Monday 27 February 2017

"Ageless" Exhibition: RUST-EN-VREDE GALLERY

Some of our BAASA Western Cape members will be exhibiting at the RUST-EN-VREDE GALLERY.
Please support them by attending the opening tomorrow 28 February 2017 or visiting the exhibition that is on until 22 March 2017.





Tuesday 21 February 2017

Who Was She?

Don't forget: A documentary film 'The Remarkable Miss North', about botanical artist Marianne North, is to be shown at The Old Mutual Hall, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town on Thursday 02 March 2017 at 10:30am. For more details please see WESTERN CAPE 2017 CALENDAR.

It will also be shown in Johannesburg on Saturday 06 May at the Branemark Institute, Rochester Place at 10:00am. For more details please see GAUTENG 2017 CALENDAR.


If you cannot view the video click here to view it on BBC online.

Wednesday 15 February 2017

Feeling stuck?


http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/collection/ColorOurCollections

Can't get going with your submission for the Worldwide Botanical Art exhibition? Why not download a colouring book from the Biodiversity Library, get out your coloured pencils and do a bit of colouring-in to get your mojo back. If nothing else you're sure to find it therapeutic.

Or use the line drawings to create your own practice sheet and splash away with your paints with gay abandon for a while. It's sure to get your creative juices back on track again.

Have fun!

Friday 3 February 2017

2017 Botanical Art Drawing Courses at SANBI Pretoria with Gillian Condy

Download pdf version of this document here.
Diospyros whyteana from Flowering Plants of Africa (SANBI publication)

The South African National Biodiversity Institute will run a number of three day botanical art drawing courses at the National Herbarium in Pretoria.

Dates:                    Thursday 23rd March – Saturday 25th March
                              Thursday 27th April – Saturday 29th April (27th is a public holiday)
                              Thursday 2nd November – Saturday 4th November
Venue:                    The National Herbarium Lecture Hall, Pretoria Botanical Gardens,
                              2 Cussonia Avenue, Brummaria, Pretoria.
Cost:                      R750.00 
Times:                   1st day, 9.30 for 10.00 until 16.00
                              2nd and 3rd days 9.00 – 16.00

Presenter: The courses will be presented by Gillian Condy, the resident botanical artist at the National Herbarium. She has held this position for over 30 years and is an experienced teacher. Gillian is one of the founders of the Botanical Artists Association of southern Africa, BAASA, and is an active freelance artist, having participated in over 180 group exhibitions worldwide. Her work is represented in some major corporate collections, including the Highgrove Florilegium, the Hunt Institute in Pittsburg, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Sydney Botanic Gardens Florilegium, the Shirley Sherwood Collection and Brenthurst Library. She has illustrated a number of books and designed 18 sets of stamps for Botswana and South Africa.

For further information and bookings, please call Gillian Condy on 012 843 5052 or
E-mail g.condy@sanbi.org.za,  Fax. 086 555 9460.
A list of art materials will be supplied on reservation of a place.

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Botanical artists should be 'Plant Hunters' too

Hanging Black Stick Lily (Xerophyta longicaulis) (Illustration: Gillian Condy)
The impression that animals and insects are intrinsically more interesting than plants is probably universal. After all, plants are static and ‘boring’ while the rest of the natural world seems dynamic and enthralling.
“Think again,” urges Neil Crouch. “You may be under an illusion created by a condition known as ‘plant blindness’.” The term ‘plant blindness’ was first introduced in 1998 by Wandersee and Schussler after years of discussion, literature searching, investigation and reportedly, ‘a fair amount of trepidation.’ They defined plant blindness broadly, including ‘the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment, leading to the inability to recognize the importance of plants in the biosphere and in human affairs’.
Plant blindness also comprises an ‘inability to appreciate the aesthetic and unique biological features’ of plants and ‘the misguided, anthropocentric ranking of plants as inferior to animals, leading to the erroneous conclusion that they are unworthy of human consideration’. (Source: BioScience)
The above excerpt, from 'The Plant Hunter: An interview with Prof Neil Crouch' (available to read in the Kloof Conservancy's latest bi-annual magazine) should inspire us all to get out of our studios and into the wild so we too can learn about and see for ourselves the real story behind the plants we paint. Just one such artist is Gillian Condy, who has had the privilege of doing this over the course of her career with SANBI. Some of her paintings have been used to illustrate this most interesting interview.

To read the full interview click here.