A Special Opportunity to Support the Renaissance of Botanical Art

SBAI Kickstarter Project Has Launched!

Please help publish the limited edition Practice Makes Perfect: A Botanical Illustration Sketchbook (formerly called SBAI 2013 Chronicles), and help us establish an Artist/illustrator In Residence program!

Seventy-six original illustrations (words and pictures) were created by 16 instructors and 60 artists from the School of Botanical Art and Illustration (SBAI)at Denver Botanic Gardens. This volume celebrates the program’s 34th anniversary and its restructuring in 2013 as the SBAI.

“Botanical art is undergoing a great renaissance and it is delightful to see such a wide and lively interpretation in this charming sketchbook.”  Dr. Shirley Sherwood

This volume not only represents skills and abilities, but also creativity, ideas and friendship. Even though this is a collective work, each page and image presents a unique view from the illustration arts community, and reveals something of the heart and mind of the artist. Illustration can take many forms; it has an ability to transform a page and can add magic to words to present what simple text might imply, but cannot say.

The project is loosely based on the Sketch travel project founded in Paris in 2006 when Gerald Guerlais and Daisuke Dice Tsusfumi created a book that traveled from hand-to-hand among 71 artists all over the globe. Our own sketchbook was completed in one year with participants from the Gardens’ botanical illustration community, including international artists. 

An original, handmade 160-page springback bound book with 90 lb. Fabriano Artistico HP watercolor paper and protective reindeer-leather box was made for our purpose by Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, SBAI Manager. Then, each of the artists used one 11x7.5” page, with up to one week to complete the work. The book was never mailed, but traveled from hand-to-hand within the artist community for 365 consecutive days. 

Practice Makes Perfect: A Botanical Illustration Sketchbook showcases a unique collection of talent and expertise, including natural science illustrations, artistic explorations and calligraphy with a personal touch. It includes a foreword by Dr. Shirley Sherwood, Kew, UK,  with the full color illustrations, each presenting insight into the artist's way of working.

 

Images by Ann Swan and Constance Sayas

 

Kickstarter is a crowd-sourced method of providing funds for special projects. It’s an all-or-nothing way of funding, with a 30-day funding period. Unless our goal of $20,000 is reached within this time, no funding will be provided at all. You contribute online, but your credit card will not be charged until after the 30-day funding drive expires with our goal met. This project is a Kickstarter Staff favorite pick!

For more information and to contribute, click HERE: Follow the instructions on the right hand column.

If you not familiar with how Kickstarter works, click HERE to see the inner workings:

AND, please let your friends and colleagues know about this unique  opportunity – they as well as you might also be interested applying for the Artist in Residency program later on. Word-of-mouth is THE power for these projects

Contributing Artists:

Karla Beatty, Boston, MA; Beatrice Coron, NY, NY; Susan DiMarchi, , Denver, CO; Sarah Homfray, U.K; Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Lafayette, CO; Renee Jorgensen, Lakewood, CO; Ikumi Kayama, College Park, MD; Veiko Kespersaks, London, U.K.; Libby Kyer, Denver, CO; Jenny Phillips, Melbourne, Australia; Lauren Pierson, Denver, CO; Randy Raak, Golden, CO; Annie Reiser, Estes Park, CO; Susan Rubin, Denver, CO; Constance Sayas, Denver, CO; Ann Swan, Rowde, U.K.  - Maria Bumgarner, Denver, CO; Lauren Bassing, Lebanon, NH; Jesse Bergeman, Denver, CO; Michele Bloom, Denver, CO; Leslie Boose, Englewood, CO; Nels Broste, Fort Collins, CO; Cindy Calkins, Aurora, CO; Karen Cleaver, Littleton, CO; Hayley Cook, Denver, CO; Rebecca Corbett, Denver, CO; Lauren Cotie, Denver, CO; Susan Curnutte, Colorado Springs, CO; Shanelle Deater, Aurora, CO; Estelle DeRidder, La Crescenta, CA; Susan Dorsey, Broomfield, CO; Emerson Easley, Saga, Japan; Teri Eichhorn, Ramona, CA; Laura Farnsworth, Denver, CO; Emma Felt, Santa Fe, NM; Meredith Feniak, Denver, CO; Carol Ferguson, Aurora, CO; Linda Forbes, Schofield, WI; Karen Genoff-Campbell, Greely, CO; Noreen Goetz, Aurora, CO; Megan Maksimovich Goodenough, Fort Collins, CO (label calligraphy); Rebecca Hall, Parker, CO; Erin Haley, Denver, CO; Jan Boyd Haring, Cascade, CO; Helen Hasting, Morrison, CO; Marj Hopkins, Colorado Springs, CO; Christina Hubbell, Colorado Springs, CO; Dawn Huston, Colorado Springs, CO; Diane Inman, Corrales, NM; Sendy Issanti, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ; Margaret Johnson, Boulder, CO; Vanessa Martin, Aurora, CO; Judy Matthews, Fort Collins, CO; Karen May, Erie, CO; Douglas McCallum, Longmont, CO; Mary McCauley, Fort Collins, CO; Elizabeth McCauley, Fort Collins, CO; Kathy McCrery, Galesburg, IL; Barbara McKee, Louisville, CO; Martha Narey, Denver, CO; Peter Orleans, Denver, CO; Carla Pawlewicz, Lakewood, CO; Alice Pearson, Greenwood Village, CO; Kirk Pfeffer, Broomfield, CO; Cynthia Rothbard, Nokomis, FL; Jaclyn Sachleben, Richmond, VA; Helen Smithwick,  Colorado Springs, CO; Irma Sturgell, Centennial, CO; Susan Stutzman, Golden, CO; Lesley Switendick, Boulder, CO; Mary Tharp, Arvada, CO; Angela Tingle, Buena Vista, CO; Karen Tillou, Oregon City, OR; Judy Vanderbosch, Demver, CO; Vickey Wood, Highlands Ranch, CO; Megan Wyeth, Saint Joseph, MO; Penelope Yerigan, Littleton, CO.