, students will have an opportunity to treat (mordant) fabric, with and without iron, so that it is ready to capture the prints.  Students will produce a variety of samples which will demonstrate the many ways in which iron can be used in the eco printing process to capture unique results. Mary DeLano is a fiber explorer who loves eco printing, natural dying, stitching, wool applique, and rug making. Mary enjoys sharing her passion for fiber arts with new students.  She teaches throughout New England, including at Maine Fiber College, where she also serves on the organizing committee. Students will need to bring tight fitting dishwasher gloves, as we will be working with chemicals which will stain our hands.

    $140 for Mass Hort Members, $200 for non members Limited Space, Registration ends 3 days prior for supplies to be prepared. Register HERE

  • Wednesday, August 11, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Plein Air Watercolor Painting in the Garden

    Explore the Berkshire Botanical Garden through the pleasure of watercolor painting with artist Ann Kremers on August 11 from 10 – 1. The class will work outdoors translating the vistas and details of the garden into paintings. Each session will begin with discussion of student work, demonstration, and a helpful assignment. Ann offers encouragement and suggestions throughout the painting sessions to help each person find their way to express the Garden. Beginners and experienced painters are welcome. Additional information can be found on our website. Ann Kremers lives and works in Bennington, Vermont.  She studied art at the University of Michigan and has continued to research, experiment and discover new things about art making throughout her life.  Walking in the beautiful landscape where she lives and looking at the world wherever she finds herself provides continuing inspiration and learning experience. Click here to be added to the waiting list for this class.

    Copyright Ann Kremers

  • Sunday, July 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Pollinators and Plants: Watercolor Techniques

    Take a short walk through the Tower Hill Botanic gardens on July 25 looking for just the right blossom to paint. Take a few photos of blooms that have a butterfly or bee if you’re lucky. Then at the comfort of a table, use your watercolors to paint your favorite flower. There will be instruction from Carol Schwartz on the steps involved in painting a flower and how to add a butterfly or bee. Materials are not included.

    Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

    $30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at https://purchase.towerhillbg.org/PatronEducation.aspx?pid=420

    Additional Program Information
    1. Materials (Supply your own–not included with registration)
      1. Watercolor or mixed media paper pad, 9? x 12?, such as Canson XL or Strathmore 400 Serie
      2. No. 2 pencil and an eraser
      3. Watercolor set, pan or tubes, suggested brands include Winsor & Newton, Pelikan, Raphael, Royal Talens Van Gogh, Koi
      4. Three watercolor brushes; one small round brush size 0 or 1, one medium round brush size 2-5, one large round brush size 6-8
    2. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill, which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, or parking spaces, in addition to some noise.
    Copyright Carol Schwartz