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 […]
Brushed Out of My Comfort Zone
November 15, 2014 by · 16 Comments
I find that more often than not, I learn the most when I am under duress…or at least under pressure of some sort. That happened recently with a commission I got for seven illustrations of wildflowers to be finished in just over 2 weeks, the rough drawings to be submitted in one week. Overall the […]
Second Chances
October 4, 2014 by · 5 Comments
I think of botanical art as a kind of collaboration between the artist and nature, at least that’s how it feels to me. But believe me, it is nature that calls the shots…like the time a slug ate the last remaining blossom on a plant that I was going to paint the next day to […]
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).