A DAY OF ART TO CELEBRATE ASBA’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

The Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California (BAGSC) started off the new year with a celebration of the 25th anniversary of ASBA by supporting its mission to “provide a thriving interactive community dedicated to perpetuating the tradition and contemporary practice of botanical art” by hosting a day of art with a one-day workshop, “Basic Botanical Art” at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California.

BAGSC President Janice Hoiberg welcomed everyone with an introduction to ASBA and BAGSC. The workshop attracted novice and experienced artists from local art organizations and the general public, many of whom had never experienced botanical art before. Deborah Shaw narrated an ASBA slide-show presentation as an overview on Botanical Art and Illustration. 

A nominal workshop fee attracted forty-six students with over half being non-members of ASBA and BAGSC. With the assumption all students would not have the specialized supplies used in botanical art, BAGSC provided all paper, graphite pencils, brushes, ink pens, watercolor and erasers making it very easy for all participants. All they had to do was turn-up and enjoy the day. 

The unique workshop format allowed students freedom to choose an experience at a different artist’s table during each of the four one-hour sessions throughout the day. Eight BAGSC artists stepped forward to share their skills as a way to give back to the organization. Included were:

Akiko Enokido- Watercolor Color Mixing and Dry Brush with Watercolor

Cristina Baltayian- Colored Pencil and Watercolor Pencil

Sally Jacobs- Watercolor Washes and Drawing a Leaf with Graphite

Lesley Randall- Pen and Ink Techniques and Mixed Media with Ink and Watercolor

Olga Ryabtsova– Drawing with Silverpoint

Gilly Shaeffer- Creating 3-D forms in Graphite and Watercolor

Deb Shaw– Nifty Graphite Tips and Tricks and Plant Perspective in Graphaite

Ellie Tu- Creating textures with Bamboo Pen, Ink and Luffa

Workshop evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. It was a great opportunity for both experienced and inexperienced artists to try new techniques, learn skills from experts and learn more about botanical art and illustration. Membership sign-up was offered during the lunch break.

Teri Kuwahara and Gayle Uyehara, BAGSC Education Chairs, are to be congratulated on an innovative and successful program concept providing community outreach promoting botanical art. The enthusiasm of participants desire for more hands-on experience will likely evolve as an annual event. Additional thanks to Deborah Shaw and BAGSC Past Presidents Tania Norris and Lesley Walker for their support.