Mission Statement

The Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists is an open and diverse group of artists, collectors and admirers who share a love for the practice and perpetuation of botanical art and illustration with a fond focus on plants in the Rocky Mountain Region.
We encourage and participate in educational outreach, juried and non-juried exhibits, lectures, workshops and regular chapter meetings. The RMSBA is proud to be the very first chapter affiliation of the international organization, the American Society of Botanical Artists.

Friday, April 1, 2016

It’s April Already, No Foolin’

Arts Afield: This just in from Jan Boyd-Haring.

Hi. I promised Vanessa I would create a fantastic masterpiece from this road grader sitting behind the corrals at Cherokee Castle and Ranch. We thought we could entice other artists to partake in the adventures awaiting them at Cherokee.  

It turns out this machine has a story: An Austin-Western from the 1950s, it has Green Mountain Falls Municipal stickers on each side. I showed this to a friend who owns heavy equipment and is local to Green Mountain Falls. He says his dad, who also ran heavy equipment, sold it to Green Mountain Falls years ago; GMF rolled it and crushed the cab. Our friend, who is 60, was not old enough to remember, but he does remember pictures of the unfortunate mishap hanging in the fire station. This explains the red machine with a sky blue cab. So pretty I had to paint it!

Thanks, Jan. Nothing could be prettier on April Fools’ Day.

Executive Committee Meeting Reminder: Monday, April 11, at Hooked on Colfax, 11 am.

A Link from GNSI: Check out the pollinator portrait by Vladimir Nabokov, Butterfly Illustrator at http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/vladimir-nabokov-butterfly-illustrator. Who knew there was a book out called Nabokov’s Butterflies?!?

Call for Entries: Smithtown Township Arts Council seeks entries for juried fine art exhibition “Of a Botanical Nature” at the Mills Pond Gallery. A call for original artwork that reflects the beauty and uniqueness of flora (realistic or representational style). Plants and all aspects of plant development such as seed pods, leaves, fruits, and flowers are appropriate. All media considered except photography and computer generated art. Entry deadline May 12, 2016. Exhibit dates June 18 –July 20, 2016. Juror: Wendy Hollender. Open to local and national artists. Prospectus at http://www.stacarts.org/exhibits or email gallery@stacarts.org.  660 Route 25A, St. James, NY 11780.  (631) 862-6575. gallery@stacarts.org  $45/3 entries. Cash Awards 1st, 2nd place.

1 comment:

  1. I missed this in April but Nabokov's Butterflies was a very interesting book. It took about 50 years for his work to be recognized for what it was -- real research. He did detailed illustrations to support his reasoning for his classification of each butterfly. Work done largely under a microscope. It also changes how you might think of some of his fiction as the lepidopterist themes become visible.

    Before his death, he had also started cataloging where butterflies appear in major works of art.

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