Book Review

Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History, written by Bill Laws, published by

Firefly Books, 2010.

“Are you a plant person or a painter?” is a question asked by the American Society of

Botanical Artists when it interviews its members. This is a book for you regardless of

your answer. Author Bill Laws has taken fifty important plants and, in a few pages for

each gives you all the important information you need. Each plant is categorized into its

value type, e.g. edible, medicinal, practical; native range and general growing

characteristics are provided; and, a botanical illustration accompanies each entry. The

narrative includes interesting anecdotes along with the plant’s history, use and reason

for inclusion, illustrated with photographs, paintings and woodcuts. A fun read for any

plant enthusiast, it is also a great resource for botanical illustrators when researching

information for specific exhibition requirements.

Submitted by Carol Ashton-Hergenhan

Member of Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators

*Carol's review appeared in our March 2012 PSBI Newsletter and is re-printed with permission.

The Flora of Hawaii: Indigenous, Endemic or Invasive

An exhibit of beautiful, scientifically accurate and original

watercolors depicts the colorful and varied plants and

flowers found on the islands of Hawaii.

We are honored to be exhibiting at the Philadelphia International Flower Show again this year. The show theme is Hawaii- Islands of Aloha.

Our exhibit focuses on plants that grow in the tropical climate of the Hawaiian Islands. This year's exhibit includes forty-five original Botanical Illustrations.

Live demonstrations of Botanical Painting will be given everyday. The show is March 4- 11, 2012. Flower Show floor plan- we are in the Artistic Classes- Orange section. 

PSBI Exhibit, Philadelphia International Flower Show 2012

PSBI Exhibit, Philadelphia International Flower Show 2012

A PSBI member directs Convention Center workers on sign placement.

PSBI Exhibit. Taken with iPhone Pano App.

We are so proud of our Award from PHS. If you missed the exhibit - view the exhibition.

Ginger

I have been painting botanical images for the past 10 years since viewing an exhibition of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators at The Philadelphia Flower Show.  At the time I was recently semi-retired and wanted to stretch my knowledge of painting and botany.

My husband has an extensive garden and generally I select my subjects from it.  I photograph the flowers as they grow and from all directions and at different times of day.  

First, I select my subject that is most often connected in theme to an upcoming exhibition. I sketch it several times, trying different ideas.   Then I study a variety of ways of combining greens, blues, yellows, and red to make a transparent and lightfast green that is close to the real plant leaves and to the flower.  

This year's Philadelphia Flower Show Theme is Hawaii- Islands of Aloha. PSBI is proud to be an exhibitor again. For this exhibit I chose to paint Ginger.

Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Sketch- Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Ginger - Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Ginger- Watercolor Palette -Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Ginger- Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Spiderwort Sketch with pink underpaint. Virginia Fitzpatrick©

Tradescantia by Virginia Fitzpatrick©

The spiderwort photos you can see the pink undercoat that I wanted to shine through the darker blue/purple top layers of paint.

Lately I’ve been photographing my work in progress with dates so that I can study what I am doing.   I also use mailVU (free video mail) to send progress shots to my teacher.

Posted by PSBI Member- Virginia Fitzpatrick. All images ©Virginia Fitzpatrick 2012 

Kniphofia 'Alcazar'

I've just completed a watercolor for submission to our juried PSBI Exhibit at The Philadelphia Flower Show.  I wanted  bold and colorful subject matter but hesitated doing the Kniphofia'Alcazar’, common name Red Hot Poker, because the complexity might be overwhelming. I bought a plant, took a lot of photographs and made countless sketches of the live subject before transferring the final sketch

onto a full sheet of 300lb Fabriano hot press paper.

Sketch by Joan Frain©

 I blocked in the foliage first, then concentrated on the color and form of

the flower heads paying attention to each individual flower.  The color had

to vary from a deep red/orange at the top down to a paler yellow towards the

bottom.  I used a base of translucent orange to keep the light of the paper

and maintain the glow.  I paid particular attention to the movement of the composition.

Joan Frain©

By the time I had all the orange blocked in I'd discovered a peculiar

Phenomenon: staring at that much vibrant orange for hours at close range

affects your eyes as though flash bulbs had gone off in your face.  I had to

get up and walk away until my eyes adjusted.  After putting a first coat of

orange and yellow down I then went back and began bringing up the greens in

the foliage.  It's important to keep your color values and intensity even by simultaneously working all areas of a painting.

They say "The devil is in the details" and in the case of a botanical illustration it's true. The little fine touches put into the painting are time consuming but they define a successful painting. 

Joan Frain©

Kniphofia 'Alcazar by Joan Frain©

After far too many hours to keep track of the piece is finished and ready to

go to the framer.  Once you get "up close and personal" and paint a plant

you never forget anything about it.

Joan Frain is a Charter Member of Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators.

Of Elephants and Roses, a trip to the American Philosophical Society Museum

The members of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators were given the opportunity to experience a personal tour of the current exhibit at the museum on a Monday, a day when the museum is usually closed to the public.  Thank you to the American Philosophical Society Museum!

American Philosophical Society Museum- Exhibition program.

Interior of the American Philosophical Society Museum, Philadelphia, PA.

We really enjoyed seeing the Redoute's in person, what a treat!  And one of the pictures shows poor unsuspecting Dotty before she broke her ankle a week later. It's funny how after you leave you remember funny factoids:

almost 3000:  the number of trees it took to build a ship that lasted only 10-14 yrs.


550:  The miles Zarafa the young giraffe had to march through France from Marseilles to Paris to greet the king

American Philosophical Society Library, detail

150: The number of trees engraved in the book The North American Sylva.


It was inspiring to hear the story of Pauline de Courcelles Knip, the illustrator of birds, a woman working in scientific illustration when the job was done mostly by men.

Plate from the South American Birds Service (one of eight). Sevres Porcelaine Manufactory. Pauline Knip (painter). J.F.C. Leloi border design. 1819-1820. Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens. Loaned to APS 'Of Elephants and Roses' Exhibit.

But of course to a group from the PSBI, our attention was drawn to the original Redoute paintings on vellum, including the spectacular Amaryllis josephinae he named after Empress Josephine in honor of her support of French botany.

“A Flower Blooms” highlights a glorious Redouté image of an amaryllis and its bulb; Josephine paid the large sum of 100 gold louis for this desirable plant. Courtesy David Brind, detail 

After the museum tour, many of our group walked over to The Curtis Center to view The Dream Garden, a  favrile glass mosaic of over 100,000 pieces designed by Maxfield Parrish and executed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. 

The Dream Garden. Curtis Institute, Philadelphia.

Posted by Judy Simon

Botanical Painting Class- Chanticleer

Chanticleer. Wayne, PA

Dahlias line a stone wall. Chanticleer. Wayne, PA

It has been well over a decade since the first PSBI Botanical painting class at Chanticleer was held. We are so fortunate that we have been able to gather in the historic main residence of this renowned garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

The focus of today's class is painting white flowers or in this case a white pumpkin. Louisa Rawle Tine demonstrates placing your white specimen in front of a white background to make it easier to discern the true colors that are needed to accurately render the object.

Evolution of a painting.

Member begins a painting of orchid.

Watercolor palette

Koi. Chanticleer.

Late Bloomer

I am a Botanical Illustrator/Artist but it took 71 years and multiple mentorships for me to be able to say this. I have always been an artist, dabbling in various aspects & media. I designed needlepoint, sketched and printed our Christmas cards, tried pottery, sculpting, charcoal drawing, oils, acrylics, colored pencil, etc., but nothing “clicked” with me. 

I was ‘afraid’ of the immediacy of watercolor painting until an artist friend, Fifi Burton, encouraged me to try it. She gave me a list of basic colors, brushes and supplies to purchase and said she would support and instruct me. I loved the medium and began to use it 24/7, often painting the flowers my husband, Bob, grows in his many garden areas.

But I was still unfocused & untutored until Bob read an article about PSBI’s 10^th Anniversary  in The Philadelphia Inquirer early in 2007. The article included a list of classes and teachers in the area. Bob remarked “This is what I think you need” and gave me a year of lessons in botanical painting for my birthday. My teacher, Joan Frain, inspired me and continues to do so. I can now say, “I am a Botanical Illustrator/ Artist”.

I have exhibited at the juried Philadelphia Flower Show 2008-2011, had a one- woman show appropriately titled “Late Bloomer” at The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE in November 2009 and exhibited at my alma mater, Wilson College’s Bogigian Gallery in the Fall of 2010,  proving that it’s never too late to”find” oneself & one’s avocation.

Botanical illustration gives the artist the opportunity to present to  the viewer a plant as it lives and grows. An artist “possesses” that plant once he/she has painted its life cycle. Botanical painting is an edifying and fulfilling art form.


-Posted bt PSBI Member Brenda Aiken

Hellebore by Brenda Aiken

Sunflower by Brenda Aiken