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Dear Friends:
What a wonderful trip to “horse country.” Lexington, Kentucky is a beautiful town and my new friends and students at the Arboretum/Kentucky University made my visit all the more enjoyable.
Roaming about the Kentucky countryside and visiting the beautiful gardens and horse ranches reminded me of my early years on horseback. I was getting quite good at riding in those young days, then stopped and didn’t ride again until while living in St. Croix my roommate bought a horse. So, says I, “I’ll just saddle up the horse and go for a trot.” Sorry to say the horse had other ideas and just like an old time Laurel and Hardy movie “Ollie” threw one leg over the fidgety horse with such “savoir faire” that I landed not on the horse but on the other side of the ground!
Working with my delightful new students and spending a week amidst the garden flowers, I had the pleasure of feeling the presence of my favorite aunt, Nancy Rapier Cirillo. Nancy was born in Kentucky and eventually married Frank Cirillo, an Italian violinist from New York where they opened the Cirillo School of Music. That’s how my side of the family got involved! They were like surrogate parents to me and I love them both dearly. Nancy was a pianist, an artist, a culinary chef who loved desserts. She passed at 100 years of age last September and I just know she spent that week with us drawing flowers again on porcelain.
And there was more magic….just before leaving for Kentucky our
Academy botanist, John Beckner, submitted to me information about two very famous Kentucky botanists he thought students would like to know about. Upon entering the Arboretum, we discovered the most wonderful exhibit of six famous Kentucky botanists and artists, two of whom were John’s favorite picks. The irascible Rafinesque and the productive Sadie Price.
Rafinesque was the first professor of natural history west of the Allegheny Mountains, teaching at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. His years at Transylvania, 1819-26, though troubled were among his most productive publishing scientific names, both locally and in Europe, for plants and animals. He became interested also in prehistoric Indian sites—identifying 148 of them in Kentucky alone. John Beckner writes, “the tragicomedic life of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) is extraordinary. He published perhaps 950 papers, books, notes, on Botany worldwide. He also wrote about animals, philosophy, banking, the Bible, poetry, etc. He wrote of natural hybrid orchids and plant evolution long before Darwin. He insulted, shocked, enraged, outraged everyone. In the 1930’s Donald Peattig noted that the Encyclopedia Britannica did not include his name. It does now. Rafinesque described many new genera and species and plants, and a significant number had
to be accepted by the kicking and screaming botanists! The literature about Rafinesque is enormous. It takes over five pages of very fine print to list it in one standard reference. It is not surprising that many think of him as a botanical counterpoint to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He has also been compared to Roger Bacon, Paracelsus, Alexander von Humboldt, Darwin, Linnaeus. Peattig said, ‘of all the naturalists who have ever worked on the American continent, Rafinesque is the only one who might clearly be called a Titan.’”
Sarah Frances "Sadie" Price (1849-1903) was born in Indiana. The family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky while Sadie was an infant. Price spent much of her life as a semi-invalid. John Beckner elaborates, “Sadie, orphaned after the war, made her living by teaching, botanizing, and painting often from her bed. Considered an excellent teacher, she led field trips, fully dressed in respectable skirts. She corresponded with far away experts at universities, wrote 40 plus papers, collected specimens, catalogued, illustrated and painted Kentucky dried specimens, living plants, birds, bird’s eggs, insects in life stages, freshwater fish and shells, and even clouds and stars. An exhibit of watercolor sketches of Warren County's native plants and birds took first place in its class at Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The principal collection of Price's work, numbering over 965 pieces, resides at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.”
Other greats of the area….
Andre Michaux (1746-1802), considered the “most indefatigable explorer this country has ever known,” is responsible for publishing the first book on the Flora of North America, North American Oaks, and making countless other discoveries.
Francois Andre Michaux (1770-1855) son of Andre Michaux, arrived in Kentucky in 1802 to conduct studies of forestry and agriculture. His “writings offer a glimpse of the natural environment of the state two centuries ago.” Michaux’s in his account of Kentucky’s natural environment gave “vivid descriptions of the wide expanses of forest, the huge trees, and the great natural beauty of the region” as is still evidenced today.( Plant Life of Kentucky, Jones. Pg 74)
William Clark (1770 –1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he also grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky. Along with Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), Clark led the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1805 across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean.
Charles Wilkins Short, (1794-1863) graduated in 1810 from Transylvania University, and in 1815 from University of Pennsylvania medical school. He practiced medicine in frontier Kentucky where he was born and raised but devoted his leisure time to Botany. At his death his vast herbarium was bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution and then it passed to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Read more about Plant Life of Kentucky: An Illustrated Guide to the Vascular Flora
by Ronald L. Jones
And
For those of you who visit or live in Kentucky, you may want to check out the Kentucky Society of Natural History a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1943 to promote the study of nature and the natural sciences.
Well, it was a story of gardens, horses, adventure, hard work, falling down, getting up, moving on and just desserts. “No whimps!” I called out to the students. The only way to break into a gallop is to “spur” yourself onward. And so they did, we did. Thank you everyone for a great week! And to anyone who has put down their pencil or paint brush, it’s time to get back on the horse. God bless. OM
The All New OM ART Book Store
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Today's Botanical Artists
By Cora Marcus and Libby Kyer
Travels to the Westward of the Alleghany Mountains, in the States of Ohio, Kentucky, and the Tennessee.
(Leather Bound 1805)
by Francois Andre Michaux
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque:
A Voice in the American Wilderness
by Leonard Warren
Early Western Travels, 1748-1846: Volume III,
Andre Michaux’s Travels into Kentucky 1793-96.
Francois Andre Michaux’s Travels West of Alleghany
Mountains, 1802. Thaddeus Mason Harris’s
Journal of a Tour Northwest of
Alleghany Mountains, 1803 (CD-ROM)
by Reuben Gold Thwaites
EARLY WESTERN TRAVELS 1748-1846, Volume 3:
Andre Michaux's Travels into Kentucky,1793-96;
Francois Andre Michaux's Travels West of
Alleghany Mountains, 1802; Thaddeus Mason
Harris's Journal of a Tour Northwest of
Alleghany Mountains, 1803. Hardcover
by R.G. (Ed.) Thwaites
Plant Life of Kentucky:
An Illustrated Guide to the Vascular Flora
(Hardcover)
by Ronald L. Jones
Flora of Warren County, Kentucky
by Sadie F Price
Charles Wilkins Short, 1794-1863, botanist and physician
by P. Albert Davies
Biographical Sketch of Charles Wilkins Short, M.D:
Formerly Professor of Materia Medica and Medical Botany in the University of Louisville, Kentucky
by Samuel D Gross
Academy of Botanical Art
Distance Learning
Now Available for Anyone
Interested in Endangered Species,
Bromeliads or Palms
Endangered Species for Botanical Artists
This wonderful course is available to anyone interested in the study of endangered species.
Academy Students earn elective credits for taking this course and completing the enclosed exam. A wealth of information that all will find extremely interesting.
Academy Electives: 15
by John Beckner, Botanist
$95.00
Bromeliads for Botanical Artists
The structure of bromeliad plants and their flowers
with suggestions for ways to illustrate and
better understand these exciting plants.
by John Beckner, Botanist
$49.95
Palms for the Botanical Artist
This publication is just the tip of an iceberg.
Palms are plants inclined to large dimensions.
They are very numerous and more varied than you first imagine. This text is for the person interested in illustrating them in various ways;
artistic or scientific and as a motif for crafts. But nearly all of it will be useful to plant lovers, tropical nature fans, gardeners and other people.
by John Beckner, Botanist
$49.95
Click here to learn more about the
Academy and its instructors
ABA Instruction & Course Paks
The Academy of Botanical Art’s flexible program allows for distance learners to tailor a schedule of botanical art training to their needs that includes phone tutored lessons, classes with the Ringling College of Art and Design, the Marie Selby Botanical Garden, and Academy workshops now offered in several locations. Distance learners take advantage of classes offered in their hometown as part of their study program. There is hardly an excuse left not to join the Academy's growing school.
Book Volumes 1-8 = $38.00 each
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Art Classes & Workshops
You can now combine
Distance Learning with Class Time
at any of our locations!!!
Private Classes with O.M.Braida
Studio 20
Time:
All Private Studio Classes
are from 9:30am to 2:30pm
Location:
2068 Sunnyside Lane, Sarasota, FL, 34239.
Just off 41 in the Southgate area two blocks north of Webber and the Mall.
Studio 20 Class Dates:
Thursdays, 9:30am to 2:30pm
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
November 6, 13, 20
December 4, 11, 18
February 5, 12, 19, 26
March 5, 12, 19, 26
April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
May 7, 14, 21, 28
Tuition:
4 classes/20 hours: $450
Individual class: $125
Refreshments provided, but you may want to bring your own lunch.
Credit Cards Accepted!
Register Here
Or contact olivia@omartdesigns.com
Or Call 941-953-9999 for more information
New York City Workshops
with O.M. Braida
Location:
New Studio for the Art of Painted Finishes
15 East 77th Street (Between 5th & Madison)
Ground Floor - Garden Level Studio
Time:
10:00am to 4:00pm
Dates:
Oct 27, 28, 29
Oct 31, Nov 1, 2
Tuition: One Three-Day Workshop........................ $425.00
Six-Day Intensive (October/November) $800.00
Credit Cards Accepted!
Register Here
Or contact olivia@omartdesigns.com
Or Call 941-953-9999 for more information
Academy of Botanical Art @
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
To Register, visit www.selby.org
Or Call Marilynn Shelley 941-366-5731 x 239
2008 Academy @ Selby Schedule
Botanical Drawing & Watercolor – Noon to 5pm
Sept. 22, 23, 24 w/ TBA
Oct. 20, 21, 22 w/ Olivia Braida
Nov. 10, 11, 12 w/ Olivia Braida
Dec. 8, 9, 10 w/ Olivia Braida
Jan.19, 20, 21 w/ Susan Hubbard
Feb. 16, 17, 18 w/ Olivia Braida
March 23, 24, 25 w/ Olivia Braida
April 20 to 25 w/ Olivia Braida
May 18, 19, 20 w/ Olivia Braida
Certificate in Calligraphy
with renowned Instructor
Victoria Kibildis
Five 4-Hour Classes for Each Course --
12 Noon to 4pm
To Register, visit www.selby.org
Or Call Marilynn Shelley 941-366-5731 x 239
2008
Course 2: Roman Capitals: Fri, Oct 17, 24, 31 Nov 7 & 14
2009
Course 3: Humanist Bookhand: Fri, Jan 16,23,30 Feb 6,13
Course 4: Formal & Semi-Formal Italic: Fri, Mar 20, 27 Apr 3, 17, 24
Course 1: Copperplate Script: Sat, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Course 5: Illuminated Manuscript: Fri, Oct 16, 23, 30 Nov 6 & 13 (includes art instruction in composition for manuscripts w/ Olivia Braida
If you miss one of the courses, the program repeats itself. You can start your certificate program from any course except Course 5. So if you miss one of the courses you can catch it when it comes around again. Students who want to achieve the certificate need to take all five courses. Students are welcome to take these courses even if you do not intend to work toward a certificate.
Botanical Art & Illustration
Certificate Program Classes
Ringling College of Art and Design
Fall 2008 Term
Thursdays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
6:30pm to 9:30pm
and
Thursdays, Nov 6, 13, 20, Dec 4, 11
6:30pm to 9:30pm
With John Beckner
Ten Mondays
October 6, 13, 20, 27
November 3, 10, 17, 24
December 1, 8
6:30pm to 9:30pm
To Register, visit www.ringling.edu
Or call, 941-955-8866
Open Studio Workshops
for all levels
w/Olivia Braida
October to December - 6:30 to 9:30pm
Academy @ Kentucky
with Leslie Ramsey
Four Day Fall Workshop
with Certified Academy Instructor
Leslie Ramsey
Certified Botanical Artist
Four Thursdays Day & Evening Classes
October 2 and 9, and November 6 and 13
Day: 9 am to 2 pm $300 (individual class $100)
Evening: 5:30pm - 8:30pm $200 (individual class $75)
Art supplies and books not included.
For recent Arboretum/Kentucky University
Workshop attendees
who completed Drawing I and Watercolor I, pursue the next level book
Drawing II and Watercolor II.
For Books and Course Paks and Art Supplies visit…
www.botanicalartsupplies.com
To Register, call Leslie Ramsey: 606-434-4280
Exhibits
Artist contributors
to the newly released book
will exhibit ORIGINAL work
A portion from art sales will go to
The Horticultural Society of New York
981 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10075
Tel. (212) 772-8787
Fax (212) 737-9306
Shop Hours:
Monday-Friday 10-6
Saturday 11-5
http://www.ursusbooks.com/
********
Exhibit of Original and
Reproduced Artwork
by Selby Instructors including
members of the Academy team.
June 5 to October 7, 2008
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
811 South Palm Avenue
Sarsota, Florida 34239
941-366-5731
********
Artist contributors
to the newly released book
Art Reproductions on Sale Now
Art Exhibit Scheduled
November 28 to December 30
East End Books
53 The Circle
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-324-8680
http://eastendbookstore.com/index.html
Exhibits Museums
South Florida Museum
201 10th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34205
(941) 746-4131
http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/
John and Mable Ringling Museum
5401 Bay Shore Road,
Sarasota Florida 34243
(941) 359-5700
http://www.ringling.org/
Museum of Fine Arts
255 Beach Drive NE, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 896-2667
http://www.fine-arts.org/
Salvador Dali Museum
1000 Third Street South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-4901
(727) 823-3767
http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/home.html
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3890
(412) 268-2434
http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/
National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005-3970
(202) 783-5000
1-800-222-7270
http://www.nmwa.org/
Smithsonian Institute
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW in Washington, D.C. 20560
(202) 633-1000
http://www.si.edu/
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10028
(212) 535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/
American Museum of Natural History
79th Street @ Central Park West
New York, New York
(212) 769-5100
http://www.amnh.org/
American Museum of Natural History
79th Street @ Central Park West
New York, New York
(212) 769-5100
http://www.amnh.org/
Modern Museum of Art
11 West 53 Street,
New York, NY 10019-5497
(212) 708-9400
http://www.moma.org/
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-5000
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/
High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
(404) 733-HIGH
Receptionist: 404-733-4400
http://www.high.org/
Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600
http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Bruce Museum One Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
203-869-0376
http://www.brucemuseum.org/
Harvard University Museum of Natural History
Home of the famous Glass Flower Sculptures
by Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895)
and his son Rudolf (1857-1939)
22 Divinity Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-2365
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/
Locate Other Fine Art Museums
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