Boston Flora

Tag: wellesley college

  • Monday, June 13 – Wednesday, June 15, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, and Thursday & Friday, June 16 and 17, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Introduction to Botanical Art

    Explore the world of botanical art over five days in this course designed especially for you – the beginner.  Sarah Roche guides your experience through structured exercises, projects and demonstrations, exposing you to the basic techniques and methods of botanical drawing and watercolor painting.  If you have an interest in plants and a yearning to record what you see on paper, then this class is for you.  All experience levels welcome.  Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens – $275; non-members $325.  Register by calling 781-283-3094.  Image copyright 2012 Sarah Roche.

  • Friday, May 20 – Sunday, May 22, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Composition Challenge

    Helen Allen returns to the Wellesley College Botanic Garden for a three day workshop May 20 – 22 from 9:30 – 3:30.  Plant studies, colors, and drawings are fun part of creating a beautiful painting, but the challenge is always in composing the page.  Helen Allen leads the challenge to create an image that is balanced and draws the viewer to have a closer look – an image that can enchant and inform.  Through three days, you will fall in love with your chosen plant, study its habit, and develop drawings that can be used to compose three different paintings.  Identify blocks and position of color and study the balance of your compositions.  Then, choose the best and spend a day adding color to guide you in completing the painting at home.

    A textile designer-turned-teacher, Helen attended the English Gardening School in the Chelsea Physic Garden where she gained the prestigious Diploma in Botanical Painting and Illustration.

    Wellesley Friends $375, nonmembers $475.  Register by calling 781-283-3094.

  • Wednesday, June 1, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Favorite Flowers in a Day

    Do you have any drawings in your sketchbook that you really like, but never got past being a sketch?  Bring these little buds of inspiration to fruition under the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden instructor Ellen Duarte’s guidance.  On Wednesday, June 1 beginning at 9:30 am, bring some of your favorite drawings to class, or just bring the whole notebook.  Students will each make a small composition using bits from their drawings.  These compositions will then be finished with a combination of graphite, pen, and wash.  Ellen will describe some of the things she likes to do with these finished drawings.  All experience levels welcome.  Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens members $75, non-members $95.  Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

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  • Friday, May 6, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Herbs and Wild Edibles of the Spring Season

    In this Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens workshop on Friday, May 6 from 1 – 3, herbalist Steph Zabel will join us in harvesting and sampling some of the first emerging plants of the season, including dandelions, chickweed, and violets.  These often-overlooked plants are highly nutritive and beneficial for human health.  We’ll focus on the medicinal and culinary uses of these herbs, how to prepare them, and practical ways to incorporate them into your daily life.  There will also be a demonstration on how to make an herbal-infused vinegar.  Please dress appropriately for the weather as we will be outside for part of the class.  Friends $20, non-members $30.  Register at www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends, or call 781-283-3094.  Image from www.tastespotting.com.

  • Tuesdays, May 3 – May 24, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Leafy Greens: A Studio Focus

    In this Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden four week class with Sarah Roche, you will explore your palette to unlock the potential of mixing greens.  Focus on the nuances of form and texture, and refine your leaf painting skills.  This class is geared for artists at both Foundations and Techniques levels of experience.  Tuesdays, May 3, 10, 17 and 24, from 9:30 – 12:30, Friends fee $150, nonmembers $200.  Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Thursday, April 28, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – Agroecology in Cuba and Beyond

    In November 2015 Wellesley College Botanic Garden Fellow Katie Goodall had the opportunity to attend the International Agroecology Conference in Guira de Melena, Cuba, which brought together farmers, peasants, agroecology promoters, facilitators, scientists, students, and others interested in the development of agroecology throughout the world.  In addition to talks, Katie and the other participants visited farmer cooperatives in several provinces.  Katie will relate her experiences at the Wellesley College Science Center, Room SCI-278 on Thursday, April 28 from noon to 1:30.  Friends of Wellesley Botanic Garden fee is $15, non-members $20, and the price includes lunch.  Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Tuesday, April 26 – Thursday, April 28, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Painting in Sepia

    The Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens has added a three day Painting in Sepia class to its excellent calendar of classes and events.  Lara Call Gastinger will give a detailed approach to observing and painting spring specimens with a monochromatic sepia palette.  You’ll learn how to render stems accurately, create value, detail different textures, and use brush control to attain a tight finished look.  This is a great introduction to watercolor without the added complexity of color.  The class takes place Tuesday, April 26 – Thursday, April 28, from 9:30 – 3:30.  Friends members $340, nonmembers $415. Register by emailing wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu, or call 781-283-3094.  Watercolor below copyright 2014 Lara Call Gastinger.

  • Thursdays, May 5 – June 16, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Watercolor Landscapes

    Thursdays, May 5 – June 16, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Watercolor Landscapes

    Susan Swinand teaches adults at all levels of experience to solve the problems of painting on location: changing light and cast shadows, elements of perspective, color and composition and all the techniques you’ll need for success.  Follow your own interests in the classroom or work on site in the Wellesley College Gardens.  One on one instruction and group critiques help you develop skills and explore what works. This seven session class, offered by the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, will take place from 1 – 4 on Thursdays from May 5 through June 16.  Friends member price $200, nonmembers $250.  Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

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  • Tuesday, March 29, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Maria Sibylla Merian: The First Ecologist?

    Tuesday, March 29, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Maria Sibylla Merian: The First Ecologist?

    Maria Sibylla Merian’s (1647 – 1717) illustrations were not only the first to depict the life cycles of insects along with their plant hosts, they were also the first to emphasize interactions among the species portrayed – the very foundation of the study of ecology.  Kay Etheridge, Professor of Biology at Gettysburg College, provides an overview of Merian’s contributions to natural history.  Co-sponsored by The Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden and by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the program will be held Tuesday, March 29 beginning at 7 pm in the Arnold Arboretum’s Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway in Boston.  Members of sponsoring organizations – $5; non-members $10.  Register by calling 781-283-3094.

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  • Tuesday, April 12 – Thursday, April 14, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Painting on Vellum

    Denise Walser-Kolar reveals her technique for painting on vellum during this three-day Wellesley Botanic Garden workshop, April 12 – 14 from 9:30 – 3:30. Begin by doing some exercises on small bits of vellum to learn her technique and get a feel for painting on this surface. Then choose a small fruit to draw and paint. This class combines demonstrations, discussion of materials and techniques, hands-on time for developing skills, and lots of individual attention. Wellesley Friends $395, nonmembers $495, includes cost of vellum used for class. Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.