NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Lizzie Sanders (1950 - 2020)

29/7/2020

It has been announced that the renowned botanical artist and illustrator Lizzie Sanders GM passed away last week, age 70.

Lizzie Sanders in her studio

Born in London on 4 January 1950, she had lived in Edinburgh since 1983 - near to the Botanic Garden where she also taught botanical illustration to very many students. Anne Carlaw, the Chairperson of the Scottish Society of Botanical Artists announced her death via an email to members today.

In it she described Lizzie and her work as both an artist and as a teacher.

"many of us were fortunate to have been taught by Lizzie at the Botanics and even more of you will have been familiar with her stunning work.

Lizzy was the doyenne of dry brush work. To watch her in action was a joy, to try and replicate her technique took considerable practice, time and a shed load of patience. "

It seemed appropriate to use as an example of her stunning botanical artwork, her painting of Sutherland Kale - produced for Flora Scotia and published - as a feature image - in Scottish Plant Lore

Sutherland Kale © Lizzie Sanders - painted for Flora Scotia in 2018 and featured in the introduction to the Catalogue "Scottish Plant Lore"

Favourites are always bold, structural plants which themselves make a grand statement and which lead to careful, sometimes unconventional, composition.
from her website

Lizzie Sanders Timeline

1950: Lizzie Sanders was born in London on 4 January 1950.
1967-71: Lizzie studied for a Diploma in Art, Graphic Design and Typography at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee
1981-82: She left Scotland to study Strategic Advertising and Television Production at the Visual Arts School in New York
She then pursued a career in Design and spent many years working as a Designer for advertising companies in Italy (1975-80) and as an Art Director in New York (1981-1982).
1983 - she finally returned to Scotland and spent seven years as an Art Director or Design Director at two companies in Edinburgh.
1988: awarded Scottish Designer of the Year.
1990-2000 - she was a Founding Partner of a firm of Design Consultants
1990: Lizzie was a keen gardener, she took some classes in botanical illustration at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh between 1991 and 1996. She also took short courses with Annie Farrer (Kew); Pauline Dean (RHS Wisley) and Claire Dalby (Cambridge Botanic Garden). She never looked back, eventually giving up her design career to concentrate on botanical illustration.
As well as creating impressive botanical illustrations she also started teaching art students about how to improve their art and design
She lived in Edinburgh, near the Royal Botanic Gardens, where she found many of the natural specimens she painted
She died in July 2020.

Artwork by Lizzie Sanders

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Botanical Diversity: Artists' Profiles

22/7/2020

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Botanical Diversity is an exhibition by a group of Russian artists living in different countries and held in a gallery in Vienna in Austria this week.

This post

shows you the artwork in the exhibition; and
profiles the artists
details the location of the exhibition (at the end).

Cover of the Botanical Diversity Catalogue

You can find out more about the exhibition in the catalogue (cover above) on Issuu.

Views of the exhibition

This is a short slideshow of the work in the exhibition.

Profiles of the exhibiting artists

The eleven botanical artists listed - and then PROFILE BELOW - are participating in their first group exhibition together in Europe. They currently live in:

Belarus: Lidiya Doukhnevitch
Germany: Maxim Shirshin
Russia : Natalia Alatortseva, Svetlana Chernysheva, Svetlana Lanse, Victoria Mezenova, Marina Protsenko, Anastasiya Velikaya,
Slovenia: Tatiana Gart, Anna Suprunenko
United Kingdom: Marina Kiselyova

The artists who were members of the group of five artists who won an RHS Gold Medal in 2015 are indicated by GM 2019 after their name.

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Profiles of Selected Artists for ASBA 23rd Annual International Exhibition

20/7/2020

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ASBA's 23rd Annual International Exhibition of Botanical Art at Wave Hill includes 13 artists who have never exhibited in an ABA International Exhibition before.

A total of 46 two-dimensional, original, botanical artworks - out of 178 entries have been selected. The international botanical artists come from the US (33), Australia (1), Canada (3), Germany (2), Japan (2), Netherlands (1), Russia (2) and the UK (2). Entries are down on last year - but this may be due to the Pandemic.

It's hoped that the exhibition can be held as planned in September.

Selected Artists

Botanical Artists whose botanical drawing, painting, print or illustration was selected for the exhibition are listed BELOW

Names are organised by country.
Profiles include bio information available online.
Embedded in their name is a link to their website or ASBA Member Gallery Page.
Images are from my photos (or as credited) or links to social media posts.

I confess I gave myself a memory check and sorted them - from memory - before checking each individual artist's bio! I got 27 of the 46 sorted without the need for more information!

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Seongweon Ahn (New Jersey) - member of both Member of ASBA(USA) & KBAC(Korea). She is a a Korean Botanical Artist currently living in New Jersey, USA. She majored in Oriental Painting for Undergraduate studies but now works mainly in coloured pencils. She has participated in multiple exhibitions in Korea and Taiwan and her previous awards include: Gold medal winner at Botanical Art Society of Korea Open exhibition 2019 and Prize winner at the 2019 International Botanical Art Show in Seoul. (SEE BELOW)

View this post on Instagram

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Claudia Campazzo (California) - Born in Chile to an Italian family, she has lived all of her adult life in the United States. Currently lives in Fairfax, California. Lost her hearing in 2016 and began painting as a creative alternative to her career as a violist.
Mary Crabtree (Colorado) - Born and raised in the US midwest. Currently living in Colorado. 30-year career as a research virologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Began studying botanical illustration after retirement at the Denver Botanic Gardens (School of Botanical Art and Illustration and at several international botanical art workshops. Her work has been exhibited at the DBG and the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Additionally, her illustrations are in use in interpretive signs and publications by the Denver Mountain Parks Division, Denver, CO.
Jessica Daigle (Connecticut). An Illustrator and Designer who has also worked as a scientific illustrator. Started her own business in 2019 and uses a technique known as 'indirect' oil painting.

Jean Emmons with her painting which won Best Painting in Show as well as a Gold Medal back in 2011 at the RHS Botanical Art Show

Jean Emmons (Vashon Island, Washington) - an award winning botanical artist whose technique for watercolour painting on vellum is based on medieval manuscript illumination. Lives on Vashon Island, WA, USA. Her work is included in numerous collections including the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, the Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library, and the Shirley Sherwood Collection. She has won many prestigious awards.
Ingrid Finnan (New York) - Consistent exhibitor at this exhibition (9th through 23rd). Born in 1944 in Poland, now lives in Riverdale, New York City, Took up botanical art in 2005, after retiring from a career of 30 years working as a designer of decorative textiles. She admires the Dutch Golden Age floral painters and paints in oils (on gesso prepared 600 gsm Fabriano Artistico). Since 2006, she has shown annually in the International American Society of Botanical Artists Exhibitions and other exhibitions, including those associated with the Shirley Sherwood Collection at Kew. Recipient of the Horticultural Society of New York Best in Show Award, 2013
Jane Fisher (Minnesota) - Studied botanical art at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art. Works in graphite.

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ASBA also holding Virtual Conference - in October

18/7/2020

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Another Virtual Conference! This time it's the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) who are holding a Virtual Annual Meeting and Conference in October 2020.

What happened to the proper Conference?

Normally, ASBA members can enjoy three days of workshops, lectures, demonstrations, tours, exhibitions, portfolio sharing, personal and professional interaction and social events at their annual conference. (I gave a lecture last year at the one in Pittsburgh!)

BUT, as announced earlier in the year, the original planned Conference in Mobile Alabama was cancelled because of the Pandemic.

Due to uncertainties stemming from COVID-19 affecting the viability of hosting a conference this fall, the Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to postpone the Mobile Conference until October 2023. (Conferences for 2021 and 2022 remain scheduled for Pasadena, California and New York)

ASBA's NEW VIRTUAL 26th Annual Meeting and Conference

However it was announced yesterday that ASBA's 26th Annual Meeting & Conference has been resurrected in a virtual format!

Yesterday ASBA announced that:

they will be hosting an alternative event live online
on Wednesday, October 14 - Sunday, October 18 (so book out your calendar with these dates if, like me, you are an ASBA member)

We are making "lemonade from lemons" as they say, and putting a new virtual twist on some of our favorite conference programming.

Details are to be

despatched soon via email to members
posted on the ASBA website describing our exciting program offerings
AND providing information on how to register for the event.

It might very well be the first opportunity for all members to participate - which will make it a landmark event in the organisation's history!

The American Society of Botanical Artists now have members all across the USA and in number of other countries. You can find out more on their ASBA Membership Page

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The first ever Virtual GNSI Conference!

15/7/2020

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The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators is this year holding its first ever Virtual Conference. This offers the opportunity for scientific illustrators from all over the world - - to attend the conference without needing to fly or pay hotel costs!

What is the GNSI?

The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators is an association of individuals who communicate science visually and clarify scientific ideas. GNSI brings together these individuals and provides networking and professional development opportunities.

What is the GNSI Virtual Conference?

The normal (52nd) Anniversary Annual Conference has been postponed until 2021because of covid-19

Instead, GNSI have organised a one-of-a-kind gathering of science illustrators.
This offers the opportunity to:

discuss working in this new environment in the coming months and years.
present thought leaders and practitioners wrestling with the challenging new landscape of the covid world
a chance to experiment with different ways of doing science communication so that everybody can learn and grow.
PLUS an unprecedented opportunity to share our vibrant annual conference with a global audience.

Who can attend?

The GNSI Virtual Conference is open to anyone with an interest in visual science communication, including GNSI members, non-members, illustrators, animators, science artists, researchers, writers, publishers, and more.

Basic Details

Conference Dates August 8th & 9th, 2020
Cost: $50/member | $80/non-member**
Registration is now open for the first-ever GNSI virtual conference!
Those who register by July 31st are guaranteed a seat to all events.

Main Sessions: 2 days of presentations and interactive activities

Session 1: Creativity in the Time of Covid: 12:00 - 3:00 pm EDT, Saturday, August 8th on Crowdcast.
Session 2: Science Communicators, Where Next?: 5:00 - 7:00 pm EDT, Saturday, August 8th on Remo.
Session 3: Adaptive Practices for Visual Creatives: 12:00 - 3:00 pm EDT, Sunday, August 9th on Crowdcast.
Session 4: Online Teaching and Learning: 5:00 - 7:30 pm EDT, Sunday, Aug 9th on Crowdcast.

PLUS After party: 8 pm EDT, Sunday, August 9th.

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REFERENCES:

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Rosemary & Co. Brush Sets for Botanical and Nature Artists

12/7/2020

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Rosemary Brushes are very much favoured by a number of botanical artists - and a LOT of other artists as well.

I think Rosemary & Co. is the brush brand which gets a mention most often when I ask artists which brushes they like. I think there's three reasons for this

Rosemary do just one thing - make brushes.
They are still an independent small family-run business which has not been bought out by one of the art materials conglomerates (and I'm afraid to say my experience is that quality very often deteriorates when companies get bought up).
Finally they have a great approach to customer service. If you want a particular sort of brush, they might try making one for you! (That's certainly happened to a friend of mine)

In dealing with artists directly, I’m able to offer exactly what you want, in terms of quality, price and delivery. I’m proud to be a small family business, who can extend an ‘old fashioned’ approach to conducting my business. I believe this to be a major strength and although the 21st century offers valuable technology, I feel it is important to remember the courtesies in life, day to day, between each other. With this in mind, if you don’t see what you’re looking for or need any help/advice with your selection, just ask!

What people might be less aware of is that they also do a lot of sets of brushes based on the recommendations of specific artists.

These include people who paint botanical and nature subjects.

Below are the Rosemary Brush Sets which have been put together for two long-standing tutors of botanical art who have been using Rosemary Brushes for a number of years.

The Anna Mason Set - 6 sizes of synthetic pointed spotters - sizes 3/0, 0, 1, 3, 5
The Anna Mason Top Up Set - twice the number of Synthetic Pointed Spotters because much use means they wear down and you need more! - sizes 3/0, 0, 1
Sarah Morrish's Nature's Details Brush Set - 4 Kolinsky Sable Brushes: 2 sizes of Series 8 Pointed Round (size 2 and 4) plus a Spotter (Series 323 / size 2) and a Filbert (Series 66 / size 0) - launched in 2016.

Incidentally the Anna Mason brushes do get sold on Amazon - but for money than buying them direct from Rosemary! ;)

Anna Mason Top Up Set

The spotter from Natures Details Brush Set used by Sarah Morrish

Besides sets of brushes Rosemary & Co also provide various series of brushes which have proved to be a firm favourite with botanical artists who like good brushes for painting details.

Series 323: a Miniature Brush Series favoured by many artists who like stippling in layers
Series 93: Pure (Red) Sable Spotter Series - particularly favoured by botanical artists
Series 307: a vegan friendly Spotters Golden Synthetic - for those who prefer not to use animal hairs - again a favourite for botanical artists working across different media (Note The Anna Mason Set which uses the same hairs comes in the odd sizes)

For brushes, I only use one Rosemary brush which is a pure sable “spotter” Series 93 in a size 3 on the shorter handle. This gorgeous little brush has shorter bristles, than regular brushes and has a strong, resilient point. I use it in a way similar to that of a felt tip pen, rather like colouring in. These are made by Rosemary herself, and I would be lost without them!
Helen Campbell

Websites

Rosemary & Co Brusheswww.rosemaryandco.com/index.php
Anna Mason Art
Sarah Morrish - Illustrating Details

NOTE: Deliveries are taking a little longer at the moment - but they are at work and they are producing brushes to order.

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2021 Botanical Artists in Residence at Oak Spring Garden Foundation

8/7/2020

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You have until Wednesday 12th August 2020 to apply:

for the 2021 Botanical Artists in Residence Program (BAiR)
offered by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation - in Upperville, Virgina, USA.

The OSGF Botanical Art Residency Award

This program supports exemplary botanical artists working nationally and internationally who can create beautiful and scientifically accurate depictions of plant species. Residents selected for this award will reside at Oak Spring when spring is underway and the gardens and landscape are in bloom. This residency provides botanical artists time and space to work on their own projects, utilizing materials from our formal garden or the broader 700-acre landscape, and to visit our rare book library that includes many exquisite examples of historical botanical art.
from the "More" button after you click the "apply now"

The opportunities offered by BAiR and the requirements for applications are detailed below, followed byhow to find out more about the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and its gardens, library and botanical art.

The Botanical Art Residency Award 2020 includes:

a 1 – 3 week residence at the Oak Spring estate in Upperville, Virginia - with
- accommodation in nicely appointed homes where they will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen.
- Botanical artists will also have a dedicated 24-hour access to studio space in close proximity to their accommodation.
a $1,000 individual grant (to cover expenses)
an offer to purchase one final work on paper for $500 that will be accessioned into the OSGF Florilegium, and
Residents who complete this program will be able to apply to our annual Alumni Residency.
This is the website https://www.osgf.org/
This is a copy of the 2020 OSGF Residency Handbook
This is a link to the Oak Spring Foundation's page on Google Arts and Culture which demonstrates some of the artwork in the Library.

If successful you will need to arrange and pay for transportation to Dulles International Airport. Oak Spring will then arrange and pay for ground transportation to/from Oak Spring (from either Dulles Airport or Union Station).

The Oak Spring Foundation website

Criteria for applications

WHO CAN APPLY?

You can apply if you are a botanical artist with

an established track-record and
a well-developed body of work.
with a visa to travel to the USA (if a non-resident/citizen)

Our residents are selected through a competitive process by relevant specialists. We recognize that individuals may be at different stages in their lives when they arrive at a point where a dedicated period of focused activity may be helpful for their work. Our goal is to support individuals who pursue excellence and who can become preeminent in their chosen field. Through our residencies, we are building a network of individuals who know the importance of humankind's relationship to the natural world and appreciate the need for responsible earth stewardship.

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