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NCalSBA ACTIVITIES

Click here the for 2025 Calendar!

Please Note: Reservations for events are non-refundable. However, if you are unable to attend, you may transfer your reservation to another participant.

Have an idea for an event. Contact the Activities Chair.

Meanwhile, please be sure to visit our Exhibition page for information about any exhibits we have coming up. And don’t forget to watch for Calls for Entries deadlines!

28th Annual International Exhibition & NCalSBA Sketchbook Project

see workshops below

September 26 - November 23, 2025

Marin Art & Garden Center

30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA

Opening Reception: Sunday, September 28th from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

For more information on the exhibition and programming, learn more here

BOTANICAL ART WORKSHOPS

Donnett Vanek

Observing Nature Through Art

Friday, September 26, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The Cottage

Donnett will explore techniques of a multi-media graphite and watercolor rendering. Participants will learn graphite drawing techniques, perspective, and composition - moving on to dry brush work. Students will have the opportunity to create a composition using techniques demonstrated in the workshop.

All levels welcome.

Fee $175

Olga Ryabtsova

Impressions in Ink: Botanical Linocut

Printmaking on Greeting Cards

Sunday, September 28, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

The Cottage

Discover the art of linocut printmaking and create your own beautifully hand-printed greeting cards in this hands-on workshop. You'll leave with a set of unique cards ready to share or send, along with your carved block, ready to re-ink and reuse whenever inspiration strikes.

All skill levels welcome!

Fee $135

Lee McCaffree

Explore Sketching for Fun

Saturday, October 11, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Picnic Grove but Cottage, if rainy

Sketching is a fun way to record things whether it is something in nature or a memory. The objective is to do quick sketches and get something down on paper, without concern for perfection. These images can lead to further study or be a memory journal.

All levels are welcome. Experienced artists may bring the color tools you usually use.

Fee $55

Mary Dillon

The Power of Composition for the Botanical Artist

Friday, October 24 & Saturday, October 25 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Cottage

Discover how thoughtful composition transforms botanical art from technically accurate to truly captivating.

In this two-day workshop for experienced artists, tutor, Mary Dillon, will guide you through strategies to create strong, dynamic arrangements that communicate mood, movement, and meaning. We will explore how line, shape, space, and balance influence the viewer’s eye, and how subtle compositional decisions can elevate your work. Through practical exercises, demonstrations, and personal feedback, you will refine your ability to compose with purpose and confidence, ensuring your botanical subjects are not only true to science but visually compelling works of art.

Available to intermediate and advanced NCalSBA members only!

Fee $330

Kristin Jakob

Pen & Ink Workshop

Sunday, November 2, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

The Cottage

Noted local botanical artist Kristin Jakob will lead a studio-style class in which she will demonstrate her pen & ink drawing techniques and provide one-on-one coaching.

Fee $55

Catherine Watters

Introduction to Botanical Art

Friday, November 7, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Cottage

Discover the fascinating world of Botanical Art. You will learn how to skillfully observe, measure and draw your subject in great detail and with botanical accuracy. This is followed by mixing and layering colors from light to dark to make your subject come to life by balancing highlights, shadows and reflected light.

Students will work with graphite and colored pencils, or watercolor for students with prior experience.

The fee includes art supplies and botanical subjects.

Fee $145

SKETCHING DAY AT CIRCLE OAK RANCH

Sunday, September 21, 2025

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Join us in the North Bay for a day of sketching at Circle Oak Ranch in Petaluma on September 21st from 10am to 3pm. Owner Sara Malone has planted an extensive, beautifully designed garden featuring over 1700 conifers, trees, shrubs, and succulents, many of which are rare in cultivation and in the trade. The gardens have hosted visitors from around the world, and have been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and websites. Sara has invited us to experience her extensive gardens for the day. Bring your picnic lunch (sharable items always welcome!), your sketching/painting materials and take the opportunity to meet up with fellow artists! Circle Oak Ranch is located at 911 Mustang Court in Petaluma.

Please contact either Kristin Jakob HERE or Bernard Halliwell at HERE to let them know you are coming.

On Sunday, September 21, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Sara Boonin Malone, ten artists gathered at Sara's lovely property in east Petaluma, Sonoma County in very warm, but not too hot weather. Sara has, over many years, lovingly planted the property with a harmonious and interesting blend of plants, artfully combining unusual trees, shrubs, conifers and succulents, with a scattering of perennials and a few shrub roses. The result offers year-round interest, and is both relaxing and intriguing. The visiting artists, after some introductions, spread out in the garden to seek the subjects that appealed to them, most resuming their studies after a lunch break gathering on the patio.

Kristin Jakob

2025 Annual Membership Meeting

August 16, 2025

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Deadline to register: August 7, 2025

Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Lee McCaffree, Oak Spring Garden Foundation 2024 grant recipient

Please join us at our upcoming ANNUAL MEETING of the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists on August 16th either by attending in-person or remotely, via ZOOM. Following our brief general membership meeting, artist Lee McCaffree will share her experiences as the 2024 Botanical Artist in Residence grant recipient at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation.

Lunch will be provided for members attending in-person. In addition, there will be an opportunity for those interested to share their portfolio/sketchbook or sell their art by contacting Mary Batchelder.

Our in-person meeting will be held from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM at Woodhall, 501 Orindawoods Drive, Orinda. There is a $5.00 fee for attending.

The Zoom presentation will start at 11:30 AM.

"A special thank you to Blick Art Materials for donating $5 gift certificates for all our members attending the in-person Annual Meeting on August 16. Their continued support in the art community is very much appreciated!”

Photos from our first In-Person and Zoom Annual Meeting

2025 Activities

Past Activities

Board Meeting Schedule

Click here for more 2025 activities.

PAST ACTIVITIES

2024 Activities

2023 Activities on Zoom

2022 Activities on Zoom

2021 Activities on Zoom

2020 Activities

Board Meetings

All members are invited to attend our board meetings. Contact the president for details.

Friday, January 24, 2025 (Zoom)
Friday, April 25, 2025 (Zoom)
Friday, August 8, 2025 (Zoom)
Friday, November 7, 2025 (Zoom)

NCalSBA ACTIVITIES

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28th Annual International Exhibition & NCalSBA Sketchbook Project

see workshops below

Marin Art & Garden Center

30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA

BOTANICAL ART WORKSHOPS

Donnett Vanek

Kristin Jakob

SKETCHING DAY AT CIRCLE OAK RANCH

Sunday, September 21, 2025

2025 Annual Membership Meeting

August 16, 2025

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

PAST ACTIVITIES

Board Meetings