So, we had a nice meeting at Hudson Gardens

July 28

We talked about "Something Wicked" and the Tagawa Gardens event and next year and sat beneath the lovely catalpa trees and were protected from the brief showers. 

Wicked entrants drop-dead date has arrived...

Send forms and fees now to racereaton@aol.com. If you put it in the mail tomorrow, it might get there by Saturday, August 1. Send to: RMSBA Wicked Show, % Sharon Eaton, 10685 Yates Drive, Westminster, CO 80031.

Creating Botanical Illustrations with Line Etching

Two-Day workshop  - October 12 & 13, 2015

10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Instructor: Briony Morrow-Cribbs

Cost: $125.00 + $15 materials fee

Maximum class size – 8

We have put together a two-day workshop to learn the process of line etching. Our Instructor, the etching artist featured in Amy Stewart’s book Wicked Plants, is coming all the way from Vermont. She will be a guest at the opening reception of “Something Wicked” and then will teach and demonstrate the good stuff. The workshop (described below) will be held the Aurora Cultural Arts District gallery. Sign up early for this great opportunity, as the classroom size is limited to 8. To reserve your seat, contact Vanessa Martin at martin.vanessa655@gmail.com; she will have details about submitting payment for the class at time of reservation. 

Line etching or Hard Ground etching is a printmaking process in the category of intaglio printing, or printing in the “carved” or incised lines. This process allows artists to create finely-detailed images and multiples of an image. In this basic workshop, students will draw botanical images, and then make them into copperplate etchings. Through demos and one-on-one instruction, students will learn how to prepare plates, coat them with hard ground, etch the plates, and print them. Students will leave the workshop with an etched copper plate and at least three fine-art prints. The workshop is open to students at all levels, whether printmakers, botanical artists, or totally new to it all.

About Briony Morrow-Cribbs:

Briony Morrow-Cribbs currently lives and works in the hills of rural Vermont. Morrow-Cribbs graduated from the Emily Carr Institute in 2005 and completed her Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012. From 2012 to 2014 Morrow-Cribbs taught etching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, Morrow-Cribbs teaches printmaking at the Putney School in Putney, Vermont, and is an adjunct professor of drawing, book arts and printmaking in the New England area.

As a printmaker, Morrow-Cribbs has shown both nationally and internationally with solo exhibitions in the Davidson Gallery in Seattle, Washington the Artisan Gallery in Paoli, Wisconsin and the Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As an illustrator, Morrow-Cribbs launched her career with two New York Times Bestsellers: Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities and Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects, both written by Amy Stewart (published by Algonquin Books). Since then, Morrow-Cribbs has also illustrated a book of short stories titled Unnatural Creatures (edited by Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley, published by HarperCollins) and created cover work for The End of the Sentence by Maria Dahvana Headley and Cat Howard (published by Subterranean Press).

Save the Date (Party!)

Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 30, from 1-5 pm: RMSBA Backyard Bar-Be-Que at Vanessa Martin(the President)’s house, 21494 E Greenwood Pl, Aurora. We invite members to bring a guest who might be interested in joining our organization – as artist or art lover. We also invite students (and a Visiting Instructor, Ikumi Kayama) from the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanical Gardens. Besides the swell food, drinks, and charming companions, the BBBQ offers an excellent opportunity for non-members to get to know us and learn about all of the benefits of membership.

As part of this event, we of course want a little fundraising activity. We ask members to donate artwork, prints, books or art supplies for party-goers to buy. The funds raised as we find those perfect items will help support the Stanley Hotel two-day vacation that RMSBA has donated to the upcoming ASBA annual silent auction. To donate appropriate materials, contact Vanessa Martin at martin.vanessa655@gmail.com to coordinate delivery. 

Seeking Volunteers -- to sign up to bring side dishes. Also looking for willing hands to help set up the fundraising tent and tables, and to get all ready for the party. Please contact Vanessa Martin if you can help out: (720) 870-1488.

So that we have a general idea how many people are coming, we ask that you RSVP by August 20 or thenabouts to Vanessa at martin.vanessa655@gmail.com.