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.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Do you recognize Saint Patrick’s Day? What do you recognize the next day?


Artists’ Reception for Lost in the Woods at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Education Center in Vail, Colorado, is set for Monday, March 2, 2020, 12 – 2 pm. Please join us if you can.

Cannabis & Medicinal Herbs. We happily announce an upcoming no-fee show-and-sale exhibit! This serendipitous opportunity goes up in the venue on April 2. Maybe you have an existing piece that fits with the theme, or you have a little time to create something new.

La Cour French Bistro and Jazz Bar (AKA Denver’s Art Bar at 1643 South Broadway) will display the pictures from our Cannabis show that recently closed in Durango during April 2020. Some pieces are no longer with the exhibit, and the Bistro is quite large, so we seek other artworks focusing on medicinal plants to fill out the show.

We ask for artworks created in traditional botanical media and conforming to standard botanical art criteria. They must fit into the theme by portraying cannabis or any other medicinal herb. You may create a new piece befitting the theme, or submit an existing work. No size or framing restrictions are imposed. You can offer small prints and cards for sale.

Eligibility: Members of the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists.

Fees: There is no fee for this exhibit.

Entering Your Images: Please send a .jpg (low res. ok) to Sharon Garrett or Dorothy DePaulo so that they might determine if your image fits with the theme and into the space available.

Sales: Sales are encouraged; it will be a cash and carry exhibit. Artist receive 76% of the sale price; 19% goes to La Cour and 5% to a selected charity [501(c)3 RMSBA].

Calendar:
 1. Exhibit dates: April 2 to April 30, 2020.
 2. Instructions for delivery will follow upon acceptance.
 3. Install: April 2.
 4. Opening reception April 3. Members wishing to attend the reception must make reservations with La Cour online, or call (303) 777-5000.

Presentation of Artwork: Frames are expected to be good quality and befitting a gallery setting. Selected entries must be:
• Framed and ready to hang.
• NO sawtooth or projecting eye screw hangers. Use D-rings and picture wire.

Label the back of your artwork with your name, address, phone number, email, title of artwork, sales status and price. Titles must include the Latin name of the plant portrayed. 
Accepted entries not conforming to these constraints may be refused at the time of hanging.

All artwork will be transported in RMSBA Fleece Art Sacks. Other packing material will not be stored by the RMSBA.

New Show at Spark! Gallery. Phillip Potter is a local artist whose work has botanical elements and themes and who is among the aspiring artists participating in our From Platte to Peak opportunity. Try him out while you’re down the Santa Fe Art District.

Upcoming Lecture from the Tesoro Cultural Center: This in from Heidi Snyder:

"The Great American Desert: Major Stephen Long's Colorado Expedition of 1820"

Saturday, April 25, 4 pm Buck Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave, Littleton

Sunday, April 26, 2 pm, Denver Public Library, 10 W. 14th Av. Pkwy, 5th floor, Denver
(limit 60, no registration)

Sunday, April 26, 6 pm, The Fort, 19192 CO-8, Morrison

Using images of original paintings, sketches, and maps, John Steinle will discuss the Stephen Long expedition of 1820 on its route through Colorado and other parts of the west. He will illustrate the many "firsts" that this expedition accomplished, and why the West was labelled the "Great American Desert" in the expedition's aftermath.

Call the Tesoro Cultural Center at 303-347-5999.

Limber Pine Herbarium Sheet
RMSBA Exhibit. “From Platte to Peak” calls on us to illustrate plants collected by Dr. Edwin James during the first actual scientific expedition to the western High Plains, led by Major Stephen H. Long, during the summer of 1820. Many plants are familiar and widely dispersed, and you may have some depictions of them in your own existing portfolio that fit the size limits. The Call for Entry is at Online Juried Shows, open now and closing August 15, 2020. Martha Narey is the contact for the James Plant List and supporting materials.

Alpine Clover

Alpine Thistle



We want your artwork!