Join us for ASBA’s 23rd Annual Meeting & Conference in San Francisco, California October 12, 13, 14, 2017
The Northern California Society of Botanical Artists (NCalSBA) invites you to join us in San Francisco for ASBA’s 23rd Annual Meeting and Conference, to be hosted in conjunction with Filoli.
Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished artist, there is something for you at ASBA’s annual conference. You’ll be immersed in botanical art and leave with memories to inspire you for a long time to come. In addition to the three-day core conference, there are pre- and post-conference workshops providing in-depth study. Clock tower and Sunken Garden at Filoli
This year’s conference activities will be held at the historic Filoli estate in Woodside, and the San Mateo Marriott Hotel, nine miles south of San Francisco Airport. Filoli is recognized as one of the last remaining country estates of the early 20th century. The huge Georgian country house, surrounded by 16 acres of spectacular formal gardens, is on a 654- acre estate now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Conference attendees will have opportunities to tour the historic house, gardens, and grounds.
In addition, the Marriott Hotel’s location is a great take-off point for planned field trips or individual travel to the San Francisco Bay Area’s many natural and cultural attractions.
Pre-and Post-Conference WorkshopsCome early or stay late! Two-day workshops preceding the conference are Extreme Detail on Kelmscott Vellum with legendary artist Jean Emmons, and Subtle Colors – Exploring an Orchid with Beverly Allen, 2016 winner of the ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award for Excellence in Botanical Art. Stay after the conference for the chance to spend three days with Scotland-based Robert McNeill, known for his meticulous approach to detail and extraordinary use of light, for Creating Botanicals with Impact.
Your Day-by-Day Conference ActivitiesWelcome ReceptionWednesday evening, take a short bus ride to enjoy the evening as a guest of Filoli. View the 19th Annual Botanical Art Exhibit in the Visitor and Education Center and the Filoli Florilegium, works from this year’s graduates, and select pieces from the Highgrove and Banks’ Florilegia in the historic House. Enjoy complimentary tasty appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages. A wine and beer bar will be open. Complete your evening with a stroll through our amazing Garden. Meet up with old friends and make new ones as we begin a full schedule of activities.
Small Works ExhibitionAll ASBA Members who register for the conference are eligible to participate in the Golden Gate to Garden Gate small works exhibition. Submissions are due by July 29th.
Classes, Lectures, Trips and More! On Thursday, October 12, the popular Portfolio Sharing will be held at the San Mateo Marriott. Everyone, at every level, is invited to share what they’ve been working on throughout the year. You will be able to purchase original art, prints, and cards from the artists, with 30% of sales contributed back to support ASBA programs. The Annual Meeting and Luncheon, an opportunity to catch up on ASBA activities, will be followed by the Techniques Showcase featuring Martin Allen (Watercolor), John Muir Laws (Foreshortening Flowers and Leaves), and Carol Woodin (Stretching Vellum). Classes and lectures fill the day, and we end with Beyond Accuracy, a panel discussion of works by multiple artists.
Friday and Saturday will include many hands-on classes, lectures, tours, and the Open Studio, where you can drop in throughout the day to watch free demonstrations by noted botanical artists, paint on your own, meet new friends, or just hang out.
The Art Bazaar, which everyone enjoyed so much in 2015 and 2016, and the Awards Banquet (open to all attendees and their guests) when ASBA honors its members, are great finales to the conference.
NCalSBA and Filoli look forward to welcoming you to ASBA’s Annual Meeting and Conference in San Francisco this Fall. San Mateo Marriott
1770 S Amphlett Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94402
San Mateo Marriott is a 7.8-mile drive from San Francisco International Airport and 8.4 miles from Filoli. It is 26 miles from the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. It is 24.3 miles from Oakland International Airport. Traffic can be quite heavy throughout the area so allow plenty of time for travel.
THE SAN MATEO MARRIOTT IS COMPLETELY FULL AS OF JUNE 22, 2017. Please contact the TownePlace Suites to reserve rooms for the conference.
We have reserved a block of rooms at the TownePlace Suites Marriott, 1229 Chess Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 (about 2 miles from the San Mateo Marriott). The rooms are $229 per night plus applicable taxes. TownePlace Suites will provide a shuttle to the San Mateo Marriott at 7:30 every morning and will provide a return shuttle at 4:30 each day. All other transportation between the two hotels is the responsibility of the attendee. Rooms are available at this rate from October 9-17, 2017, and must be booked by September 11, 2017. After September 11, all unreserved rooms will be released. To make a reservation, call 800.257.3000 (please refer to the group name and rate when calling).
Wish to share expenses? Betsy Rogers-Knox (
brogersknox@gmail.com) has agreed to be roommate coordinator for the conference again this year. Having a roommate is a great way to share expenses and fun, especially if this is your first conference. If you have already reserved a room and would like to share with another member, please let Betsy know. Betsy is not available September 15 - October 3. Contact Denise Walser-Kolar (
annualmeeting@asba-art.org) if you need help during that time.
The Marriott has a free, hourly, airport shuttle to San Francisco International Airport from 5am – 9pm daily. It leaves the hotel for the airport on the hour and leaves the airport for the hotel about quarter past the hour. Look for ground transportation/hotel shuttle signs outside the airport by baggage claim. The hotel shuttles all have their name on the side of the shuttle.
Super Shuttle (supershuttle.com) fee from San Francisco International Airport to the San Mateo Marriott approx. $21(one way)
Estimated taxi fare from San Francisco International Airport to the San Mateo Marriott approx. $35 (one way)
There will be a bus to take people from the hotel to Filoli and back.
Tuesday, Oct 10, 9am-4pm
Wednesday, Oct 11, 9am-4pm
Wednesday, Oct 11, 5pm-7pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 7am-8:30am
Thursday, Oct 12 8:30am-9:30am
Thursday, Oct 12, 9:45am-10:45am
Thursday, Oct 12, 11am-1pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 1pm-4pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 1pm-4pm
Friday, Oct 13, 9am-4pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 1:30pm-4pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 5pm-6pm
Thursday, Oct 12, 6pm-7pm
Friday, Oct 13, 6:45am-7am
Friday, Oct 13, 7am-8:30am
Friday, Oct 13, 7am-4:30pm
Friday, Oct 13, 9am-12pm
Thursday, Oct 13, 9am-4pm
Friday, Oct 13, 9am-9pm
Friday, Oct 13, 10am-11:30am
Friday, Oct 13, 12pm-1pm
Friday, Oct 13, 1pm-3pm
Friday, Oct 13, 1pm-4pm
Friday, Oct 13, 6pm-8pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 7am-8:30am
Saturday, Oct 14, 8:45am-4:30pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 9am-10:15am
Saturday, Oct 14, 9am-10:30am
Saturday, Oct 14, 9am-4pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 9am-5pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 10am-11:30am
Saturday, Oct 14, 10:30am-11:45am
Saturday, Oct 14, 12pm-1pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 1pm-2:15pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 1pm-3pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 1pm-3pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 1pm-4pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 2:30pm-3:45pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 5pm-7pm
Saturday, Oct 14, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Sunday, Oct 15, 9am-4pm
Monday, Oct 16, 9am-4pm
Tuesday, Oct 17, 9am-4pm
Beverly Allen
Beverly Allen has been a botanical artist for 19 years and teaching for 13 years. Her work is held in the Shirley Sherwood Collection, the Highgrove Florilegium, the RHS Lindley Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Library Kew, the Isaac and Alisa Sutton Collection, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. She holds gold medals from the RHS and the NYBG and the ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award for Excellence in Botanical Art in 2016.Martin Allen
Martin has been teaching and lecturing for over ten years, in watercolour, and mainly by discussing options for students to improve their work however they wish to do so. He is an RHS Gold Medallist, Emeritus Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society, and trustee of the Association of Botanical Artists with paintings in the collection of the Hunt Institute and the Shirley Sherwood Collection. He works in UK native plant conservation, has a degree in Environmental Horticulture, and is currently writing a book about England's Ancient Grasslands.Nina Antze
Nina has a degree in Fine Arts, a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens and studied with Sarah Simblet at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford. She teaches in the Filoli Certificate program and throughout California.Margaret Best
An art educator most of her life, Margaret Best has been dedicated to the practice and teaching of botanical art in graphite, coloured pencil and watercolour for the past twenty years in over ten countries. Margaret is well known for her extensive knowledge of colour and her excellent handout material for both in-person and online teaching. Most of her own artwork now reflects plant life in her home setting in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has also enjoyed painting a diverse range of plant subjects related to teaching travels to her home country South Africa also Bermuda, Italy and UK. Margaret’s work has been featured in numerous ASBA juried international exhibitions and is included in the Hunt Institute, RBG Sydney Florilegium and many private collections around the globe. To date, over 20 of her coin designs of Canadian flora have been selected by the Royal Canadian Mint. Margaret has authored numerous e-booklets on topics of technique and colour that have been well received by botanical artists in over 30 countries.Gaynor Dickeson
Gaynor Dickeson has RHS awards for watercolor and colored pencil work with pictures in collections worldwide, including the Hunt Institute. She has taught in several countries, and her online course is global. She is a fellow of the Chelsea Florilegium Society and a founding member of ABBA (Association of British Botanical Artists).Mary Dillon
Mary Dillon is an award winning Irish botanical artist. Her work belongs in the collection of the Hunt Institute of Botanical Art and Documentation in Pittsburgh and The Dr. Shirley Sherwood Collection in The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The National Gallery of Ireland chose Mary's work as the signature image for their exhibition, 'Drawn From Nature'. Along with exhibiting and teaching botanical art in Ireland Mary also enjoys opportunities to teach in Greece, Spain, the UK and the US. Mary finds teaching botanical art the perfect opportunity to bring together her three passions of painting, plants and working with people.Shevaun Doherty
Shevaun Doherty is an Irish botanical and natural history artist painting in watercolour on paper and vellum. She is the current President of the Society of Botanical Artists. An award-winning artist, she regularly exhibits in Ireland and internationally. In 2020 her painting of Golden-eye lichen was exhibited at the National Gallery Ireland. She designs Flora and Fauna National postage stamps for An Post, recently completing her third set. Her bumblebee painting is the cover image for the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. She considers herself a visual storyteller, using her skills as botanical artist to raise awareness about endangered species and habitat loss.Jean Emmons
An avid gardener, Emmons has won two Gold Medals and "Best Painting of Show" from the Royal Horticultural Society, London. Also, the ASBA Founders Award for Excellence in Botanical Art. Recent awards include the Jurors' Award at the 20th Botanical Art Exhibition at Filoli and "Best in Show" at the ASBA's 21st International. Recent books featuring her work include Plant: The Art and Science of Botany by Phaidon Press, RHS Botanical Illustration, The Gold Medal Winners by Charlotte Brooks, The Shirley Sherwood Collection, Modern Masterpieces of Botanical Art by Shirley Sherwood.Susan T. Fisher
Susan T. Fisher is the former Coordinator for the Botanical Program at Denver Botanic Gardens, the former Director of the Art Institute at the Desert Museum in Tucson,AZ and a former President of the ASBA. She has been consulting and teaching botanical art related classes since 1998.Maria Cecilia Freeman
Maria Cecilia Freeman's award-winning work, bridging scientific illustration and botanically accurate fine art, has appeared in solo and juried exhibitions around the U.S. and in Europe. She is a Florilegium artist at Filoli, and an Alcatraz Florilegium Artist. She particularly loves drawing and painting heritage and species roses.Pam Harrington
Pam Harrington is a botanical artist, horticulturist and garden enthusiast. She received her training in botanical art at the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden’s Program, is active in ASBA’s New England Chapter, and is fascinated by the history of botanical art.Robin Jess
Robin Jess is the former Executive Director of ASBA. She is fluent in graphite, watercolor, pen and ink, and etching and is the Coordinator of The New York Botanical Garden’s Botanical Art and Illustration Program.Patricia Jonas
Patricia Jonas is American Society of Botanical Artists exhibitions committee chair, former board member, and recipient of the James White Service Award for Dedication to Botanical Art. She has been a juror for ASBA Annual International exhibitions and for Filoli, and was curator of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium. She was also curator of "Drawing from Life: Maud H. Purdy and 90 Years of Women Artists at Brooklyn Botanic Garden,” and author of the accompanying exhibition catalog. She has been author and editor of ASBA exhibition catalogs, and was one of the authors of the recent Plant: Exploring the Botanical World. Among her other writing credits was the weekly gardening advice for the "Cuttings" column in the New York Times.Libby Kyer
Libby creates artworks reflecting her love of realism, believing humans are hardwired to create order from chaos. Her works are in numerous art and science publications including her volume Today’s Botanical Artists, and in private, corporate and museum collections. She delights in teaching botanical art.John Muir Laws
John Muir Laws is a naturalist and educator. His work focuses on teaching people to use nature journals to connect more deeply with the natural world. He teaches free monthly nature drawing workshops in the Bay Area and is the author of the Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling.Kelly Leahy Radding
Kelly Leahy Radding is a painter of contemporary naturalism. She delves into the natural world to find her subjects and explores alternate mediums, such as egg tempera, to tell their unique stories.Lee McCaffree
Lee McCaffree shared the coordination and implementation of the Filoli Botanical Art Certificate Program and is a primary instructor. She has taught classes around the US and at ASBA annual meetings. Relying on the basics improves the final work of an artist. She has exhibited across the USA and in the U.K. including the Hunt Institute and the RHS.Robert McNeill
Robert McNeill is an award-winning international botanical artist renowned for his exceptional use of light and rigorous attention to detail. He has work in the collections of Dr Shirley Sherwood and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Illustration.Jesse Meyer
Jesse Meyer comes from a family that has been involved in the animal hide and tanning industry for 500 years. He has been making parchment and vellum since graduating from college and constantly working on improving and understanding the product and process. He is current president of, and helps to run, Pergamena Parchments & Leathers in the Hudson Valley, NY area.Kathie Miranda
Kathie Miranda is an award-winning artist, juror and educator of botanical art. She teaches at The Art Students League in New York City and art institutions around the US. She is an active member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and the Connecticut Watercolor Society.Sarah Morrish
Sarah has been teaching botanical and natural history art for over 15 years using a variety of media, independently and for a variety of organisations including Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, RBG Edinburgh, Irish Society of Botanical Artists and also conservation organisations. Much of her teaching focuses on the importance of drawing alongside thorough observation and investigation of your subject matter, all of which she views as an essential foundation. to our working practice as botanical artists. She is a fellow of the Linnean Society and a painting member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium. Her work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad, and she has undertaken commissions for the Natural History Museum in London and Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Sarah is the author of ‘Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink’ a popular book used by artists and illustrators across the world.Sylvia Peter
Sylvia Peter trained as a porcelain painter and studied painting at the Art Academy in Halle, Germany. Her work is represented in the Shirley Sherwood Collection, one of her paintings will be shown in the 16th International Exhibition in the Hunt Institute Pittsburgh.Sally Petru
Sally Petru emerged as a botanical artist out of a passion for horticulture and design. After several years building her skills in watercolor, she saw the need to be involved in the organization. She is founding President for the Northern California chapter and has served on the ASBA board for 3 years. She is a member of the Filoli Florilegium, having exhibited there nearly every yea since 2003. Sally teaches in her home studio and in local botanical gardens. She has enjoyed the enrichment of creating the Alcatraz Florilegium with her co-coordinators.Betsy Rogers-Knox
Betsy earned a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from The NYBG and is enchanted by the full lifecycle of plants and their habitats. Her work has been shown widely in the US including the 13th-21st ASBA International Exhibitions, the NYBG Triennial , Out of the Woods, and the RHS Botanical Art Exhibit in London in 2016 and 2018 where she received the Judges Special Award for the educational and ecological value of the work. Her work is held in the collection at the RHS Lindley Library in London.Enrique Sanchez
Enrique Sanchez has been an active member of the Mycological Society of San Francisco for over 15 years. A lifelong interest in herbs passed on by his grandmother led him to explore what else in the natural world could be beneficial for humans. This curiosity led him to bio-dynamic gardening, bee keeping and mushrooms. He helps lead forays around the bay area.Lizzie Sanders
Lizzie lives in Edinburgh, near the Royal Botanic Garden, where she tutors the Diploma Course in Botanical Illustration and from where she sources her specimens. Favorites are unusual, dramatic plants to be interpreted in a dynamic, contemporary style. She has three gold medals from the RHS and in 2004 she was honored to receive the Diane Bouchier Award for Excellence from ASBA.Margaret Saylor
Mushrooms and fungi have become Margaret Saylor's signature subject. Featured in watercolor, graphite, and egg tempera, Margaret forages in her native Berks County, Pennsylvania, or wherever she happens to be. Observation, good drawing skills, and enthusiasm are key to any botanical painting and Margaret conveys this to her students in a fun and engaging manner. For 10 years, she has taught both in person and now online for many venues, including public gardens, art institutes, and botanical art societies. She was awarded a certificate, with distinction, in botanical art from the New York Botanical Garden. Margaret exhibits her work but gets the most satisfaction from finding the perfect subject and painting it for the love of art.Deborah Shaw
Deborah Shaw has a degree in fine art as well as studying botany, native California flora and scientific illustration. Ms. Shaw is a member of ASBA, two ASBA chapters, and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. She teaches botanical art, and taught illustration, design and information design at UC Irvine Extension, where she was recipient of the "Distinguished Instructor" award. Deborah's work is in the permanent collection at the Hunt and in private collections. Her preferred media include graphite, watercolor, colored pencil, scratchboard, Illustrator and Photoshop.Dianne Sutherland
Dianne Sutherland is a British artist, originally trained in the Royal Doulton Design Studio. Working in Graphite and watercolour on paper and vellum. She holds a BSc in Biology, and enjoys combining science with art . Works held in the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the Sydney Florilegium. SBA Council member and Royal Horticultural Society exhibitor.Alice Tangerini
As a Staff Illustrator for the Botany Department at the Smithsonian Institution, Alice Tangerini has been specializing in drawing plants in pen and ink and graphite since 1972. Her illustrations of plants appear in scientific periodicals, floras, and botanical and nature books. In addition she teaches classes in her illustration techniques in botanical gardens and in academic institutions.Catherine Watters
Catherine has been teaching since 1999, venues include ASBA conferences and chapters, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Wellesley College, and France. She was an instructor and curriculum developer for the Filoli Botanical Art Certificate Program for 20 years. Her teaching style is best summarized in this testimonial: “I enjoyed your gentle enthusiasm and kind attention, giving me such inspiration to pursue this precise art form” Catherine’s paintings are held in several collections including The Hunt Institute, Kew Gardens, The Paris Museum of Natural History. Notable Florilegia include The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens; The Château de Brécy, France; The Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Alcatraz; Filoli and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai. www.catherinewatters.com / Instagram: artdesfleursCarol Woodin
Carol Woodin enjoys spending time out in the gardens, fields and forests looking at and making studies of plants for future paintings. Her paintings in watercolor on vellum have been collected and exhibited around the world. She has taught botanical watercolor for over 25 years, and is co-editor of the ‘new standard’ botanical art instruction book Botanical Art Techniques, A Comprehensive Guide, published by ASBA and Timber Press. She received a Gold Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1995, the 1998 ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award, the 2016 Orchid Digest Medal of Honor.Conference Fee - Early Registration: $395.00
Early Registration Deadline: 08/12/2017
Conference Fee: $460.00
Registration Deadline: 08/31/2017
Fee Includes:
Most meals are covered by the conference fee including breakfast and lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and the Saturday evening banquet. Light refreshments will be served at the Welcome Reception on Wednesday. Many activities are free including: Portfolio Sharing, The Story of Vellum, Juror Training, Education Forum, Open Studio, Grant Project Presentations, Beyond Accuracy presentation, and many of the lectures. If any discrepancies exist between policies described in the Journal and those online, the policies appearing online take precedence.
How to Register:
Registration for the 2017 Conference is now closed.
Policy:
1.
Current ASBA membership is required for registration. Please be sure that your membership dues are paid well in advance of July 22, 2017, when registration opens or you will not receive email notifications regarding conference registration details.
2. The ASBA Annual Meeting and Conference is a three-day event. Partial registration is not available.
3. Registration Fees: Registration fee on or before August 12, 2017: $395
Registration fee after August 12, 2017: $460
4. Registration Deadline:
Registration is closed as of August 31, 2017. No registrations are accepted after this time, no exceptions.
5. Refund and Cancellation Policy: Cancellation on or before August 12, 2017 - $75 fee. All workshop fees refunded. Conference cancellation after August 12 through August 21, 2017- $150 fee plus 80% of workshop fees will be refunded. Cancellation after August 21 through August 31, 2017 - $200 fee plus 50% of workshop fees will be refunded. Cancellation Pre- and Post-Conference Workshops on or before August 12, 2017 – 50% of fee. Pre- and Post-Conference Workshop cancellation after August 12, 2017 – no refund. No refunds of registration fee or workshops dropped after August 31, 2017. Health emergency or death in the immediate family: Refunds will be the same as above except cancellation on or after October 1 through October 10, $200 of the basic registration fee and 50% of all other fees will be refunded to the registrant. If a guest cancels due to health emergency or death in the immediate family on or after October 1, 75% of guest meal fees and 50% of any other fees will be refunded.
ASBA reserves the right to cancel any workshop that does not meet a minimum registration, and to substitute an instructor in the event that the scheduled instructor is unable to fulfill the teaching obligation.6. San Mateo Marriott - See the information under the Lodging Tab for details. Cancellation of hotel reservations is the responsibility of the registrant. You must ask for the American Society of Botanical Artists block to receive the conference rate. The ASBA block rate is good if booked by September 11, 2017. After that, the discount rate will no longer be available. If you stay somewhere other than the hotel, ASBA is not responsible for your hotel arrangements nor transportation to/from your hotel.
Three Ways to Participate! Sell, Donate Items & ShopTo Sell:
The Artist Sale Tables at the Art Bazaar have become a big success. Artists have the opportunity to sell their work, prints, cards, related products etc. (there will be a small fee to use wi-fi). You can go it alone, or share a table with another artist or chapter. In return you are asked to donate just 30% of your sales to ASBA. Simply sign up when you register for the conference.
To Donate Items:
Please consider donating an item or two to the Art Bazaar. Items such as art supplies, botanical art books, jewelry, scarves, gift items, note cards and mounted prints are always popular. Donate your item(s) by submitting a Donation Form between now and September 29. Items can either be shipped by October 4, or hand-delivered to the Conference.
To Donate: Download and complete the Art Bazaar Donation Formand scan and email it to ArtBazaar@asba-art.org. Or send a note and include the following information in an email: name, full mailing address, email, phone, description of donated item, value of donated item, selling price (if different from value), and whether you intend to hand deliver or ship your items. Shipped items are to be sent to Leslie Walker at the following address prior to Wednesday, October 4, 2017: 520 North Juanita Avenue, Redondo Beach, CA 90277-2926.
To Shop:The Art Bazaar runs from 5:00 to 7:00 pm - right before the Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Your purchase supports ASBA programs and you go home with a treasure!