Winter Holiday Whirlwind Approaching

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“Wild, Wild, West” is on display at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. Boulder’s CU Museum of Natural History will host the show from mid-April to late June 2023, when Blue Sage Gallery in Paonia takes over display responsibilities; a reception is set for June 30. In July, the show moves to the Lakewood Community Arts Center on West Colfax.

Member meeting minutes from October 16 can be viewed here.

“Abundant Future: Cultivating Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field” is the ASBA traveling exhibit now showing at DBG. Also on view are “Seeing Red: Botanical Art and Illustration” and “Sammy Seung-min Lee: Taking Root.” These shows are definitely worth a visit, and bring us some of the finest botanical art in concept and technique that you will find. Go see and observe.

Member Gallery entries at ASBA and once-linked to this Blog have been restructured on the new ASBA website. You must resubmit any Gallery entries and they will be updated here as well.

Put Everything to Bed – It’s Already Late

 

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The Holiday at Hand. My understanding is that 10/31 is Hallowe’en, or All Hallows Eve, both in the northern and the southern hemispheres, and coincides with the Wiccan observance of Samhain (northern autumn) and Beltane (southern spring). All Hallows’ Day or All Saints Day is 11/1. All Souls Day or Dia de los muertos, is 11/2. Whether you are feeding tooth decay and fat shaming at your front door with chocolate bars, praying to the Saints in heaven, or pulling down your own ancestor, have a lovely week.

“Wild, Wild, West” has opened at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. The hanging involved 32 accepted works, most from Colorado but several from other states and regions. The Jurors were Margaret Saylor (ASBA –NY) and Deb Shaw (ASBA – CA). Boulder’s CU Museum of Natural History will host the show from mid-April to late June 2023, when Blue Sage Gallery in Paonia takes over display responsibilities in June; reception set for June 30. 

Member meeting in person at Denver Botanic Gardens on October 16. Artists submitted their pieces and described for the group their plants and their significance, and how they presented them. We need volunteers for Membership Chair, Exhibits Co-Chairs, and Programs Chair. Give a thought towards helping out for a couple years.

Member shows. Mary Crabtree informs us that she had a piece accepted into the ASBA 25th International Exhibition at Wave Hill, NY. The title is “Hot Cakes", the species/variety is ‘Matthiola incana’ Hot Cakes, and the execution is in Watercolor on vellum.

Let us know when you are on exhibit somewhere and when and we’ll post it right here for all to see.

“Abundant Future: Cultivating Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field” is the ASBA traveling exhibit now showing at DBG. Also on view are “Seeing Red: Botanical Art and Illustration” and “Sammy Seung-min Lee: Taking Root.” These shows are definitely worth your time for a visit, and bring us some of the finest botanical art in concept and technique that you are going to find. Go see and observe.

Summer heat lingers as the asters bloom and leaf-peepers appear

 

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“Wild, Wild, West” has filled the Call for Entries at Online Juried Shows and we await the results from the jurors. This exhibit opens in late October 2022 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, and will move to Blue Sage Gallery in Paonia in June 2023. 

Member meeting in person at Denver Botanic Gardens on October 16, 1 - 3 pm. This meeting also collects the artists’ submissions for Wild, Wild, West. Members can drop off their pieces at the end of the meeting. We will gather in Classroom 1 of the F-N Education Center. Please feel free to bring anything you may be working on to the meeting. We do so like to see one another’s work.

Member shows. Susan Rubin, Phillip Potter, and Susan DiMarchi abstract through a botanical lens, featuring drawings in colored pencil and mixed media.

Spark Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Bl, Denver, October 27 – November 20

Opening Receptions: Friday, October 28, 5-9 pm

  Saturday, October 29, noon-5pm

 Rubin’s ‘Perspective’ considers the pandemic’s effects on the way we see things, offering descriptive juxtaposition of size and perspective to describe our shifting viewpoint.  

‘Community’, colored pencil and pastel, 24X24”, © 2022 Susan Rubin 

Potter’s ‘Ineffable’ suggests life experiences are shaded by mundane and corporeal actuality, while reality is our perception and how we process the experience.

'Transitory Formation of Mental Objects’, colored pencil and gouache, 16 X16”, © 2022 Phillip Potter

 

DiMarchi’s ‘Shelf Life’, reminds us that everything has an expiration date. Nothing lasts forever, except the plastic milk jug.

“Incoming Beetle, 16X16”, Colored Pencil, © 2022 Susan DiMarchi

“Abundant Future: Cultivating Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field” is the ASBA traveling exhibit coming this month to DBG. October 7 Opening is “sold out.” Hope some of you signed up on-line before the limit was reached. Also opening are “Seeing Red: Botanical Art and Illustration” and “Sammy Seung-min Lee: Taking Root.”

Yesterday was the Day: 38 entries in for “Wild, Wild, West”

 Happy Independence Day, Neighbors!

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Instructors Wanted. The North Carolina Botanical Garden has instructor openings for their Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program, specifically for their colored pencil and watercolor courses beginning in 2023. Proposals will be due at 5:00 p.m. on Friday September 30, and they anticipate a decision by the end of November.

For copies of the .pdfs of the position specifications, contact Dorothy DePaulo.

Japanese Beetles in Bear Creek Riparian Ecosystem

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The “Wild, Wild, West” Call for Entries at Online Juried Shows is open through September 15, 2022. All botanical artists may depict wild plants, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, and fungi that grow anywhere in the Western United States. This exhibit opens in October 2022 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, and will move to Blue Sage Gallery in Paonia in June. 

RMSBA Exhibits Committee met to distribute tasks. Committee members are Sharon Garrett, Dorothy DePaulo, Susan Fisher, Vanessa Martin, Laura Farnsworth, Mary Crabtree, Sara Handy and Martha Narey. Watch this space for announcements. 

ASBA Conference Registration. Registration for “ASBA Online in October” will run September 1 - October 10. Registration Fee (non-refundable): $35 Livestreamed Programming: $75 Botanical Art Instruction Blocks: $75 each The All-Inclusive Fee is your best option: $295 (save $40!) includes access to all recorded content. To register starting at noon EDT on September 1 click here. 

Bonus Opportunity for Online Track All-Inclusive Registrants! Members registering for the full “all-inclusive” online plan are eligible to submit one entry to the non-juried virtual Small Works exhibition. Artworks will be included in the Opening Night Small Works Premiere to be posted on ASBA’s YouTube channel. Virtual artworks are eligible for the Jean Emmons’ “People’s Choice Award,” voted on by all conference attendees. Entries accepted online from September 1 through September 15. To access the Call for Entries and enter online click here. 

Reference on YouTube. The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Educational Department talk “The Disappearing Alpine” about high elevation plants and how climate change affects these fragile plants is posted to YouTube at this link. Artists should have two growing seasons to examine the Alpine & Subalpine ecosystems for the upcoming exhibit at BFAG in 2023. 

Berthoud Pass

Mt Evans

Pass Lake

Midsummer Mountain Madness – Rapture of the Heights & Flowers

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Alpine Field Trip Canceled! On July 21 the BFAG Education staff were ill and could not lead us, so four of us took off to Loveland Pass anyway. We hiked along the steep portion of the Continental Divide Trail and thought we were really seeing something, but saw no sign of a lake. Turns out we were in the wrong spot… but less than half a mile from true delight. So go now! Here’s the marked-up GoogleEarth map segment:

XX is where we went the other day; X is the parking area entry roadway (mind the potholes...). A & B are very full alpine meadows, C is east facing slope with a snowfield above, D is the route around the lake, which you can take if you're familiar with anglers' footpaths. It is an amazing collection of wet meadow/dry meadow/fell field wildflowers and will blow your socks right off.

 

Useful Information on YouTube. The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Educational Department talk “The Disappearing Alpine” about high elevation plants and how climate change affects these fragile plants is posted to YouTube at this link. Artists should have two growing seasons to examine the Alpine & Subalpine ecosystems for the upcoming exhibit at BFAG in 2023.

ASBA Conference Registration. Any member may register during Open Registration July 31 - August 31. Registration for “ASBA Live in New York” will run September 1 - October 10.

Ocotillo - Fouquiera splendens

The “Wild, Wild, West” Call for Entries at Online Juried Shows is open through September 15, 2022. All botanical artists may depict wild plants, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, and fungi that grow anywhere in the Western United States. This exhibit opens in October 2022 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. 

Reminder. First Friday Art Walks in RINO, on Santa Fe, WestFax, and other art districts are in Full Swing for summer! Go buy someone else’s art.

 

Solstice, Spring Blooms, and the Stanley Cup

 

Lord Stanley's (baseless) Cup

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ZOOM meeting on YouTube. The May 20 Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Educational Department talk “The Disappearing Alpine” about high elevation plants and how climate change is affecting these fragile plants is posted to YouTube at this link. Artists should have two growing seasons to examine the Alpine & Subalpine ecosystems for the upcoming exhibit at BFAG in 2023.

The “Wild, Wild, West” Call for Entries at Online Juried Shows is open through September 15, 2022. All botanical artists may depict wild plants, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, and fungi that grow anywhere in the Western United States. This exhibit opens in October 2022 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. 

Alpine Field Trip! Save the date: July 21, 2022. BFAG Education are offering us a private guided tour of the wildflowers at Pass Lake at the PEAK of the blooming season. Please RSVP to Dorothy DePaulo’s June 16 email call for participants.

Alpine Paintbrush

Drylands Art. Dorothy DePaulo’s July show opens July 1. Stop by.

Reminder. First Friday Art Walks in RINO, on Santa Fe, WestFax, and other art districts are in Full Swing for summer! Enjoy one close to you.

ASBA Conference Registration. Any member without an appointment may still register during Open Registration July 31 - August 31. Registration for “Online in October” will run September 1 - October 10.

Springtime in the Rockies! Get Your Snowshovel…

 

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ZOOM meeting at 3 pm TODAY. The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Educational department will talk to us about alpine plants and how climate change is affecting these fragile plants. Artists should have two growing seasons to examine the Alpine & Subalpine ecosystems for the exhibit at BFAG in 2023. Use this link to participate in Zoom Meeting by 2:50 at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83096943350. I hope you can join us!

May 1st meeting YouTube link. If you were unable to attend the member meeting on May 1 at Denver Botanic Gardens, you can see the proceedings at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx0Js2z2gUk.

Workshop Opportunity.

The "Wild, Wild, West” Call for Entries soon to appear at Online Juried Shows will be open through September 15, 2022. All botanical artists may depict wild plants, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, and fungi that grow anywhere in the Western United States. This exhibit opens in October 2022 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail.  

“Rocky Mountain High! Alpine and Subalpine Plants of the Rocky Mountains” Call for Entries, soon to appear at Online Juried Shows will be open through September 15, 2023. All botanical artists shall depict native plants that grow in the alpine life zone (~11,000 – >14,000 ft/3,000 - 4,270 m) and the subalpine life zone (<9,000 - ~11,000 ft/2,700 - 3,000 m). In New Mexico, treeline begins a little higher, and in Wyoming a little lower, on the mountain. This exhibit opens in October 2023 at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail.  

Field Trip! Save the date: July 21, 2022. BFAG Education are offering us a private guided tour of the wildflowers at Pass Lake at the PEAK of the blooming season. More details as they become available.

2014 Alpine Visit

May Day Bouquet

 

Fishers Peak State Park

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Member Meeting Reminder. We meet on Sunday, May 1 at Denver Botanic Gardens, F-N Center, Classroom 1, 1-3 pm and participants in From Platte to Peak may pick up their artworks then as well. Announcements about upcoming exhibits and opportunities are on the agenda. Check back for more details about what we find out!

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Education Center

 

High Winds, Smoke, DUST, Blanket the High Plains

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Show Closing. From Platte to Peak closed on April 10 at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, where it had a very nice run. Thank you to all the artists who explored the  1820 western high plains along with Edwin James and Stephen Long. 

Spearleaf Stonecrop, Jan Boyd-Haring

Gathering of the Guilds. It’s that time again! Join Judy Vanderbosch in Golden.

Board Meeting. ZOOM meeting on April 28. Check your email for the link. If you have any issue or item of interest, please contact a Board Member to add an agenda item, or contact Mary Barnes to get the link.

Member Meeting. We will meet on May 1 at Denver Botanic Gardens, F-N Center, Classroom 1, 1-3 pm and participants in From Platte to Peak may pick up their artworks then as well.

National Park Poster Artist. Charley Harper was an illustrator with a very interesting take on minimalism and the natural environment, and shared this vision in a series of posters for the National Park Service during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his work can be seen (and acquired) at this site, and National Parks magazine recently ran an article about him. Very quirky, actually.

Fools, Taxes, Spring Buds

 

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Member Notes. Three RMSBA members (featured in a recent Denver Post article) are showing now! Susan Fisher, Vanessa Martin and Carol Till are exhibiting in Niza Knoll Gallery at 915 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO, from April 25 to May 8, 2022. “Impressions of Nature” features handmade prints of botanical subjects. They are joined by Theresa Haberkorn, a relief printmaker and educator from Boulder, Colorado. Gallery hours Thursday - Sunday: 1-4 PM, First Friday 1-8. www.nizaknollgallery.com

 

They’re Baaaack! Mother-daughter authors Eckstut & Eckstut bring us What Is Color? to examine various aspects of perceived color and its properties. An interesting presentation.

 

Board Meeting. The RMSBA Board of Directors will ZOOM-meet on April 5, 2022. Please bring any items of interest or planning to the attention of any of your Board members and we will add it to the agenda.

Arts & Crafts.  Save April 29 and 30 for this opportunity: