A few things...

Carol Till opens her exhibit at Spark Gallery this Friday, February 1, 2013. About half the show is botanicals and it shows how she has adapted botanical art in her printmaking.
Shee'll be at the gallery from 12-5 PM every Thursday during the exhibit, so drop by then if you'd like.

 
Art contests and competitions come from many places, some you might not expect. Benefits include prize money, prizes of materials and new showcases for your work. 

Here are a couple of interest:

Go to www.derwent.artprize.com

 

 

Here's a call from a lovely museum in Maryland, in conjunction with the Smithsonian.

 



 

Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center

In Association with the Smithsonian Institution

P.O. Box 99, 13480 Dowell Road, Dowell (Solomons), MD 20629 t. 410.326.4640

 

Artworks on the themes of earth, air, fire and water are be solicited. Botanical art could make some nice contributions to such a show.

Go to www.annmariegarden.org or email info@annmariegarden.org  for further information.

 

You can also go to http://www.asingularcreation.com/call-for-artists.php for a really extensive listing of competition and art exhibition calls from around the country.

 

Who knows, 2013 might be the year you travel to wonderful places with your art!

Did you know the GNSI is holding their annual conference in Denver in 2014? Yep, it's true. In July, some really talented and generous artists will gather together to learn, share, and, I'm told, party well! If you'd like to help with planning, have ideas who you'd like to hear speak, or want to know about this neat event, contact Marjorie Leggitt. You need not be a member to particpate.

AND of course, the ASBA conference is in Denver in October, 2014, and we need volunteers, ideas for speakers, and a variety of other help to make it a wonderful event. It's the 20th Anniversary conference for the ASBA. Historical note: we sponsored the conference meeting in 2001, and had the first comprehensive workshop/lecture/field trip and demos ever presented. How cool is that? Contact Susan Fisher if you would like to help with that. Non-members are invited to particpate, and to join RMSBA for further neat events that support you and your art.  



New Links are all about creativity...

...so take a look! You'll find a wide-ranging selection that addresses creativity in general, (Un-Zen), and tutorials by a number of watercolorists in botanical art. Even tho' the weather is cooperating right now, save these for a cold day when going out is simply not something you want to do. Fire up the hot chocolate, and be enlightened and amazed.

Billy Showell shares some tips online

Workshops Can Be Listed HERE!

Don't forget, we have a whole workshops section on the blog, and you may list your activities for 2013. Now's the time to get folks thinking about taking classes with you, especially summer vacation offerings. Please send your information to rmsbartists@gmail.com in a timely fashion - at least 3 weeks before your workshop event - and we'll get it into our workshops listings.

Remembering Summer 2012 Closes

Hope you all took the opportunity to look at some of the artwork our members created this past summer. Plan ahead for our 2013 Remembering Summer Online Exhibit. Make a habit of scanning your work, so you can easily send it to rmsbartists@gmail.com in time for this year's exhibit.

Also coming up, A Drawing a Day. Scan your drawings, or a series of drawings, to share with our members during March.

Deadlines

Just a few reminders for exhibition deadlines.  

Wildlife Experience Call for Entry
Submission due date: March 1, 2013. (money and art info need to be in; more specs re. info later)

 

RARE II

Submission due date: July 1, 2014

Full information is available under Calls for Entries to the right.

Check out calls for entries for ASBA exhibits. There are two great opportunities there:

 

16th International Exhibition at NY Hort:
http://www.asba-art.org/calls-for-entries/16th-annual-international
Submission due date: March 29, 2013

 

Weird, Wild and Wonderful:
http://www.asba-art.org/exhibitions/weird-wild-and-wonderful
Submission due date: Friday, September 13, 2013

Plants, Birds and Pollinators: Art Serving Science, November 16, 2013-February 14, 2014
See your work on view at Denver Botanic Gardens in this juried exhibition of GNSI members. All entries must bedigital, submitted according to online specifications.Final matted work must measure 16” x 20”.

Submission Begins: July 22, 2013

Submission due date: August 5, 2013

Botanical Art of the Sonoran Desert: Past and Present

Juried Exhibit at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Ironwood Gallery

September 14 ~ October 27, 2013

This exhibit will focus on the unique plants of the Sonoran Desert. This region comprises the area along the border of Mexico and the United States. It includes: most of Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizona; the Baja California Peninsula, the Islands in the Sea of Cortez, and southeastern California. The exhibit will display past works by internationally regarded botanical illustrators as well as works by contemporary botanical artists.

Submission Deadline: Friday, August 2, 2013

Updates:

DUES ARE DUE:

Please remit to Vicky McWilliams - see Membership Application, under Membership, in column to right. Terry, treasurer of the last couple of the years, has set sail for a new adventure in Oregon. Please forward your dues to Vicky. Thank you! You'll be so glad you won't miss a thing we're doing!

Exhibition Opportunity:

Announcing America's Parks II - America's Parks Through the Beauty of Art

Produced by David J. Wagner, LLC

"Little Blue Heron" (Everglades National Park), Ed Takacs, America's Parks I

 

Susan Kathleen Black Foundation Floral Art Award: Rhonda Nass, "A Child's Fantasy Forest" (Festge Park, Dane County, WI), America's Parks I

 

The primary theme of this exhibit is parks of the southwest including the Southwestern US & Northwestern Mexico, including (in alphabetical order), AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, OK,TX, UT and states in Northwestern Mexico, particularly Sonora. Art depicting parks in other locations throughout North America will be eligible for the online exhibit of Parks II and awards. However, the traveling exhibit will be comprised primarily if not entirely of art depicting parks in the southwestern area of the US, and northwestern Mexico.

 

The area ties in nicely with our RARE II exhibit for wildflower depictions, and opens up to include plein air art of so many settings.

 

Click Here to Download AMERICA'S PARKS II 2014 Prospectus (Entry Form PDF 1.2MB)

RARE II Plant Listing Updated

Check out the Rare II listiing for plants selected to be illustrated in the RARE II selection to the right. If you find that your selected species are not listed, please contact Jan directly at rare2014@q.com.

Our next meeting is coming soon...

...so make sure it's on your calendar! Here's the note from Dorothy!
 

Who:

Hello Everyone!

What:

Get out your brushes paint, pencils, and inks. We're going to have some fun! At our next RMSBA meeting we will be doing some mini-masterpieces- "Artist Trading Cards!" If you're not sure what these are, check out this link: http://www.artist-trading-cards

A trading card by Trevor Camp, Canada, shows a botanical theme

 

Since we're botanical artists, we'll be doing Rocky Mountain wild flowers! (Some of these little paintings may be used at the 2014 Annual ASBA meeting.)

What to bring with you:

1.Bring your favorite media: pencils, paints, pen and ink, whatever you would like to use. (You may want to do a few drawings on tissue paper before you come, but this is up to you!) The purpose of this meeting is to have fun!
2. Reference media- your own photographs, small plants, pods, cones, etc.
3. A light snack to share with others.
RMSBA will provide the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" cards and drinks.

When:

This month , Sunday, January 27th,  at 1 PM.

Where:

Our meeting will be at Koelbel Library, 5955 South Holly Street, Centennial, PH: 303.542.7279. 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

 

All the best,

 

Dorothy DePaulo

President, RMSBA

A Holiday Wreath Note

Vanessa Martin writes: Here is the wreath I completed in Libby Kyer’s Winter Wreath class at the Denver Botanic Gardens in November. I really enjoyed creating this and will be creating new ones each holiday for years to come, I am hooked. Thanks for letting me share.

Holiday Wreath, 5x5", Vanessa Martin

Check out the schedule for this year

The Planning Folks have assembled a terrific line-up for 2013, including opportunities to work with new techniques, see new art, see old art, and hang out together. All events are listed in the column to the right.

Also, don't forget, dues are DUE! We have a huge line-up of exhibits and activities, and, RMSBA is sponsoring the ASBA Conference in 2014. There's lots of room to volunteer to help with chapter activities of all sorts. So mail your dues now. You'll be glad you did!

Plan Ahead! The 2nd Annual Drawing a Day Adventure

Beginning 1 March 2013, we'll start our second annual drawing event. Last year, this event drew about 20 artists, and it drew thousands of of viewer hits. It was the most successful blogging we had ever done, and we had comments and viewers from around the nation, and around the globe. The exposure helps grow your art and our organization. So plan to participate now. You can start early if you like, we won't tell, if you want to get a leg up.

Here's the premise:
Drawing daily integrates art into your life. It helps you know what you know or don't know. It leads you to new solutions, to new explorations, to new growth. Just like Spring! When you draw every day, art becomes...easier. Drawing your specimens or subjects becomes intuitive. And THAT makes your work more exciting, more active, more inviting.

Here are the guidelines:
Draw every day, at least six days a week.
Draw at least ten minutes a day, more if you want.
Draw any subject.
Use whatever materials you want to, and take this time to try some new ones!
Scan thee images that you like.
Send those images to us at rmsbartists@gmail.com.
We'll post some each day, to inspire others, and reward you for growing like a spring bulb.  

Questions? Send them to rmsbartist@gmail.com. We'll answer them ASAP.