I just received my diploma in London at the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Course graduation. I felt privileged that Margaret Stevens, the current director of the program, presented my diploma. She will be retiring later this year, so this is the last graduation that she will preside over.
Margaret is a founding member of the SBA and was a key person in developing the distance course. She has been the director since the course’s inception in 2005 and also serves as a tutor in the program. She wrote The Art of Botanical Painting, The Botanical Palette, and co-wrote The Botanical Sketchbook, which are the three books used as textbooks for the course, and are popular reference books for anyone interested in botanical art.
Remarkably, she just co-authored another book that was published this year, The Handbook of Plant Forms for Botanical Artists. She somehow manages to do all of this and still find time to produce beautiful botanical paintings herself. I think she is an amazing person, and I am glad that I got to meet her. Because of the SBA distance course, my dream of studying botanical art has finally been realized. The graduation ceremony illustrated her, and the course’s influence, as people from the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia, Italy, the USA, the UK and several other nations, walked up to receive their diplomas.
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| SBA Exhibition at Westminster Hall |
The day before the graduation I went to the SBA International Exhibition and was surprised to see my cabbage painting on display in the student section. It is the first time I have had work in an exhibition so I was very excited!
Soon I need to begin preparing for the 2014 SBA International Exhibition, where I hope to submit work for acceptance. But for right now I plan on following the advice I noticed in the mosaic at the British Gallery entry, “Rest and Be Thankful”!!
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).
Congratulations, Janene!! Your work is wonderful!
Thank you so much, Hilje!!
Congratulations, nice to see you could accept your diploma in person!
Thanks Cathy–it was an awesome trip, both for the occasion and for the sightseeing we got to do in London and the lovely Cotswolds!
Congratulations Janene x
Thank you, Claire–you well know how much work went into getting this diploma! Support from fellow graduates is much appreciated!!
Congratulations, Janene!! Terrific that you were able to go in person.
Carol
<3 congratulations Nami! We're so happy to see your hard work pay off! You're very talented and am looking forward to see what you paint next. Also looking forward to a future trip to london with you guys. xo.
So great to meet you there Janene, such a well earned achievement. Rest and be thankful? I certainly am. Enjoy your break, but I am looking forward to seeing your next piece.
Congratulations on your fabulous achievement.