NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

ASBA 27th Annual Meeting & Conference - Online in October

21/7/2021

I've registered for the full package for the VIRTUAL 27th Annual Meeting and Conference of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) in October 2021.

I did this last year after I realised it's by far the best way of participating and getting maximum value - even if I didn't get to any of the Meet and Mingles because they were in the middle of the night here in London! I'd much rather spend my cash on hearing from other botanical artists than on hotels and flights - and I'm not getting on any of those anyway in the near future even if I am double jabbed!!

I very much RECOMMEND you try the Conference out if you didn't register last year. It's the only way you will ever get to see so many top botanical art people in once place - in the comfort of your own home! Plus you can even wear your PJs for the teaching/talk sessions as nobody can see you!

No plane tickets, no hotel, no travel, just sit back, relax, and enjoy 4+ days of immersion in all things "botanical art" from the comfort of your own home. Connect with botanical art enthusiasts from across the country and around the world. Share your passion and be inspired by the art and artistic journeys of your fellow ASBA members as you engage in the variety of sessions being offered. ASBA| 27th Annual Meeting & Conference - Online in October

MORE DETAILS

Start on the ONLINE IN OCTOBER OVERVIEW page on the ASBA website to read about everything to do with this event

In order to enjoy maximum participation you MUST be a member of ASBA.
However non-members can also participate in certain events.

PDF files are available to download which provide comprehensive details of what's on offer - and the conditions of registration.

WHAT'S ON OFFER:
- Schedule at a Glance 75.65 KB
- Easy-Print Detailed Schedule 119.03 KB
- THE BIG ONE! Illustrated Program of Events 3.36 MB
WHO: Find out about the Instructors 740.63 KB - I worked out I've met / know 14 of them!
WHEN: Time Zone Chart 121.03 KB
MUST DO!: Policies and Terms 141.41 KB - what you sign up to when you register to attend

HOW THE TIMING WORKS

Do read the Time Zone Chart (above) to see how feasible it is for you!
All the events are timed for Eastern Time (i.e. New York) - which for UK people is 5 hours earlier than in London.

So this is how it works for me:

I start watching in the afternoon at 3pm (re the morning sessions)
Then return at 7pm (re the afternoon sessions) - which means early or late dinner!
Plus I dipped into some of the events which started at 6pm (11pm for me)
BUT missed out completely on the Meet and Mingle which starts at 9pm (i.e. 2am in the morning!). I might have a go at making one of these but tend to prefer to keep my sleep pattern regular!

CHANGE IN EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Watch out for a blog post this week about a CHANGE in the email subscription service. You may be asked to resubscribe to the new service
(due to the demise of the Feedburner service provided by Google)

KEY DATES

July 1 (noon Eastern): "Dare to Be Square" small works exhibition entries open
July 15 (noon Eastern): Conference registration opens
September 22: "Dare to be Square" small works exhibition entry deadline
October 6 (11 pm Eastern): Conference registration closes, deadline for changes to conference registration
October 13: Conference event begins
October 17: Conference ends

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Exploring the Future of Botanical Image Making with Laurence Hill

24/1/2021

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Yesterday I sat down in front of my television - switched to YouTube, found the Linnean Society YouTube Channel - and watched an excellent video about "Exploring the Future of Botanical Image Making | Laurence Hill" - which you also can see below. It's

a slideshow video with LOTS of images and commentary by Laurence
followed by a discussion via Zoom with questions asked by those who watched it in real time.
one of their Lunchtime Lectures series

Below you can find out

why I'm highly recommending this video
where you can find out more about botanical photography
where you can find out more about the work and botanical images of Laurence Hill

Our digitally connected world is profoundly image led yet the practice of botanical image making, and types of image commissioned is little changed in several hundred years. Laurence Hill uses examples from the Fritillaria Icones Project, to look at structuring images for online use and wider uses within botanical science and science communication.

I've known Laurence for some time - having first met him at the RHS Show in 2014 where he was exhibiting his botanical photography about Fritillaria. He is a botanical researcher who happens to take photographs to reveal different ways of recording plants. (see below)

He is always pushing the boundaries and thinking about new ways in which botanical images can tell stories and be more accessible to help others tell their stories.

The reason I'm highly recommending this video to botanical artists is that some of the things Laurence has to say will, I know, stimulate some artists into rethinking what they are doing in terms of drawing / painting / displaying / sharing images of plants. It's that basic. Laurence challenges the traditional and asks us to consider ways in which the effort employed might be made informative and useful and tell stories and help people understand the world we live in rather better. I'd be very surprised if there was no change in practice as a result of all the botanical artists watching this video.

Note: One of the good things about the Linnean Society is they've been recording lectures via video for some time. I also recommend a meander through the content on their YouTube Channel

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More about botanical photography

You can read more about botanical photography on the following pages on my Botanical Art and Artists website

HISTORY: Famous Botanical Photographers
CONTEMPORARY: You can find Notable contemporary botanical photographers on my page about people working on other media - Botanical Printmakers, Photographers, Sculptors and Digital Illustrators

More about Laurence Hill

In simple terms I photograph plants and share them with others but by applying a set of carefully considered rules these photographs have a value which goes beyond this unassuming act. For more than a decade I have used digital technologies to explore new ways of recording and presenting botanical science and I am particularly interested in how a systematic photographic approach can produce new insights. Similarly how digital image ‘sets’ as voucher specimens will enhance and extend the value of research. We need to consider how we present, link and verify digital data and the Fritillaria Icones website is my contribution to this emerging field.

Laurence Hill with his intensely botanical and extremely well presented exhibit of Fritillaria affinis and a discussion and demonstration of plant variability relative to the agreed taxonomic description of one species of a wild plant

You can read more about Laurence Hill and his digital photography as follows

website: http://www.fritillariaicones.com/ - his photographic botanical database to help with the identification, research and conservation of Fritillaria. This is an Open Access web based resource, available to anyone anywhere regardless of means and without the need to travel to various libraries and herbaria.
Laurence Hill has won RHS Gold Medals for Botanical Photography as follows:
- 2014 - Kobaimo - Japanese Endemic Fritillaria - Reflections on the RHS Botanical Art Show Autumn 2014
- 2017 - Deconstructed Fritillaria (Click to download PDF (19.2MB) of images) - see RHS Awards for Botanical Photography 2017
- 2018- Species Boundaries: Fritillaria affinis - see RHS London Botanical Photography Show 2018 - Awards and Medal Winners

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Are you going to be ONLINE in October and attending ASBA's 26th Annual Conference?

20/8/2020

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This year a LOT of people will be registering for the ASBA 2020 Conference for the first time because:

it's going to be VIRTUAL AND ONLINE
there's no need to cover the expenses of hotels and travel
there's absolutely no travelling involved - except across time zones from the comfort of your own chair!
some of the events are open to non-members.

Last year, I attended my very first ASBA Conference in Pittsburgh - and didn't expect to be attending again this year. However a Virtual Online Conference is different!

Essential Need to Know

So what do you need to know - in a nutshell?

DATES: It's on the same days as usual

START Wednesday 14th October
15th - 18th October - 4 days of core activities
FINISH Sunday 18th October

TIMEZONES: Events are live - so you need to know whether or not you can accommodate a specific activity (see the Time Zone schedule below) but they are also recorded and you can watch later (for up to 24 hours)

SESSIONS: A mix of Public and ASBA member only sessions

if you're not a member and have never been before, the public sessions are likely to be educational in a wide sense.
If you want to see any of the the Demos by leading botanical artists then you need to become a member of ASBA

REGISTRATION & FEES: Reduced rates

Registration opens tomorrow 21st August 2020
see "What does it Cost?" below

TO PARTICIPATE: You need access to Zoom and it needs to work on your device

plus you need to make sure you understand how it works in advance and check it works on your device. ASBA is not responsible for making it work on your device.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

READ Policies and Terms carefully as they relate to mandatory conditions, your personal info and privacy matters (Download as a PDF). You agree to these when you register.

I understand that the instruction and demonstration provided during master artists demonstrations is the intellectual property of the instructors, that material presented during programming is the intellectual property of the presenters and that all artwork displayed during the event is covered by copyright. I agree not to record, retain, or redistribute any portion of programming presented as part of this event.
Terms and Conditions

Schedule of Events

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:

Download the PDF version of the Summary Schedule (below), which you can print out if you wish. I suggest for those not living in the Eastern Time Zone of the USA that you pencil in your local times in the margin next to the Eastern Time Zones for scheduled events.

DETAILED SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Download the DETAILED SCHEDULE: This provides details of

the Master Demos A to G (ASBA Members only)
plus Other Activities
FEES for different activities (summarised below)

What does it cost?

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