Paperwhites

Narcissus papyraceus, Watercolor by Elizabeth Barta-Koraus

Elizabeth, a native New Yorker now living and working in Connecticut, is an artist, naturalist, and a horticulturist.  She knew from an early age that art would be a strong influence in her life. Her background as an illustrator and floral designer laid the foundation for her botanical art. Using watercolor, pen and ink, graphite, or colored pencil, the meticulous attention to detail in her botanical painting is accurate and informative as well as artistically pleasing. Elizabeth is currently working toward a Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the New York Botanical Garden.

A catalog of the artwork and profiles of the artists is available online from the ASBA for $20 plus shipping & handling. http://www.amsocbotartists.org/ASBA-Catalogs.html

Apple Blossoms and Fruit

Malus pumila, Watercolor by Milly Acharya

Beginning with a blank sheet of paper beside a robust, thriving botanical specimen, Milly takes her task into hand: accurate documentation, detailing phases of botanical development while preserving the vitality and immediacy of the ever-mutable living plant. Dipping her brush into clear water and following the direction of growth, she applies the first faint traces of paint, without preliminary sketches or drawing, entrusting the plant’s natural design to determine composition and communicate its own aesthetic power. Living in Ithaca, NY, her work mainly portrays local flora of the northeast; but during its long, monochromatic winters she yearns to document tropical plants of India, where she grew up.

A catalog of the artwork and profiles of the artists is available online from the ASBA for $20 plus shipping & handling. http://www.amsocbotartists.org/ASBA-Catalogs.html

Exhibit Opens September 15th

(C) ASUKA HISHIKI, Foeniculum vulgare, Fennel, watercolor

As part of Botanical Art Week in NYC the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Horticultural Society of New York present the 13th Annual International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition with an opening reception on Wednesday, September 15th from 6-8pm.  The exhibit  includes 41 contemporary works of botanical art by preeminent artists from 13 states across the U.S. and 5 other countries around the world.  Media include watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylic, colored pencil, graphite, pen and ink, and copperplate etching.  The exhibit runs through November 24th at the HSNY Gallery on West 37th Street in New York.

Can't make it to New York?  A 56 page catalog illustrating artwork included in the exhibit along with profiles of the artists is available online from the ASBA.

Also, artwork and excerpts from the artist's profiles appearing in the catalog will be posted on this blog every few days during the run of the show.  Subscribe to this blog to recieve notifications by email of new artwork posted to the site.