Now, at the tail end of winter, is my last chance to pause and look back before the spring rush of bursting buds and new growth keep me busy painting my chosen beauties in their moment of glory. I wanted to briefly pause to note of a few little things I have learned over the […]
How to Get Rich Color Quickly Workshop
February 18, 2015 by · 9 Comments
On a typically drizzly, bleak Oregon winter day, we sat in a warm, comfortable studio and painted brightly colored, exotic orchids under the tutelage of Heeyoung Kim. She had asked us each to create a drawing before the workshop of a deep pink or purple orchid with relatively few markings or a similar blossom. We […]
Instant Improvement: Critique and Correction Workshop
February 11, 2015 by · 11 Comments
A group I belong to, Oregon Botanical Artists, was fortunate to have the skilled artist and gracious teacher, Heeyoung Kim, for a 3-day workshop. If you are not familiar with her work, she paints gorgeously delicate depictions of plants native to the increasingly rare prairies of Illinois, where she lives. She teaches at the Brushwood Center […]
Native Plants as Food and Medicine
December 13, 2014 by · 2 Comments
I have long been fascinated by the historic uses of plants, particularly the native plants of the region where I live in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, most of the native plants I have illustrated so far were used by native peoples as food or medicine. I feel I know these plants well by the […]
A Portrait of Asarum
November 30, 2014 by · 13 Comments
What are the essential things to know about Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum), and how to present them in a simple yet artful way? That was what I asked myself when planning this plant portrait. I edited my initial drawings until they were stripped of anything I thought extraneous. First, it’s a low, ground cover that […]
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).