Happy Mothers’ Day

Shakespeare’s Bouquet in Boulder. Some of our members have pieces in the Denver Botanic Gardens – University of Colorado exhibit of plants from Shakespeare’s plays.

A copy of the First Folio from the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC will be on display in this 400^th anniversary year of the Bard’s death. The Artists Reception is at the Norlin Library on Saturday, May 14, 2 – 4 pm.

Open Studio Resumes Tuesday, May 10, 9 am – 1 pm, Valkarie Gallery, 445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood.

Gathering of the Guilds. We all had a great time on April 24 at Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain in Golden. Beautiful weather this year. We enticed a sale or two, reacquainted with friends in other guilds, swapped business cards, sampled the fragrant 

offerings of Golden Moon Distillery, and made a few select purchases from among the available wares from bath salts to wooden tables. Looking forward to next year!

April Members Meeting on April 23 was very interesting. James Holmes from the Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation informed us about the cultural and natural heritage of the CRC, and reminded us about public tours beginning at 11 am Tuesdays through Sundays. For various upcoming activities available at CCR, including monthly exhibits by local artists, plein air paint-outs, and birding projects, visit the CRC website. There also find access to sign-up for the Arts Afield sketching opportunities we have as Artists in Residence. Our Vanessa Martin and Jan Boyd Haring are on the Art Committee for CCR (lucky us!).

Lucky, too, because guest speaker Susan Panjabi from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program at Colorado State University advised us of additional illustration opportunities. A new list of rare plants next up on CNHP’s radar is available and we will post it around here. Artwork is always welcome in those identification guides. Susan advises us the check for field trip opportunities with the Colorado Native Plant Society at the CNPS website.

RARE II: Springtime in the Rockies. On Saturday, April 30, having observed weather and road conditions for two days, your intrepid Editor set forth to travel I25 south to Raton, New Mexico, for the RARE II Opening Reception at the Raton Museum, 108 S. 2^nd Ave. The highway was wet in Douglas County but clear and dry all the way to Raton – and back next day. 

Kathy McQueary and the Staff put on a lovely Artist Reception spread including four varieties of wine, fresh vegetables and sweets, and truly excellent meatballs. 

Your Editor gave a brief presentation about our process and techniques to the gathered wildflower followers and other guests. 

A Silent Auction offered bids on a number of lovely antiques and artifacts accompanying our artworks. Your Editor tried to respond coherently to questions from the local on-line paper that serves the area from Walsenburg, CO to Las Vegas, NM, but was unable to catch the journal’s title.

The second floor gallery space is a treat! Skylight passage for the first floor! 

Quite nice textile banners and portraits of the New Mexico wildflowers from the museum collection decorated the walls along with our 40 plant portraits, 5 posters, 2 maps, and our acknowledgements. The RARE II banner is in the street level front window. 

This is a very lovely hanging, and it would be a shame if only the one RMSBA member got to see it. Go down to Raton this month and see what a great job they did.

RMSBA Board. Consider serving on the RMSBA Executive Committee. Positions open for 2017-2018: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a couple other choice opportunities. Give it some serious thought: service to friends and fellow artists.

What was that cloud yesterday?

Reminder – Members meeting Saturday at Koelbel Library from 11-1 pm, April 23, 2016.  Besides membership updates, we have guest speaker Susan Panjabi from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to discuss additional illustration opportunities. Also, we have a guest speaker from Cherokee Ranch and Castle for discussion of upcoming events and a chance to ask questions.

Reminder -- Gathering of the Guilds. The event is Sunday, April 24, 10-4 pm at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain in Golden. Attendance is free; just tell them you are a participating member. This event is a lot of fun, and worth the drive on a lovely Sunday.

RARE II opens in Raton, New Mexico.

Pack your bags, artists! The Reception is April 30, 3 – 5 pm, 108 South Second Street, Raton, NM. The exhibit will show until May 28, 2016. You folks from south of Monument Pass do have a much shorter drive so go visit the neighbors. Among the local attractions is Climax Canyon Park, where there is an exposure of the Iridium layer marking the K-T boundary and demarcating the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Folsom, NM, homeplace of the Folsom Point (and its culture) and Sugarite State Park are off to the northeast, while Capulin National Volcanic Monument is a few miles east. 

A Little Catching Up

Executive Committee/Board meets Monday, April 11, 11 am – 2 pm, Hooked on Colfax.

Open Studio Tuesday, April 12, 9 am – 1 pm, Valkarie Gallery, 465 S Saulsbury, Lakewood.

We Love Publicity! A message from Teresa Burkert:

If you have not yet seen it, on page 5 of the April 2016 issue of Colorado Gardener (free at garden centers) there is a very nice paragraph about RARE II under the heading Exhibitions! I am not sure whom to thank or congratulate for getting this information in there so I am sending this for the Blog. Happy Spring!!

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.

Openings and Shows and Gatherings

We have a number of topics and upcoming events for you to watch for and participate in. Here is a brief summary of things to come.

Winterlude: Botanical Promises – New 2016 exhibit for RMSBA members only- Call for Entry will be coming soon!

Gathering of the Guilds. RMSBA has been invited again to this year’s annual Gathering of the Guilds. The event is Sunday, April 24th, 10-4 pm at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain in Golden. Attendance is free; just tell them you are a participating member. For those of who might be interested in selling your artwork or merchandise, please contact Vanessa Martin at martin.vanessa655@gmail.com.

April membership meeting reminder. Please note that the meeting is on Saturday, April 23rd from 11-1 pm at Koelbel Library in Centennial  The Agenda will include general  updates and an open discussion on the opportunities and events planned this year at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle. A guest speaker from Cherokee Ranch is planned. Members who have already gone and participated in Arts Afield will share their experience.

Arts Afield offering from the Prez. Vanessa Martin shares this lovely sketch from the aboriflora at the Cherokee Ranch, where RMSBA is the Artist-in-Residence. Sign up at the website, go sketch, send me a picture at narey46@hotmail.com, and I’ll post yours!

Distilled at Spark Gallery. RMSBA (and CPSA) member Susan Rubin explores the botanicals involved in intoxicants in a Mo’Print Denver-themed show combining Polaroid transfer monoprint techniques with her exquisite colored pencil renderings. It’s a beautiful exhibit and a lot of fun. Get yourself to 9^th and Santa Fe in Denver. Cheers!

Pressing Matters at ASLD reception. Mo’ about Mo’ Prints: Three RMSBA members are represented in this prestigious exhibit at the Art Students League of Denver, 2^nd and Sherman in Denver. They are our own Carol Till, Susan Fisher, and Vanessa Martin! Come see how they’re hung.

Carol herself did not send me a selfie...

Call for candidates to sit on the Executive Committee. If you are interested in becoming a board member, we seek candidates to fill 2017-2018 positions. You are invited to come to the board meeting on April 11th from 11-2 pm at Hooked on Colfax, and see the inner workings of our executive committee.  

It’s Still Winter, but Here Come Early Buds

Artists in Residence at Cherokee Ranch are noticing a few things during their visits. Here we see a bobcat and she sure looks preggers to me! More bobcats coming soon to CRC. Be sure to sign up for your turn at the CRC website.

Artistic Coincidence. On March 18 Tam O’Neill is hosting a reception at her gallery (Tam O’Neill Fine Arts, 311 Detroit, Denver) featuring original Karl Blossfeldt botanical photos. The March ASBA Journal just featured him in the inside back cover!

Mo’Prints in Denver. Three of our members RMSBA members (Carol Till, Susan Fisher, and Vanessa Martin) are showing at the Art Students League's Regional Pressing Matters exhibit, juried by the prestigious Master Printer, Bud Shark. Reception Saturday, March 12, at 5:30.

Carol is on the Mo'Print Committee and is very excited to see intersections between botanical art and printmaking

Leap Day Approaches

Reminder: Our first meeting of 2016 is February 28, 1 – 3 pm, at Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly St., Centennial, CO. For 2017, RMSBA is hosting a national juried art exhibit to examine the great variation in the Cannabis plant genus, and the initial presentations about this plant genus will accompany other business at the meeting.

Art Afield at Cherokee Ranch. RMSBA members have the unique opportunity of being the Artists in Residence for 2016 at Cherokee Ranch and Castle. As members you will be able to attend the Art Afield (Paint Outs) free; usual fee is $20/session. Members will be joining the Plein Air group and encouraged to illustrate the ranch flora. Each event will investigate a different location. All participants must register online at https:// cherokeeranch.org/arts/ for each session. Use promo code RMSBA to have the fee waived. YOU MUST BE A CURRENT RMSBA MEMBER TO ATTEND THESE SESSIONS FREE.  

The first session is March 2^nd; we are still in winter, so now you will see mostly scrub oak and pines. The Paint Outs will be held regardless of weather, so please bring appropriate clothes as well as lunch, beverage and art supplies.

We also have been invited to submit our illustrations of the Flora at the Ranch for an Art book the ranch will be creating. More details on this later but note that the deadline to submit images will be in September. Please consider the timing of completing your finished plates with this in mind.

Please contact Kirk Pfeffer if you have any questions at kirk.pfeffer@comcast.net.

Now the chocolate’s gone and the flowers have faded

February membership meeting. Our first meeting of 2016 is February 28, 1 – 3 pm, at Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly St., Centennial, CO. For 2017, RMSBA is hosting a national juried art exhibit to examine the great variation in the Cannabis plant genus, and the initial presentations about this plant genus will accompany other business at the meeting.

We expect to discuss access to plant materials and plan sketching excursions. Bring your ideas: help us all decide how botanical illustration can best provide to the public a seeing and learning experience based on facts, offering a comprehensive view of the controversial plant family (Cannabiceae).

Some members of the RMSBA Board participated in initial sketching sessions during January. We found the plants – even as greenhouse infants – to display several traits allowing varieties to be distinguished. Wide color and shape variations can be expected among varieties and strains.

Exhibit Plans. Our next exhibit – “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” -- will portray cannabis botanicals used in medicinal, recreational, or hemp industry applications. RMSBA takes no position on any state or federal policy, but does wish to establish a useful visual record and perspective on the plant. We encourage artists to seek out unique strains and depict whatever aspect of them they find most engaging, educational and inspiring. This exhibit is open to all botanical artists nationally and will be juried.

The Prospectus and the Open Call for Entry for “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective” is posted online at: https://www.onlinejuriedshows.com/Default.aspx?OJSID=7561. Check out the details.

RARE II Opened in Pueblo. Artists’ Reception was Friday, February 5, 4:30 – 7 pm, at the Sangre de Cristo Art Center, 210 N Santa Fe, Pueblo. We are in a terrific venue very close to I25 exit 98B, excellent parking. Our exhibit is interestingly hung, and guards the way to all the galleries, the elevator, the stair, and the restrooms. Traffic was somewhat impaired by the many careful readers of our descriptive labels. The Exhibit Notebook of Artists’ information got the attention of a number of visitors, even among those not in line for the refreshments. Herewith are some images of our opening.

Weird Winter Weather

RARE II in Pueblo. Our traveling show has moved! We'll have the Artists’ Reception Friday, February 5, 4:30 – 7 pm, at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, 210 N Santa Fe, Pueblo. Please come on down and see how the new venue shows off our exhibit. Meet a few friends and fans.

2016 Artists in Residence project at Cherokee Ranch and Castle, Sedalia, CO

This year the RMSBA is the featured Artist in Residence at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle, on spectacular Cherokee Ridge near Sedalia, Colorado. Beginning in March and continuing through autumn, members can participate in scheduled twice-monthly opportunities to hike the grounds, take reference photos, sketch, draw, and paint the interesting and beautiful plants. Each session will feature a special guide to take you to different areas of the Ranch, and a botanical map showing where particular plants of interest reside and what they look like.

In addition to access to the great outdoor scenery and foliage, we hope that the Castle itself may make available a small space for a learning studio to demonstrate useful techniques and discuss our experiences on the grounds. The Colorado Plein Aire artists come twice monthly to CR&C to paint the incredible scenery, so RMSBA members will be able to interact with those landscape artists during the joint visits.

In December, this three-season exploration of the large and small in the Cherokee Ridge landscape culminates in a grand art show at the Castle for the holidays. The exhibit will display all Cherokee Ranch artists’ works done in 2016, including plein aire, photographic, and botanical art contributions.

This opportunity is free to RMSBA members. As the ground thaws, you will be able to use the Cherokee Ranch and Castle website to sign-up for each particular session… details coming. We anticipate a wonderful experience for all who join in.

A schedule of all sessions for the year will soon be available. Here are the first few sessions to add to your calendar: March 2, 16, 30; April 13, 27; all sessions are 9 am - 4 pm.

For any questions, please contact Kirk Pfeffer at kirk.pfeffer@comcast.net.

Stock Show Opens

Deadline Looms! Renew your membership by January 16, 2016! Don’t forget to add the $10 for RMSBA, and to check the box for our Chapter. At the end of this month, members who haven’t renewed will lose access to gallery pages or teacher listings displayed online, and access to the ASBA journal online, until dues are paid. Don’t risk not getting the Journal in the mail.

Use this handy Link to get yourself renewed: 

RENEW YOUR ASBA MEMBERSHIP 

or you can click on "Join/Renew Now" under "Membership" at www.asba-art.org.

Artists in August at LOWRY! Revised Artist Sign-up

RMSBA encourages members to participate in local artistic events, of course, so check out this announcement for a show this summer, information made available by Mary Clark. The Lowry Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to enhancing the public spaces through programs of artistic, cultural, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value.

       August 27, 2016 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

       Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum

       7711 East Academy Blvd, Denver, CO 80230

Some RMSBA members might want to show/sell art here. It may seem like a long way off, but interested folks should apply to reserve a spot. All artists 18 years and older are welcome to apply, especially artists with any connection to the Lowry community, whether residing or working within the boundaries of Lowry or any former service personnel who served at Lowry to apply.

Details available here on the Blog under Exhibits.

Happy New Year

Open Studio for January 12 is postponed to Thursday, January 14, due to availability. Please come if you can rework your schedules.

RMSBA Board of Directors meets Monday, January 11, at Hooked on Colfax, 11 - 2. Don't forget to come...

From the Feb./Mar./2016 Professional Artist Magazine: An ad for an easy-to-use container for your art. After packing up the exhibit at ACAD to get it to Cherokee Ranch this looks like a really great solution. Check your pricing options at the website.

The Last Day of Advent

Out with the Purple, in with the Yellow and Green and Red!

Good Solstice to You

Don’t forget the Holiday Party. Sunday, December 27, 1-4 pm. Hosted by Wendy Peterson, 58 Golden Eagle Rd, Greenwood Village, CO. Bring a light snack to share. Bring artwork to show, too.

Board/Executive Committee Meeting January 11, 11-2, Hooked on Colfax, 3213 E Colfax Av, Denver.

Flora of the National Parks   Exhibit Dates: February 18 - October 2, 2016

United States Botanical Gardens Conservatory West Gallery

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, this exhibit showcases plant species and communities of the more than 400 national parks. From giant redwoods and aspen forests to imperiled ornamental shrubs and water lilies, the parks represent the diversity of North American flora. Both illustrations and photographs guide your tour of the beauty and importance of the American flora. This exhibit used digital images to make prints for the exhibit and does not incorporate original artwork.

Vanessa Martin, Susan Rubin, and Connie Sayas are representing RMSBA in this national show. If other members are in the exhibit, send me the images to post here, subject line “Please post NBG show image.”

Susan Rubin Rosa woodsii   

Vanessa Martin Astragalus humillimus 

Connie Sayas Calochortus gunnisonii

Their exquisite pieces make your editor regret not submitting Phoradendron flavescens “American mistletoe” and Arbutus texana “Texas madrone” from the Guadalupe Mountains NP, even though they were tiny miniatures. Those drawings provided fodder for two years’ holiday cards, anyway.

Our real National Bird

May your day be pleasant and your companions genial.

ASBA dues are being accepted now at the on-line renewal opportunity, or you can download a .pdf of the form and mail it in. Don’t forget to check the box (and add the $10) for your RMSBA Chapter affiliation!

Cherokee Castle and Ranch provided a lovely Opening and venue for the Wicked exhibit, which will run through the end of the month. About 110 people attended and the weather was cooperative, so we had a grand time.

Board meeting rescheduled for December 8. If you have matters you want the board to consider, please contact a board member. No meeting on November 29 for the general membership.

Holiday Party coming up on December 27 – clear your calendar!

ASBA’s call for entries for Out of the Woods is online at the ASBA website. Entries are due in 2017, so there’s time to plan, to observe (and maybe even to travel!), and produce magnificence. Here’s a link for some totally outrageous images of unexpected trees.

Desole'

13 novembre 2015

Snow on the Way

Wicked Saga! continues

Wicked exhibit viewing, October 24, was very well attended (more than 100 visitors!) and we made some sales!

The Closing (October 31) was loads of fun. Some famous artists attended: Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Rosslinn (Bob-Ross-in-Transition) came, along with a few more familiar local artists.

Now we open at Cherokee Ranch & Castle on November 15, Artists Reception 2-5. Alas, Briony Morrow-Cribbs will be unable to join us.. Please pre-register by close of business on Wednesday, November 11 (which is Veterans Day – your Editor gets taken to Tea).

No general meeting in November. Remember the Holiday party in December – details forthcoming.

October meeting on at the Eloise May library - 1471 S. Parker Road, Denver 80231. Well attended and informative. Input requested from members for Board Meeting on November 17. Send your comments and proposals to a Board Member for inclusion and consideration.

Membership renewal reminder: ASBA will begin accepting 2016 membership dues in mid-November. We strongly encourage you to renew your membership no later than January 31st to ensure uninterrupted member benefits including your spring issue of the journal. A reminder letter will be arriving along with the Annual Appeal. You may renew online or by check.