Boston Flora

Tag: Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens

  • Saturday, April 22, 8:00 am – 9:30 am – Outdoor Garden Walk: Birds of the Wellesley Botanic Gardens

    Celebrate Earth Day with both plants and birds! Rachel Moon is a wildlife biologist who specializes in shorebird habitat restoration. Working at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in Fall, 2022, Rachel collaborated with the Botanic Gardens team to create bird-friendly habitats and inspired students and staff with knowledge about the birds of campus. Join Rachel for an enthusiastic, guided walk of her favorite outdoor garden areas, including the Edible Ecosystem, to watch for and learn about local birds. Meet at the WCBG Visitor Center. Free, but pre-registration is required. Email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Tuesdays, May 5 – 26, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Spring Studio Focus – Cancelled

    Sarah Roche helps you capture some of spring’s most beautiful specimens in watercolor, in a four session course on Tuesdays, May 5, 12, 19, and 26, from 9:30 – 12:30 in the Cheney classroom at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens members $195, nonmembers $245. Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Monday, March 2, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Botany’s Beauties: Restoring Wellesley’s Flower Models

    The collection of antique botanical models purchased for Wellesley College by Henry Durant is being restored, and will be on display in the corridor linking the Visitor Center to Global Flora. These botanically accurate and visually stunning papier mâché models were used for many years by botany students learning about the structure of fruits and flowers. The Wellesley College Botanic Garden Assistant Director Gail Kahn will lead you on a journey through their history, their conservation, and the intriguing mysteries about their origins that are slowly being revealed. The talk will take place March 2 at 1 pm at the Wellesley College Club, and is free for Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden, $10 for nonmembers. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

    papier mâché pea flower

  • Monday, February 10, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Life’s So Sweet With a Sugar Maple in Your Yard

    Sugar maples provide New Englanders with shade, beautiful autumn color, and delicious maple syrup. Join Trish Wesley Umbrell, Natick Community Organic Farm’s Assistant Director, for a celebration of the versatility of sugar maples. She will share tips on tree identification and uses in the home landscape, explore the rich history and traditions of New England maple sugaring, and give a virtual tour of her local favorite sugar shack, as well as tips for making your own maple syrup on your stovetop. The program takes place Monday, February 10 at 1 pm at the Wellesley College Club in Wellesley. Free for Friends of the Wellesley College Botanic Garden, $10 for non-members. RSVP at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu

  • Monday, January 20 – Friday, January 24, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – ON LOCATION: The Kampong

    Monday, January 20 – Friday, January 24, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – ON LOCATION: The Kampong

    Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens announces the 2020 annual ON LOCATION: The Kampong, at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Coconut Grove, Florida. All abilities are welcome.   Join Sarah Roche and enjoy five days of botanical art.  Once on location, start to draw with easy field sketches on the grounds of the stunning Kampong historic home and garden, where the climate of the southeast shore of Florida affords a natural open-air environment in which tropical species flourish.  Explore rudiments of form from live specimens as you work in graphite studies.  Some plants will be flowering, others will be fruiting, and some may have all stages of development visible.  Then add color with watercolors.  Take home a journal filled with field sketches useful for future art works and fond memories of a unique experience.  The fee includes class instruction, four luncheons, and a visit to a local botanic garden.  Travel, accommodations, other food, and other expenses not included.  Dormitory accommodations at The Kampong may be arranged on a first-come basis.  For those arriving on Sunday, January 19, a get-acquainted gathering will be arranged.  Contact WCBG Friends for more details.  WCBG Friends of Kampong Members $540, non-members $640. To register, email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu or call 781-283-3094. Offered in collaboration with The Kampong, National Tropical Botanical Garden.

  • Friday, December 6, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Holiday Card Workshop

    Taking your inspiration from the fruits and foliage of the holiday season, create a pen and ink painting suitable for your holiday cards, gift tags, and notepaper, in this Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens workshop on December 6 from 9:30 – 3:30 in the Putnam classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Sarah Roche will lead you through the process and help you get your artwork ready for reproduction. Suitable for Techniques and experienced Foundation students. Friends members $110, nonmembers $130. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

    ©2015 Margaret Farr
    Eastern Woodland Berries: American Holly, Eastern Wahoo, Red Cedar
    Ilex opaca, Euonymus atropurpureus, Juniperus virginiana
    watercolor on paper, 22 X 18

  • Wednesday, October 23 – Friday, October 25, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Developing Depth

    How often do we see technically brilliant botanical paintings with specimens arranged all on one plane? In their natural habitat, plants overlap and intermingle with others to create a backdrop against which to view the stars of the show. Elaine Searle will reveal her techniques for creating intrigue and drama with more complex layered compositions. Topics covered will include setting up clear focal points, using ‘atmospheric perspective’ and when and how to let go of detail in some areas. You will work towards a small painting using these techniques. This course is ideal for advanced beginners or intermediate artists who wish to take their compositions to a new level. The three day class (October 23 – 25) will be held in the Putnam classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, and is $395 for Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, $495 for nonmembers. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

    copyright Elaine Searle

  • Monday, October 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – A Short History of Plants and People

    The advent of agriculture was approximately 25,000 years ago. What has happened since then? Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Senior Horticulturist Hannah Traggis will discuss how agriculture influenced civilization, and how changes in the last century have impacted our food and environment. She will also look at how the choices we make as consumers influence the future of food. This Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens talk will be held October 21 at 1 – 2 at the Wellesley College Club, 727 Washington Street in Wellesley, and is free for FWBG members, $10 for nonmembers. Call 781-283-3094 for more information or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 22, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Beginning with Light

    Knowing how to set up your specimen with correct lighting to reveal all the nuances of form, color and texture is essential to capturing realism in your botanical art. In this one day Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens workshop on October 22 from 9:30 – 3:30, Elaine Searle will demonstrate her technique and guide you in getting the best results. The day will start with a short presentation and you will partner up to try out the lighting rig. Having lit and photographed specimens, we will do some practical work on painting realistic light and shadow on varying reflective surfaces. This workshop is suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced. Friends members $150, nonmembers $200. The class will be held in the Cheney classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

    copyright Elaine Searle

  • Sunday, October 13 – Tuesday, October 15, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Fruits and Seeds: The Bounty of Autumn

    Master dry brush technique by painting all things autumnal – from nuts and seeds to late berries, hips and haws, seed heads and crunchy leaves, will be the topic of this Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden three day class on October 13 – 15, at the Wellesley College Club from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. Lizzie Sanders will show you how to make precise and sharp images using tiny brushes and almost no water. With guidance from Lizzie learn to create detail and textures. Over three days we will cover several different specimens as a study sheet or make one single painting. Emphasis will be on achieving accurate rendering of surface texture and color. Learn how to make the selected specimens look truly 3D on the page. This class is suitable for intermediate to advanced artists. $395 for Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens members. $495 for nonmembers. Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu

    copyright Lizzie Sanders