Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to CVABA members, family and friends!

I found some leaves clinging to the top branches of my apple tree and thought to myself "Now, who do I know who would enjoy these?"  Actually, I knew right away! YOU!

I think they would make a lovely illustration!

See you next year!

Judy Thomas

Société Française d’Illustration Botanique

 Contact Made with French Botanical Artists!

(submitted by Judy Thomas) 

Anne McCahill, CVABA member, contacted the Société Française d’Illustration Botanique, introducing us and initiating contact between our two groups!

She translated Agathe Haevermans' response:
"Thank you for your interest, we would be delighted to share ideas and projects with you. We are a very young group, as compared to yours, and it would be a great opportunity to energize our association and to learn from your experience. Catherine Watters is one of our members among others as well (an American illustrators).  I am a member of ASBA and hope to join you at the next annual meeting in Denver. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Agathe Haevermans"

Their website is at the following link, and you can use Google translate to get a rough translation:

http://www.sfib.fr/fr/footer-actualites/8-societe-francaise-d-illustration-botanique.html

Be sure to check out their gallery at: http://www.sfib.fr/fr/membres.html

Agathe Haevermans is the President, and is a scientific illustrator at the National Herbarium of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.  As Ms. Haevermans suggested, those of us going to ASBA in Denver hope to meet up with SFIB! Very exciting!

Happy Holidays!

Fungus Foray – an Artist’s Palette Underground

Fungus Foray – an Artist’s Palette Underground            

 by Judith Towers

1. Mushroom foray
2. What we collected (small amounts, not enough for dyeing)
3. Hydnelllum aurantiacum – can make teals and blue-greens
4. Tapinella atrotomentosus – blue-greens and occasionally purples
5. Susan Hopkins’ samples
6. Many shades of Inonotus hispidus and Phaeolus schweinitzii
7. Hapilopilus nidulans - purple
8. Basket full of mushroom-dyed colors!

In September a friend and I ventured to The Mannings, a handweaving and handspinning shop in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. We were about to discover that hidden colors may be found in many mushrooms. Susan Hopkins was our mentor. She has studied mushroom identification and dyeing with mushrooms and teaches a number of classes on this fascinating and unusual subject.

We learned how to chop the mushrooms in small pieces, simmer them in a pot of hot water at 170°F, strain out the mushroom pieces and place skeins of wool into the pot. The skeins had been pretreated with a mordant such as alum to allow the color to permeate the wool fibers. If a mordant is not used, the color will not be as permanent or as bright. Using other mordants such as iron, tin, and copper produce different colors, but in our class we used only potassium alum and iron, the safest mordants.

When the wool skeins had simmered for an hour, also at 170°, the wool was ready to rinse and hang to dry. During the 4-day workshop we worked in teams of two and made new colors each day. Each of us came home with at least 14 ounces of dyed wool yarn – enough to make a vest!

Mushrooms and other fungi are no longer classified as plants, but are considered parasites living on other organisms on which they feed, or saprophytes, obtaining their food from dead organisms such as a decaying tree stump. Some are destructive like anthracnose, which cause dogwood and other shade trees to drop their leaves. Others are beneficial, breaking down organic matter for soil improvement, for medicine, and of course, providing delicious food for us!

Recently I cooked 4 different mushrooms found in my yard and in the woods near my home. I kept four small jars of mushroom “paint” and made a small drawing, painted entirely with my mushroom watercolors! Fun – you can be sure that more paintings with fungi are on my “basket” list !

Fascinating Fungi, Marvelous Mushrooms

By Lorie Lincoln

     Celeste Johnston recently taught a class called Fascinating Fungi, Marvelous Mushrooms at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  One of the class sessions was devoted to making paper using mushrooms.  We started by ripping up various types of paper into small pieces and putting those pieces into a bottle filled with water.  We shook the bottle and waited until the water had saturated the paper pieces, then put the water and paper into a blender and made a paper pulp  'puree' .  We added some chopped mushroom pieces after the blending was done.  We poured the 'puree'  into an aluminum pan and using a deckle lined with screening scooped the paper pulp onto the deckle.  We put another screen on top and pressed as much water out of the paper pulp as we could by hand.  Then we carefully removed the pulp from the deckle and screening and pressed more chopped mushroom pieces onto the wet paper. 

    This project doesn't take lots of expensive equipment, is fairly simple though a bit messy, and was a lot of fun.  Celeste Johnston hopes to be teaching a class just on paper making at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden this coming spring.

American Society of Botanical Artists, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013

by Judy Thomas

The Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA

I attended my first American Society of Botanical Artists conference September 24-28 in Pittsburgh, PA (that includes a two-day, pre-conference workshop taught by Libbie Kyer called "Colored Pencil: Wet and Wild.")  I am full of impressions, skills, ideas and experiences I want to share, and am also totally swamped after missing a week of work and home life!  So, I will do my best and will hit what I think were the highlights of the conference.

I took the pre-conference workshop with six other colored pencil (CP) artists or those exploring the medium.  Libby had a structured approach to teaching specific materials, tools and techniques.  We first learned how to achieve deep hues (and avoid paper speckle) using a partial, black CP underpainting (yes, many CP artists call their work a "painting," not a "drawing" and yes, black!) and lightly touching it with an alcohol solvent.  The subject for this was an eggplant, though we also did studies of a pepper. Next, we worked on contours and shading, then we moved onto gestural drawing (a quick capture of the object using a graphite pencil held flat, in the tips of one's fingers). Libby stated this this does a great job in capturing the size and dimensions of the subject of study without measurement.  After a few tries, I found it worked, and it created an image with greater movement and life than my usual, more tediously and minutely-drawn subjects.  This is a technique I will use in the future. After working to find up contours and shapes, we transferred the image to our final paper and began CP work.

End of workshop review, Libby in center.

Another highpoint of the conference was the portfolio review. Any member can sign up to do this (though the total number is limited) and it demonstrated the breadth and depth of work ASBA members produce.  I came away elated, determined to improve my work and slightly intimidated by the skill on display!

Portfolio review in the Pittsburgh Athletic Center

Wow!

I also attended an educator's workshop. The presentations were geared toward teaching watercolor, but I learned a few things about skill practice and critique. I attended Wendy Hollender's "Racing Nature" class where she taught her method of quickly achieving depth of color.  Wendy often uses sepia, and other dark tones (indigo, a dark green and burgundy) for shading, and applies water color pencil and other color pencils over the top.  I used a deep purple-brown (Faber Castell Caput Mortem) for shading on my bright pink zinnia and it worked!

The last class I attended was "Complex Subjects."  The only objection I had to this class (and Wendy's class) was that three hours is too short a time to learn and practice what you have learned. The teacher, Lee McCaffree was excellent.  She showed us different ways to simplify complex forms of line, texture and form. In the class, we tried to capture the pattern of what we were drawing, to simplify it to its geometric elements, and add in details.

 Complex subjects class

Below is my attempt at a sequoia cone. See the bit of kneaded eraser on the cone? This is to mark a reference point, so I can keep track of where I am.  With a larger object, you can move the marker (a bit of tape, tack or kneaded eraser) as you go so you can track what you have already done. This cone follows a pattern of a double spiral. We also tried to draw flowers using a circular spiral or bulls-eye pattern (depending on the flower), but time was too limited to get far.

I don't have pictures of the Hunt Institute botanical art opening (a huge crush-I wish I had gone on my own). I took many photos in the Phipps Conservatory, too many to post.  I did take many photos walking around Pittsburgh, and met some interesting people (Phyllida Barlow, an installation artist who was assembling a massive installation in front of the Carnegie Art Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllida_Barlow  She is a descendant of Charles Darwin!  I also spoke to a CMU art professor, and went to a bizarre art show at the CMU student gallery).  I will leave you with a charming image of Pittsburgh, a community-grassroots art project, "Locks of Love" (for more info, see http://weburbanist.com/2011/01/12/locks-of-love-urban-padlock-monuments-to-commitment/    )

Next year Denver?

Exhibit Review: Nature Extracted

"Nature Extracted" The Art of Patterson Clark and Pam Rogers

Barry Gallery, Marymont University, Arlington, VA

September 6-October 17, 2013

     I recently went to see this exhibit, Nature Extracted, on a trip to Northern Virginia.  The exhibit, on display until Oct. 17, particularly interested me due to my strong interest in fiber arts, natural pigments and botanical themes in art, whether figurative or abstract.  Both these DC-area artists use natural materials in their botanical compositions.  For example, the work on the right in the photo below, titled Index 1308g, uses the following botanical materials: pigments from Herdera hibernica, Rosa multiflora, Celastrus orbiculatus, Mahonia baelei, Lonicera maackii, Morus alba, and Acer plantanus on paper made from Brousseonetia payrifera in a frame made from Acer platarus and Morus alba:

     This next work, Ring and Protractor, is made from weed-soot ink on paper made from Morus alba, Allaria petiolata, Celeastrus orbiculatus, and wood from Acer platarus:

     I noted two strong themes that go through Clark's works in this exhibit: the post-industrial landscape and the plants that have arisen there, and almost peasant European or early colonial American depictions of people and their work.  These works are interesting and beautiful in subtle ways and, at times, provocative. Lastly, he also works in wood from weedy trees: this example is called Wineberry and is made from Mahonia bealei and Rubus phoenicolasius pirments on Alianthus altissimia wood:

     Pam Rogers' works are more colorful and more abstract.  She uses enigmatic botanical elements in her work, though they are hard to grasp visually. Here is an example: Book Arts: plant, soil and mineral pigments, graphite and ink:

I would like more detail about her pigments and process, but that is for when I have more time to investigate.

     If you are in the DC area before this show closes, it is worth a visit, in my humble opinion (please excuse my primitive attempts at art criticism!)

For more information, go to: http://www.marymount.edu/newsEvents/eventDetails.aspx?Channel=/Channels/Site%20Wide%20Content&WorkflowItemID=28062543-4107-4d09-8803-9db0eb057da5

Our Next Meeiting

               By Judy Thomas

At our next meeting on October 14th, I will give a (very) brief talk on Nimrod Hall (top two photos) and on a possible field trip next spring to Botanique, a pitcher plant nursery (photo at bottom of page)!

Art Plantae

Art Plantae

By Judy Thomas

If you are not subscribing to Art Plantae Today and do not get their email newsletter, you might want to check it out.  Here is a link to their most recent e-mailing, which includes an interesting article on "The Adult Drawing Process," which you might enjoy:

http://artplantaetoday.com/2013/09/06/the-adult-drawing-process/

Also check out "Williamsburg Artist Paints Herb of the Year" in this same issue.

Art Plantae also has back issues, a listing of classes nationwide, a book store and other resource information.

Please feel free to contact me with any ideas for blog posts:  resources, techniques, exhibits, classes and workshops, and photos of your studio space!

Show at the Cultual Arts Center of Glen Allen

CVABA Show in The Slantwall Gallery

Our show, "Wild and Cultivated" is on display at the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen VA 23306 and at:
 http://www.artsglenallen.com/

Nineteen CVABA artists contributed works in media ranging from watercolor to graphite, ink, colored pencil, gouache, and photography.  Please bring friends and family to see it!  The show is on display to July 31.  The Center's hours are:
Monday-Thursday 9 AM to 9PM
Friday 9AM- 5PM

Second Annual CVABA Show!

     Members of our organization, the CVABA, have opened our second annual show at the Tuckahoe Library, 1901 Starling Drive, Henrico, VA.  And what a beautiful show it is!  The following photograph shows only part of the shows and does not do it justice.

New this year are the display cases. We were given access to three library display cases and are displaying various aspects of botanical art, including books, tools and materials.  Here is the first case, with a nature journal, sketchbook and color theory demonstration pieces:

The second case contains sketches, books, some tools and a sample of herbarium specimens:

The last case contains fiber art, including naturally, plant-based, dyed fibers and botanically-inspired needle felting:

Please share this information with family and friends, so they can come see our show!

Library hours: 
Monday-Thursday: 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Phone: (804) 290-9100

1901 Starling Drive, Henrico, VA
Last day to see the show is June 28.  Then, come out on July 3rd to see our new show at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center!  More on that to follow.

Submitted by: Judy Thomas

Drawing at Dunluce

By Paula Dabbs

 

The CVaBA would like to thank our gracious hostess Laura Anne Brooks who opened her home and garden to us on Monday, May 20.  Dunluce was built in 1730; today Laura Anne and her family reside in the house, which is surrounded by wonderful perennial gardens with flowering peonies, poppies, Virginia Bluebells, foxglove and wide variety of Iris.  The home, located in a rural area, is bordered by woods, farm fields and a pond, that Laura has landscaped with wildflowers.

 

After spending the day sketching and drawing, Laura gave us home containers with the flowers that we drew, and Laura Anne let us know that we are always welcome to return.

What I Learned From My First National Show

by Judy Thomas

I was recently incredibly lucky to be accepted into a juried, travelling, ASBA show, "Following in the Bartram's Footsteps."  I have been fascinated by the Bartrams for years, which is why I wanted to send in a submission to this show.  Many of you know about the Bartrams.  John, born in rural Philadelphia in 1699, was America's first Royal Botanist, plantsmen to collectors in Europe, botanist and explorer.  His son William, followed in his father's footsteps, and was one of America's first botanical and nature illustrators.  The competition was to illustrate plants from the Bartram's plant catalog.  My drawing, "Asimina triloba, Paw Paw" was accepted.  I learned so much from this process that I wanted to share it with you.

     Number One: Draw What You Love
This was the most important lesson, but it might be personal to me. I find I draw best when I am enthusiastic about the plant and feel compelled to draw it.  If I feel just "so so" about the subject, my drawing will be "so so" too.  For some artists, this is not the case, they can be given an assignment (commission) and execute it beautifully.

     Number Two:  Submission Quality
Get a good, high-quality scan of your work, ether do-it-yourself or professional.  In my experience, photos do not work as well as a scan, but my experience is limited.  Pay attention to the submission guidelines:  know what dpi the image should be and other requirements.  Try to view the image on a computer with a good, color-accurate screen.  I found a huge difference between how my image looked on my desktop at home, desktop at work, laptop and tablet.  The most frequently cited reason for rejecting submissions to shows is the quality of the image submitted!  Note: take a look at my image on the ASBA website: it is the worst-quality image of the bunch, I was lucky to get in with it!  http://asba-art.org/exhibitions/bartram

     Number Three: Watch your composition: keep framing in mind, go bigger than you intend (within the rules of the show).  My paw paw is a nice drawing, but I had some fits because I drew right to the edge of the paper.  Though I intended to do this (I like images that give the illusion of leaving the page and the leaves were huge), I later regretted it, as I did not want to lose any part of my drawing under a mat.  So consider this, and leave a half inch border around your drawing.  As for going bigger:  yes, smaller is less expensive to frame and ship, but seeing all the works in the show gathered together at the opening, made me realize the impact of a larger format.  Smaller works, unless done of really small subjects, can get lost among the larger, bolder works.  (But if small is what you want to do, I would say to follow your interests and instincts: Laura Call Gastinger's smaller work of mosses in the Bartram show is an example where small is necessary and really works well, see it at same website given above).

     Number Four: If you use lettering (like for the binomial Latin name) make it dark and clear.  Lettering can be hard to see, so, once you are sure you have your lettering penciled in lightly the way you want it, make it darker, so it can easily be seen.

     Number Five: Color seems less vibrant under glass, so take this into account.  Of course, we have to be true to the plant we are depicting, but deepening your colors a bit will enhance your image once under glass.

     Number Six: Be OK that your work is not the best of show: yes, this is a competition, but be open to figure out what you still need to learn.

     Last Lesson: This whole experience was artistically and intellectually challenging and a whole lot of fun!  The people I met at the opening were talented, kind and encouraging.  I am glad I had this experience and recommend it.

McGuffey Art Center Visit

On April 15, 2013, CVABA members visited Lee Halstead at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee welcomed us into the classroom where we set up to draw or paint. We toured the galleries on each floor and were able to step inside several of the studios including Lee's studio where you see Judy Gilman-Hines and Hazel Buys admiring one of Lee's sunflower paintings.

CVABA members Holly Maillet from Charlottesville and Cindy Wood from Lynchburg were able to join us for the first time. Attendance was good, with twelve us present. We agreed that it was a day well spent and we look forward to another visit to McGuffey Art Center in the future.

 

 

Please visit the McGuffey website to learn more about the artists, the facility, exhibits, and the history of McGuffey School built in 1916.

http://mcguffeyartcenter.com/

Take a look at Lee Halstead's website to see some of her paintings, drawings, journals and classes that she offers at McGuffey Art Center.

http://www.leehalstead.com/

Spotlight on: Judy Gilman-Hines

"Amaryllis" above and "Crabapple" below by Judy Gilman-Hines

Spotlight on Judy Gilman-Hines

By Judith Towers

One of the admirable things about botanical artist Judy Gilman-Hines is her organization.

• Paintings are always the same size and framed alike.
• Each one is intensely colorful.
• Her classroom set-up features a live plant, a lamp, top-notch paints, brushes, HP watercolor paper, and Judy, comfortably seated and excited about her drawing.
• She is always enthusiastic!

Judy has a website www.gilmanarts.com where you can see at least 48 of her paintings. She participates in many shows with a booth at Strange’s Orchid Show (see photo below), a gallery space at Crossroads Art Center, and has work in the permanent collections of Longwood University, Farmville; St. Catherine’s School, Richmond; and Queens University, Charlotte, NC.

Her first botanical class was at Wintergreen in 1992 with James Linton Sain.

Judy has studied with several internationally known teachers, including Katie Lee, Jenny Phillips, Margaret Saul, Coral Guest; frequently you can find Judy at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Juliet Kirby’s botanical illustration classes.

Judy credits her love of plants and painting to her mother, Louise Blanks Cochrane, who still paints at age 96. Mrs. Cochrane’s Victory Garden turned rose garden led Judy into gardening and painting as well. Judy, surrounded by beautiful plants all her life, now paints “to bring (the) garden into the house year round.”

No doubt Judy Gilman-Hines, like her mother, will be painting roses and rhododendrons, peonies and passionflowers, lilies, lady’s slippers, and more for many years to come...

Learning Grisaille

Learning Grisaille

by Judy Thomas

I have a new favorite technique, grisaille!  Celeste Johnston and I wrote about this technique last month. The the class is not quite over (we were interrupted by the March snow storm), but all of us have made progress in learning this method. To refresh, grisaille involves a monochromatic underpainting or drawing, and color is applied on top. This Old Masters' technique creates a great deal of depth.  Celeste first showed us samples of ways to do the grisaille layer:  graphite, watercolor, colored pencil, India ink wash, Sumi-e ink wash, and technical pen.  Here are some of the samples we were shown and some student practice:

 

 Another model of grisaille from Celeste..  

We spent the first class practicing all the different techniques, deciding which to apply to our plants and flowers.

Below are our works, still in progress (they are not finished!), that show the stages of grisaille:

 Rebecca Spangler "Hydrangea in Winter," graphite and watercolor, in process

 Kay  Lindberg "Early Daffodils" graphite and watercolor, in process

Judy Thomas, "Amaryllis 'Tres Chic,'" graphite and colored pencil, in process

This is a wonderful technique that I love!

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." Vincent Van Gogh
  

Artist to Visit LGBG

Betty Gatewood's work is represented in the nature journaling show, currently at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Library. She will visiting the LGBG Library on March 30 from 1:00 to 4:00!  From the garden's announcement of this visit:

"Midway through her college career, Betty Gatewood changed her interest from laboratory science to the "outdoor" sciences of ecology and natural history; she's been outdoors ever since, teaching, learning, observing, and painting.

Instead of presenting the perfect specimen, Betty paints it as it is - the dynamic life stages of the dandelion, delicate detail of the broomsedge that dominates our Valley fields, to the bug-eaten leaflets of the Virginia Creeper.  her perfection the perfection of the survivor.

Betty provided the cover art for Virginia's Mountain Treasures, published by the Wilderness Society, and for the Virginia Native Plant Society's Wildflower of the Year 2009 brochure.  She has co-conducted local art and journaling workshops for teachers.

Betty is the teacher-in-residence at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, teaching teachers and students about watershed conservation and place-based education.  Getting students outside to observe, analyze and document the natural world through art and journaling is her passion.  Frequently on her outdoor ramblings, she is accompanied by her husband Mark, an avid outdoorsman, who often suggest particular subjects to document with her art. "

Please come by to meet her and see the exhibit before it is gone!

Exhibition Opportunity: Botanica

Exhibition Opportunity, BASNCR Membership, Brookside Classes

  By Jane Zander

From The Montgomery Parks, MD Website: 

"Botanica 2013: The Art & Science of Plants - June 29 - August 9.

This annual juried exhibition of botanical art by teachers, current and former students is displayed at Brookside Gardens’ Visitors Center. This year we are delighted to share this exhibition venue with artworks completed by members of the Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region. Be sure to allow time when visiting Brookside to enjoy this beautiful art, inspired by a love and a fascination for plants, portrayed in the finest of detail."

From Jane Zander: Please submit works to Botanica.   We are encouraging  ALL BASNCR (Botanical Artists of the Northern Capital Region) members (information on joining BASNCR is below) to send 3- 5 pieces of work to Botanica, an exhibition of Botanical art in the Vistor Center of  Brookside Garden in Wheaton, Maryland. This exhibition is a collaboration with Brookside Garden’s School of Botanical Art and Illustration  http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/botanical_art_school.sht   International artist, Margaret Saul will jury all art work.  Part of the exhibition will focus on students from her school, but there will be a section of the show that displays art work by BASNCR  members.  This is the first time that members, who do not have a previous affiliation with Brookside, have been invited to exhibit.  BASNCR Members living in Central Virginia will be able to car pool their work to the exhibition for set-up and take-down.

These link will take you to exhibit information: 
Botanica 2013 Exhibitor Information and Guidelines
And here is the entry form:

Botanica 2013 Entry Form    

Please read both documents carefully.  The exhibit is from June 29- August 9. Submissions deadline is May 13. Take down is 9:00 August 10. Brooksidelearning@montgomeryparks.org

Information for joining BASNCR is available on http://basncr.wordpress.com/ Dues are $37, and should be sent to Al Yergey, 10359 Launcelot Ln, Columbia, MD 21044. There is no fee for the exhibition.

We have also applied for a new exhibition and the focus will be on CONTEMPORARY BOTANICAL ART.  The focus is still on botanical accuracy, but it invites increased emphasis on, vitality, composition, and the use of a variety of media. More information about this exhibition will be forthcoming.  However, the fact that Hillary Parker, Scott Rawlings, and Mindy Lighthipe are coming to teach at Brookside was a factor in deciding on this theme.  Each of these artists is innovative in their approach to botanical art and should be able to give your art work an “edge” in this juried competition.  Please sign up for these classes quickly since the deadline is very close.  You can sign on online, or call 301-962-1451. These classes are open to everyone, but online registrants must apply for a Montgomery County Park pass to register.  Telephone registration is also possible, but the registrar is  only available part time.

    

Questions? Contact Jane Zander, President, BASNCR, 804- 320-2808, timber2012@yahoo.com

Interested in Sketching Raptors?

By Jane Zander

Is anyone interested in sketching Owls, hawks, or eagles? I am planning to invite an animal rehabilitator to my home (or neighborhood clubhouse) to sketch an owl close up.  She usually takes the animals to schools.  Her fee is $100 an hour, and the money goes to rehab other animals.  We would split the fee depending on how many people are interested. We could do it more than once because she has a variety of animals, but brings them one at a time.

E-mail me, if you are interested and I will get a date. Jane Zander, timber2012@yahoo.com

Notice: Next Meeting in a New Place!

We will be meeting in the classroom at McGuffey Art Center on April 15.  Members will receive more details in the CVABA Newsletter!

McGuffey Art Center was established in 1975. The City of Charlottesville and McGuffey Art Association shared the renovation of the former McGuffey School which was build in 1916. The building contains galleries, studio space for 45 artists and a gift shop. There is more information about MAC on the website: mcguffeyartcenter.com  

See you there!

Nature Journaling (and a show too!)

Nature Journaling

by Susie Kowalik

 "Redwing and Swallowtail" by Roseanne H. Haaland, TN

   Years ago, I came across a book by Claire Walker Leslie called Keeping a Nature Journal. It was my introduction to Journaling... and the discovery of a wonderful gift, both for myself and those that I have had the privilege of teaching over the years. Ms. Leslie’s definition read thus, “Nature Journaling is the regular recording of observations, perceptions, and feelings about the natural world around you.” At the time, I found that definition a little stringent... especially the use of the term “regular.” It sounded a little bit like work, but it did keep me at it until I gave myself permission to not be so “regular” in my recording, and began to find my own way. I thought, “What a great thing! I don’t have to spend days creating a great work of art! I can find fifteen minutes or half an hour and make a little record, a visual memory, a sketch. Do-able!”

    Nature Journaling could easily be called, keeping a “field journal,” or a “garden journal” - a “sketching journal” or, for some, a “travel journal.”  Erin O’Toole, in her book Create Your Own Artist’s Journal shares these thoughts... “ The main thing I use my journals for is to practice being observant. Observing means letting go of the way I think things ought to look and really seeing them for what they are. I think of myself as a visual reporter. Journals are books of discoveries. They are a curious look at life. A place to capture thoughts. Journals are an excuse to explore new places.”

"Douthat State Park" Betty Gatewood

    Some people find the writing gratifying... some the sketching... some just the joy of being out there being in the natural world and contemplating. Words... images... thoughts..seeing things in a fresh way, and creating a page to remember it by. I often start a page with just a notation with the date, where I am and a little about the weather. Then I might do a small sketch of something that catches my eye... that I want to remember ... a flower, or a bird or a little of the environment I am in. And then I talk about it to myself with words. Words that help me remember. Up and down and around the page. Designing the page. I have come to love using watercolors from a little portable field  box for a quick notation of the colors I am seeing.

Maryann Merritt, Untitled

    Frederick Frank said, “I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen.” One the day I was studying a tulip and drawing it into my journal. As I looked at it over and over again, the light was changing... and when I looked once again, the sun had found the translucent yellow base of the flower and it glowed! A small, transcendent moment of discovery, but one I would hate to have missed!

Susie Kowalik, "Yard Detritus"

   Although I have never been the “regular recorder” that Ms. Leslie would like me to be, I think these words by Annie Dillard sum up why I do continue to keep Nature Journals... “You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment.” Isn’t that enough reason to create anything? Even a small page.

Lee Halsted "Pussy Willows"

Blog Masters Note:  Come to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden during the month of March to see an exhibit of Nature Journals in the Library, in the Education Building.  You will be glad you did! The photos in this blog entry are works from the show.  For directions and information, go to:  Ginter Garden

Check out the orchid show in the conservatory while you are there!

"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher." Wm. Wordsworth