The Better New Year

New logo. RMSBA’s new logo appears at the top of the Blog.

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 neglect indicating your membership also in RMSBA, the first ASBA Chapter.

Call for Entries. As promised, here is the announcement of the upcoming member show “Feathers and Flora: A Natural Relationship.” The Prospectus is available for download at OnlineJuriedShows.com. We recommend a YouTube journey with John Muir Laws’ “How to Draw Birds” offering, recently revised according to the New Birds Drawing Systems. Check it out!

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” now departs the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder. “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.

ASBA’s Silver Anniversary. The Mother Ship encourages us to participate in the events over the next year observing this anniversary with distributed activities. They of course solicit entries for their show in New York. We here at RMSBA are organizing a workshop in silverpoint as a medium on April 27. More information forthcoming shortly.

Executive Board met January 13 to plan the upcoming year’s activities. March 31 we gather (11 – 2) at the BioLounge at the CU Museum of Natural History in Boulder for some sketching. June 23, Dorothy De Paulo will present a workshop/class on colored pencil rendering of birds on Mylar drafting film. September 29, Judy Vanderbosch will guide us through the process of making our own spiral-bound sketchbooks, using the papers near and dear to our hearts.

Speaking of paper: On January 15 from noon to 1 pm, the Strathmore paper company brought their merch to Gates Hall at Denver Botanic Gardens. Not only did we score some sample papers, we got a random selection of General’s drawing media and a few other items, so we could try all of them out on the sample sheets. Fun!