First Flakes for the New Year

Holidays. First out of the gate was Hanukkah, to celebrate a miracle; next was Pearl Harbor Day, to remember a disaster. La fiesta de la virgin de Guadalupe brought children’s parades. Next was our own Holiday Party, followed by Solstice and a full moon. Christmas Eve, carolers and maybe a Vigil; elves and reindeer and Santa in the night on the roofs; brightly dawns Christmas Day! Take-it-all-back-returns Day, Boxing Day, and Kwaanza! New Year’s Eve, to reflect and have a nice toast to what must surely be a better New Year.

Renew your ASBA membership by February 10, 2019 to enjoy a full year of member benefits between January 1 and December 31, 2019, including all four issues of The Botanical Artist! When renewing, please first go to the ASBA web page, then click on Member Login in the upper right corner; use the email address associated with your ASBA Membership account to log in. Do not forget to indicate your membership also in RMSBA, the first ASBA Chapter.

Women's Winter Kits. Several of us from RMSBA, supported by the Mile High and Very Deep Book Club, gathered for an assembly party for these on December 6th at Judy Vanderbosch’s house. Well, she put us right through our paces, organizing tasks and taskees, while finishing up a few last minute items and making soup for our lunch. Irma Sturgell did some fabulous skewered accompaniments. These kits are quite practical packets of personal items, including a USB flash drive – handy at the Library. The bags are sewed cotton cloth – each different and all pretty -- and have button closures.

Holiday Party. We had a lovely Chinese Year of the Earth-Dog repast at Shiere’s on December 15. Thank you, Shiere, for hosting. Thanks, Eileen, for the goods. Thanks, Irma, for moving all along. We enjoyed good attendance and interesting conversations.

Reminder about Framing and Matting. Our accepted frame sizes are 12x12, 12x16, 16x20, and 18x24. Currently, we prescribe the Blick Essentials Wood Gallery Frame in Natural (Dick Blick 18862-1904, -1906, -1908, and -1909). Mats white or off-white. Do remember that D-ring flat hangers are much preferred; no little toothy rack things or eye screws.

“Lost in the Woods” is still up at the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder, until January 5, 2019. “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” opens soon at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango. Information forthcoming about an Opening and any related activities.

Reminder: Executive Board meeting coming up January 13. Contact any board member if you have items you want added to the agenda.

Pre-minder: On January 15 from noon to 1 pm, the Strathmore paper company will be displaying and discussing their products at Gates Hall at Denver Botanic Gardens. Often this presentation is accompanied by a selective distribution of free samples, which you might try out and consider using in your work.

Closing in on Winter

Fire, Tornado, Flood, Earthquake. We’ve successfully (or not) navigated the perilous November holiday celebrations and remembrances: All Saints Day, Dia de los muertos, Daylight Savings Time changeover, Election Day, US Marine Corps Birthday, Veterans Day (Remembrance Day elsewhere), 20%-off coupons at Guiry’s and Meiningers, Revolution Day (Mexico),Thanksgiving Day, a Full-Moon Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, CyberMonday, Giving Tuesday, PorchPirate Wednesday, and I-need-a-rest-now day. The Entire Earth is soliciting contributions, and the Marching continues.

Renew your ASBA membership by February 10, 2019 to enjoy a full year of member benefits between January 1 and December 31, 2019, including all four issues of The Botanical Artist! When renewing, please first go to the ASBA web page, then click on Member Login in the upper right corner; use the email address associated with your ASBA Membership account to log in. Do not forget to indicate your membership also in RMSBA, the first ASBA Chapter.

Women's Winter Survival Kit. The assembly party for these will be December 6th from 9:30am to 3:00pm. Come and spend as long as you have time to spare. We will need help putting on labels for the shampoo, lotion and lip balm. We will also be sewing buttons and beads on the toiletry bags and hats.

Soup will be served.

Please RSVP to:  Judy Vanderbosch - redbudart@gmail.com  303-375-7718

Location: 6585 E Colorado Dr. Denver, Colorado 80224

Holiday Party. Make your plans.

RMSBA Logo. We offered a poll to see which of these replacements you liked.

Did you vote?

Framing and Matting. Our accepted frame sizes are 12x12, 12x16, 16x20, and 18x24. Currently, we prescribe the Blick Essentials Wood Gallery Frame in Natural (Dick Blick 18862-1904, -1906, -1908, and -1909). Mats white or off-white.

“Lost in the Woods” is at the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder until January 5, 2019. “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” is soon up at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango. If you’re takin’ a road trip, drop in on them.

Happy Halloween! Spook it up, Everybody

Tomorrow is November 1, and you will be able to renew your membership on the ASBA website! Don’t forget to renew for RMSBA at the same time. It’s also All Saints’ Day. Remember St. Brigid of Kildare who, rumor has it, started an art school for the medicinal herbalism students in “Dark Age” Ireland. Know your plants!

“Invisible Links,” this year’s DBG-SBAI juried show, is on the move to the Great Hall of the Visitors’ Pavilion, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont, NC, from January 25 to March 3, 2019. Congratulations, everyone, on greater exposure through exhibits.

“Lost in the Woods” is at the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder until January 5, 2019. “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” is at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango. If you’re takin’ a road trip, drop in on them.

Holiday Party this year is Sunday, December 9, 2018, 1 – 4 pm, at Shiere Melin’s lovely home in northwest Arvada. Eileen Richardson, the Prez, is providing the food – something about the Year of the Earth-Dog??? That should be interesting.

RMSBA Logo poll. Your executive board has decided to update the organization's logo. It was developed some time ago and the original digital files no longer exist. We need to work with printers and so files must function for many formats. In addition, we are striving for a fresh clean look with one of 3 logos, which were sent to your email accounts. Don’t forget to cast your vote by emailing rmsbartists@gmail.com and noting 1, 2 or 3 by November 1st. That’s tomorrow.

Women's Survival Kits. Judy Vanderbosch is spearheading a wonderful effort to put together Women's Survival Kits to be donated to Catholic Charities this winter. These will include scarves and hats sewn from the scraps of the Art Sacks. Check your email for information about certain items still needed. Please consider donating something you might have extra of, or making the effort to purchase a missing item. We will be assembling the kits on December 6th. 

ArtCozy

Cozy Tuque and Scarf

Slightly older news

Sheila Payne, our friend and colleague, has passed away. Many of you remember her enthusiasm and great talent. After raising her family, at age 60 Sheila resumed her painting endeavor while traveling extensively around the world. At 70, she earned her certification from the Denver Botanic Gardens botanical illustration program. Illness put an abrupt end to her artistic career in 2010. RMSBA sponsored a Retrospective Exhibit of 40 of her paintings in 2013, the year she also received the Sydney Parkinson award.

Executive Board and Member Meeting on 9/30 was rather poorly attended -- a shame as ‘twas interesting. The Board presented Vanessa Martin with a book in appreciation for her service as President and Treasurer. The volume is cased in a canvas wrap made and painted by Judy Vanderbosch.

Meetings for 2019

Executive Board meeting January 13

Member meetings March 31, June 23, September 29, and December 8 (Holiday Party)

Extremely preliminary call for entries: Winged Things! Birds, nests, eggs, trees and shrubs as habitat, and all such stuff. “Feathers and Flora”? The CU Museum of Natural History collections will be available to us, but other sources are just fine. If you have previous work in this thread, consider submitting it.

Film at Denver Museum of Nature and Science: The Feather Thief

Wednesday, November 14, Phipps Theater, 7 p.m.

$12 DMNS, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, or Audubon Society member; $15 nonmember 

American flautist Edwin Rist is unusually obsessed with the Victorian art of fly-tying. Bizarrely, Rist broke into the Tring Museum north of London in 2009, home to rare bird specimens with feathers worth staggering amounts of money among fly-tiers. Once inside, the champion salmon fly artist grabbed hundreds of bird skins and escaped. This unusual event catapulted author Kirk Wallace Johnson into an obsession of his own that took him around the world. Hear Johnson share his relentless pursuit to find the missing birds, which he documents in his book The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century. A book sale and signing will follow the program.

Program presented in partnership with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies with promotional support from Audubon Society of Greater Denver and Audubon Rockies.   

Our next RMSBA project revolves around birds and their interactions with plants (“Feathers and Flora”) so this film may be of real interest.

From Discover Magazine

SWSBA Reprints from Gillian Rice:

I wonder if any of you have read Art & Fear: Reflections on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by Bayles and Orland? Scott Stapleton talked about it in an article in the ASBA Journal. Excellent. It helped me to have a different perspective, but of course, I have to keep reminding myself. Click here to link up…

Here’s a link to a beautiful video of the Sydney Florilegium recently on view at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in Kew.

Inspiring, but I think I held my breath for the very last step - I have never had the need to do that step, thankfully...

Thanks, Gillian.

ASBA Annual Conference in St. Louis, October 11-13, was terrific. I had a great class and found a new pencil (Palomino Blackwing) for smooth darks, drew some new plants, had a vastly interesting tour of St. Louis, met some fascinating artists, renewed a few acquaintances, really enjoyed the Small Works show. Here are some images.

Longer nights bring on autumn blooms

Reminder: Member Meeting 1 – 3:30 pm, Sunday, September 30, 2018.

Belmar Library Meeting Room, 555 S. Allison Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80226

AGENDA

1. Next Call for Entry

2. Schedule members meetings and board meetings for 2019

3. What is the state of board members for upcoming year.

4. Updates on exhibitions

5. Looking ahead to Holiday Party - December 9^th: Where, and other ideas?

6. Open discussion.

Executive Board Meeting 11 am, Sunday, September 30, 2018

Belmar Whole Foods meeting space (across Wadsworth from Belmar Library)

“Invisible Links” at Denver Botanic Gardens until October 14. Interesting show; members have work in it, and it really is amazing.

Lost in the Woods banner at CUMNH

“Lost in the Woods” at the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder now, and “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango very soon.

San Juan Mountains, Leaf-peeper season.

East-facing slope of Silverton Caldera

ASBA Annual Conference in St. Louis, October 11-13

Hot Summer Days beginning to taper off?

Wait! What happened to July?

It was an early blooming season for wildflowers in the Front Range, frustrating and challenging botanical artists tasked to render species already in rags when visited. Wildfires raged across the drought-stricken Western Slope, adding smoke to our breathable air. Moose have taken it into their heads to cross the Great Divide and appear near Estes Park and Empire.

Well, July 1 was Canada Day; July 4 was US Independence Day. July 6 was a First Friday event for “Lost in the Woods,” and lots of Lookie-Lous came through. July 14 was Bastille Day (Vive la France!), and the RMSBA Art Show and Sale at Tagawa Gardens. July 23, ‘”Lost in the Woods” went into temporary storage after a very successful showing at Valkarie Gallery – the most traffic generated by an exhibit there so far this year! At least three works are now marked “sold.”

The last weekend brought the [four-day] Underground Music Showcase to SoBo, so your Editor decamped to Grand Lake Lodge, and saw an excellent production of “Annie.” The Rocky Mountain Land Library Buffalo Peaks Ranch in South Park hosted RMSBA (and other) guests on July 28, with a display of books from the collection useful to artists. 

“Invisible Links” opened August 15 and will run to mid-October at the Gates Court Gallery at Denver Botanic Gardens. The Artist Reception was Sunday, August 19, 1-3 pm; hope you didn’t miss it. Do see this show; several members have work in it, and it really is amazing. An emissary from a venue in North Carolina has approached about traveling the exhibit. Way to go!

Artists seeking inspiration for projects might want to consider participating in the Rare Plant Symposium of the Colorado Native Plant Society
Sept. 14^th from 8:30-4:00

Northside Aztlan Community Center
112 E. Willow St., Fort Collins, CO
Registration @ www.conps.org

“This year we will highlight the northeast Colorado G2&G3 species in addition to the G1s, T&E and a brief review of the BLM and Forest Service sensitive species. A detailed agenda will be posted on the CoNPS website. Registration is still $10, either walk-in or in advance.”

“Lost in the Woods” will be moving to the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder this fall, and “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” moves to the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango in September. We’re on the College Circuit!

Member Meeting on the schedule for September 30, location TBD.

ASBA Annual Conference in St. Louis, October 11-13. Still time to Register.

There’s an Opening tonight!

Today’s the Day: ‘Lost in the Woods’ opens in Lakewood.

Come see us this evening. It’s gonna be a hoot.

Good Solstice to You

Daylight hours across North America on this Summer Solstice:

Member Meeting (and Board Meeting) for June 24 is canceled. We’ll see you in September.

Monday, June 25, is Hanging Day for ‘Lost in the Woods.’ We open in Lakewood…

Flag Day!

Grand Union Flag adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1775 was replaced

by the Stars & Stripes adopted in 1777 by the Second Continental Congress.

Also: Happy 243rd birthday, United States Army!

Entries are due for “Lost in the Woods” over the next three days. Get your stuff out there to Shiere as instructed in the acceptance letter. It’s exciting! Congratulations to the Artists. Come see the show.

Artful Summer in Denver

More than 30 entries were accepted into “Lost in the Woods.” Congratulations to the Artists. Come see the show.

Open Studio with Kristi Czajkowski on Wednesday, June 13 at the Denver Zoo (meet outside entrance), 10 am – 2 pm. 

Member Meeting coming up on Sunday, June 24.

Next up: Mother’s Day. Flowers ready?

Martha Narey 2012: Treespotting - Quercus gambelii

Lost in the Woods May 15, 2018, entry deadline looms at OnlineJuriedShows. If you need guidance with the good wood, Irma Sturgell has help for you: ask for the Champion Trees files. The show opens at Valkarie Gallery in Lakewood, and installation is Monday, June 18; Opening Reception on Saturday, June 23. First Friday event on July 7! So get ‘em entered, folks!

Cannabis: A Visual Perspective has two weeks to run at the CU Museum of natural History. Read this timely Westword interview with our lovely Susan Fisher. She’s talkin’ about you…

Gathering of the Guilds happened Sunday, April 29, at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain, and the weather was delightful. Your Editor took the opportunity to Walk on Dirt, having been town-bound for a while. It was fun, and Golden Moon Distillery has an interesting Whiskey Tea Punch well worth sampling.

Tagawa Gardens RMSBA Art Sale is on July 14 (vive la France). Get your stuff ready for this opportunity in conjunction with the Lavender Festival. Our space last year, right in front of the High Plains Iris Show & Sale, did enhance our sales with some of their traffic.

Taxonomy and Herbarium Website. Those of you who don’t read Science may be interested to visit Missouri Botanic Gardens’ website http://tropicos.org/Project/VPA. From the GNSI List-serve: “The Vascular Plants of the Americas (VPA) website contains the first integrated assessment of all known native species of vascular plants in the New World. It includes 124,993 species in 6,227 genera, and 355 families. The species number corresponds to 33% of the 383,671 vascular plant species known globally.”

The site includes interesting taxonomic updates… for example… florist’s chrysanthemum is no longer Dendrathema, but is back to Chrysanthemum morifolium. [The more things change… Ed.] Searching say, Images, takes a moment, but take a breath or a sip, and let the iMagic happen. Tools include a Glossary search and an Ethnobotany search – and A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin, for which you’ve all been waiting with bated breath.

You can also link to the NY Botanic Garden Virtual Herbarium and other sites (note colored icons next to the Genus and Species after you search). It is an ongoing project; the link for the .pdf of the original Science article is in the tiny print at the bottom of the home page.

Recovered from taxing ordeals? It’s Springtime in the Rockies

Gathering of the Guilds is coming up on Sunday, April 29, 2018, at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountains. Come up and join us!

‘Lost in the Woods’ is open for entries at OnlineJuriedShows. If you need guidance with the good wood, Irma Sturgell has help for you: ask for the Champion Trees files. Deadline for entry is May 15. The show opens at Valkarie Gallery in Lakewood, and installation is Monday, June 18; Opening Reception on Saturday, June 23. First Friday event on July 7! Artists will be enjoined to attend, to mingle and discuss… You can sell prints in conjunction with this exhibit.

Cannabis Exhibit. Through May 20, 2018, “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” remains on display at the University of Colorado Natural History Museum in Boulder, after which it will move to the Paquette Gallery at the SteamPlant museum in Salida. Participating artists offering prints or cards/postcards for sale at the Salida venue when the exhibit moves in June should package the inventory and deliver to Vanessa Martin before May 31, 2018.

Tagawa Gardens RMSBA Art Sale is on July 14 (vive la France). Get your stuff ready for this opportunity in conjunction with the Lavender Festival. Our space last year, right in front of the High Plains Iris Show & Sale, did enhance our sales with some of their traffic.

Truly Spring: Snow to Crocus; Easter Bunny Approaches at Warp Speed

ArtCozy project is finished, and had you attended the March meeting at Southglenn Library, you could have purchased one for only $25 ($30 for nonmembers)! Judy Vanderbosch and crew did an awesome job. RMSBA exhibit committee will keep 50 – our shows tend not to have more items - to use for transporting and storing exhibit entries.

We have product available in black or grey, and nice stuff it is, too: 32” x 22 ½”, double bottom and Velcro closure, very capacious and soft. They fold up well for storage. Ask Vanessa Martin or Judy about payment methods.

‘Lost in the Woods’ is open for entries at OnlineJuriedShows. If you need guidance with the good wood, Irma Sturgell has help for you: ask for the Champion Trees files. Deadline for entry is May 15. The show opens at Valkarie Gallery in Lakewood, and installation is Monday, June 18; Opening Reception on Saturday, June 23. First Friday event on July 7! Artists will be enjoined to attend, to mingle and discuss… You can sell prints in conjunction with the exhibit.

Subject: Artists Wanted - Summer Art Sale May 19, 2018

Deadline April 6, 2018

Questions-To: krystle.codrey@cityofthornton.net

Western Spirit Art Show & Sale continues through April 15 at Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum in Cheyenne, WY, should you be in the neighborhood.

Gathering of the Guilds is scheduled for April 29, 2018, at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountains. Put it on your calendars now. Irma Sturgell is collecting names of those who are interested in selling artwork, prints, cards, etc. here and also at …

Tagawa Gardens Lavender Festival. The RMSBA Art Sale is coming up on July 14 (that’s Bastille Day, history fans). Get your stuff ready for this one. Last year we were right in front of the High Plains Iris Show & Sale, and we did benefit from their traffic.

Drive a little, see a lot. RMSBA is arranging a Rambling Day Open House at the Buffalo Peaks Ranch south of Fairplay on July 28. Lunch will be served and the Rocky Mountain Land Library property will be open for participants to explore and sketch the numerous scenic features. More details to follow.

Art for the Sangres Show & Sale, for those of you planning farther ahead, will be September 28 & 29 at A Painted View Ranch, Westcliffe, CO. More information available soon here.

ASBA Worldwide International show – four RMSBA members were accepted into this show: Vanessa Martin, Connie Sayas, Dorothy DePaulo and Sharon Garrett.

ASBA 4^th Annual Online Auction March 26 through April 27. Visit via this link.

Open Studios for spring with Kristi Czajkowski on these Wednesdays:

    April 18    Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street, 11 am - 2 pm

    May 9       Denver Museum of Nature & Science (meet in lobby), 10 am – 2 pm

    June 13    Denver Zoo (meet outside entrance), 10 am – 2 pm