Part of my task as a botanical artist and illustrator is to depict my chosen plant in not only an artful way, but as botanically accurately as possible. This means that the colors in my painting should be as close as possible to the colors in the plant. My goal is to convey the variations […]
Oregon Silverspot Butterfly
October 3, 2015 by · 4 Comments
Insects…the good, the bad and the ugly…they are all around us. Few of us stop to think that without them we would all perish because if we had no pollinators we would eventually have no food, not to mention all of the other myriad things that they contribute to the ecosystem. Now I must admit […]
Painting on Vellum
July 23, 2015 by · 11 Comments
After preparing my piece of Kelmscott vellum, the next step is to transfer my completed drawing to the vellum. When I was starting out on vellum, I learned much from other artists who shared their techniques. Here are some articles and posts that I’ve found particularly helpful:Kate Nessler’s article from the ASBA journal, The Botanical […]
Getting Started on Vellum
July 9, 2015 by · 2 Comments
“What is vellum anyway?” is a question I hear frequently when showing my paintings, since most of them are on Kelmscott vellum. I thought I would briefly answer that question, and then give some basics on preparing it for painting as a way of introducing you to this material. So what is vellum? Vellum, also […]
The Weaving of Plants and People
May 29, 2015 by · 8 Comments
I am fascinated by connections…the many ways people connect with one another, the complex interdependency found in nature and the threads of history that makes themselves felt through time. I’ve been reading David Douglas: A Naturalist at Work by David Nisbet, which describes the travels, observations and collecting of that intrepid Scot, David Douglas. He […]
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).