Selby Gardens is featured weekly on ABC7 News at Noon. Tune in Thursdays to see more informative segments like this one.
At Selby Gardens, we appreciate plants on a variety of different planes – from admiring, growing and caring for them, to the careful consideration of plants with an artist’s eye. Through the Gardens’ Academy of Botanical Art, students enjoy ongoing classes in drawing and painting that examine the technical aspects of creating nature-inspired artwork that is both technical and beautiful, as instructor and Academy founder Olivia Braida tells us.
Botanical illustrations were important historically because they could fill in for a live or pressed example of a plant that needed to be identified for science. Illustrations were frequently seen in seed catalogues and popular works of natural history. Even with the introduction of photography, illustrations still were favored because of their detail and ability to capture color when black and white exposures were only available.
With creating an illustration, you’re not just sketching a pretty picture. We often use microscopes to view every detail of a plant. With drawing an orchid, for example, we examine the details of the flower bud, petals, the reverse side of leaves, even the root system. We also note the actual size of a plant, using a scale when necessary.
As you can see, botanical art continues to be important today, from both the researcher and artist’s viewpoint. For a full schedule of botanical illustration courses, including new offerings in orchid illustration and plant portraits, visit www.s33944.p20.sites.pressdns.com. Thanks for joining us – we look forward to seeing you in the Gardens!