Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program

Part of the mission of The Florilegium Program of the Sonoran Desert Region is to promote the education of artists in botanical art among both established artists and individuals interested in becoming a botanical artist. Below are upcoming classes in botanical illustration.

Drawing Plants for a Florilegium
Location:  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute
Instructor:  Margaret Pope
Dates:  5 Thursdays in Fall or Spring Sessions
Fall Session:  October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 2011
Spring Session:  January 12, 19, 26, February 2 and 9, 2012
Hours:  1 to 4 p.m.
Fee:  $100 museum members; $140 nonmembers
Prerequisites:  Pencil I and Pen & Ink I (Non-certificate elective)
To register:  On-line: www.desertmuseum.org/arts  Phone: (520) 883-3024  Fax: (520) 883-3043

Course Description: Flor-i-le-gi-um: from the Latin culling flowers, from flori- + legere, to gather. Prince Charles has his Highgrove Florilegium, The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens has documented the plants growing in their gardens, and botanical artists in the Sonoran Desert region have begun a similar effort. We have shifted the Florilegium class under the umbrella of the Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program. This program was developed to "encourage and focus a multiplicity of efforts toward the promotion of traditional and contemporary botanical illustration. It is the premier effort of its kind designed to create, collect, exhibit, and store botanical images."
To this end it is recognized that classes in painting a florilegium would help educate the public about the need for and benefits of such a collection. The Art Institute is an active participant in the Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program, and we are pleased to be able to offer this class in conjunction with the Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program. You choose the medium of colored pencil, pen & ink or graphite.

Color Layering for Colored Pencils
Location:  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute
Instructor:  Margaret Pope
Dates:  5 Thursdays
October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 2011
Hours:  9 a.m. to noon
Fee:  $150 museum members; $190 nonmembers
Prerequisites:  none (Certificate elective)
To register:  On-line: www.desertmuseum.org/arts  Phone: (520)883-3024  Fax: (520)883-3043

Course Description: Lush and versatile: colored pencils have the flexibility of layering one color on top of another. Color layering is a way to accomplish translucent and vibrant color in your colored pencil work. It adds dimension, enhances realism and expresses your personal style. Begin with a helpful review of the nature of color, color theory as well as how and why colors are arranged on the color wheel. Instruction includes helpful tips, exercises in how to apply color, demonstrations and examples of professional work to show students the advantages of color layering. Take home some useful finished exercises as a reference for your future work.

Introduction to Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil
Location:  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute
Instructor:  Margaret Pope
Dates:  5 Thursdays
January 12, 19, 26, February 2 and 9, 2012
Hours:  9 a.m. to noon
Fee:  $150 museum members; $190 nonmembers
Prerequisites:  Pencil I and Colored Pencil I (Certificate elective)
To register:  On-line: www.desertmuseum.org/arts  Phone: (520) 883-3024  Fax: (520) 883-3043

Course Description: You already know the versatility of the colored pencil medium and the rich hues you can get through layering. Now find out how terrific they can be for the detailed work of botanical art. The satisfying combination of accurate drawing and vibrant color pencil application makes botanical drawings a pleasure. Begin by carefully observing plants as the instructor guides participants in what to look for and how to draw it. The drawing exercises will increase both skill and observation techniques. Students will gain a new appreciation for the combination of art and science as they practice traditional botanical illustration.

Petals and Leaves in Watercolor
Location:  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute
Instructor:  Connie Sayas
Dates:  Friday, Saturday and Sunday
March 23, 24 and 25, 2012
Hours:  10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fee:  $325 museum members; $365 nonmembers
Prerequisites:  Watercolor I or equivalent (Certificate elective)
To register:  On-line: www.desertmuseum.org/arts  Phone: (520) 883-3024  Fax: (520) 883-3043

Course Description: Two skills--one class--great results! Let's face it: these two areas make or break botanical art. The delicacy of petals and the intricacy of leaves are the subject of many botanical paintings. Focus on these characteristic plant parts to strengthen your watercolor skills in botanical illustration. Explore wet-on-wet blending techniques to paint luminous petals with delicacy and robust leaves with freshness. Then learn to refine and define, applying plant texture and detail with dry brush techniques. Through demonstration and individual instructor guidance, practice painting intimate studies of leaves and petals. Master the skill sets associated with these plant parts and gain confidence working with watercolors. You don't want to miss this class.

Part of the mission of The Florilegium Program of the Sonoran Desert Region is to exhibit and promote both historical and contemporary botanical art of the Sonoran Desert. Current exhibits are listed below:

Indigenous Botanicals of Arizona
Location:  Tempe Public Library / Lower Level Gallery, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe, AZ
Dates:  December 9, 2011 - April 18, 2012
Hours:  M 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tu-Th 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., F-Sa 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Su noon to 5 p.m. (closed on City-observed holidays)

Indigenous Botanicals of Arizona is a juried, traveling exhibition from the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists, the Arizona chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists, a non-profit organization dedicated to the tradition of botanical art. This exhibit showcases Arizona's native plants during the celebration of the state's centennial and coincides with the Tempe Center for the Arts Arizona Centennial Celebration. The exhibit can be viewed here.

Scientific Botanical Illustrations Created for Legumes of Arizona: An Illustrated Flora
Location:  University of Arizona / Science and Engineering Library
Dates:  September 1 - December 19, 2011
Hours:  M-Th 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., F 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sa 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Su 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Guest curated by the University of Arizona Herbarium, this exhibit highlights the work of the Desert Legume Program, a joint project of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Photos of the exhibit can be seen here. Illustrations from the exhibit can be seen here.

The Botanical Artistry of Joan McGann, Margaret Pope and Cindy Hartwell
Location:  The Tucson Botanical Gardens / Porter Hall Gallery
Dates:  October 1 - November 3, 2011
Hours:  Gardens Open Daily 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This exhibit features forty botanical illustrations in colored pencil which were commissioned by the Tucson Botanical Gardens to highlight certain plants from their collection for promotional and educational purposes. Included in the exhibit are illustrations of native plants of the Sonoran Desert as well as introduced species which have adapted to the desert environment. Photos of the exhibit can be seen here. Illustrations from the exhibit of plants native to the Sonoran Desert can be seen here.

The Legumes of Arizona Project of the Desert Legume Program of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum is developing a reference book which will describe the Legume Family (Fabaceae) in Arizona. This book will include descriptions of all legume species and information on their uses and cultivation.

Illustrations will be an integral part of this work and represent not only accurate scientific representations of these plants, but unique works of art. They can be used as a tool for identification, providing readers with a visual representation of the unique characteristics of the species. In order to create the necessary detail for this type of illustration,  the artist must carefully study the plant, often using a microscope to look at important details. Artists also strive to show the beauty of the plant. This is reflected in the artist's use of a variety of lines and in the composition of the botanical plate: the layout of the stem, fruit, flower, and other identifying characteristic parts of the plant.

Many of the illustrations for Legumes of Arizona are being done by contemporary botanical artists. Here is a sampling of the illustrations drawn by these artists. More illustrations will be added in the future, so please return to see their latest drawings.

At the onset of our work the number of illustrations was unknown, but now that the work of accessioning the illustrations is completed, we find the total number of 1355 to be much greater than we anticipated. The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society (TCSS) and a member donor are offering a dollar for dollar match of donations up to $3,500 to The Florilegium Program in support of archiving the scientific botanical illustrations in the University of Arizona Herbarium collection. For approximately 2 years volunteers of The Florilegium Program have been been diligently accessioning (cataloguing) the scientific botanical illustrations housed at the U of A Herbarium. The next step is to preserve the illustrations. This means each illustration needs to be mounted and enclosed in archival material and then stored in boxes. Once they are archived, the illustrations are not only preserved but their future use can be better monitored. We estimate the cost to archive one illustration is between $7 - $10 depending on the choice of materials, price at the time of purchasing materials and taxes. Archiving 1300 illustrations will cost approximately $9,100 and $13,000. By offering these matching funds both the TCSS and a member donor not only offer support for this project but want to encourage members and the public to contribute to this effort. By contributing $10 ($20) two illustrations will be preserved, by contributing $20 ($40) four will be preserved and by contributing $50 ($100) ten will be preserved. Please contribute to support archiving these illustrations which are a part of the botanical heritage of our region. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. Click here to view some of the illustrations in the Herbarium collection and to learn more about the accessioning process. Contributions can be sent to The Sonoran Desert Florilegium Program, Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, P. O. Box 64759, Tucson, Arizona 85728-4759. To print a contribution form click here.

We are working with the Herbarium staff to provide an archival environment for these illustrations. The herbarium has recently received a grant to upgrade their storage capacity for plant specimens. Some of this money will go to providing customized cabinets for storing the illustrations we have accessed and will be archiving. The Herbarium staff is very enthusiastic and appreciative about the work we have done in accessing and archiving the illustrations. They have been supportive and very helpful in facilitating the exhibit of the illustrations from Gentry’s Agaves of Continental North America. They are also supportive of future exhibits we would like to have of some of the other illustrations, particularly those of Lucretia Breazeale Hamilton, the world famous botanical illustrator of the plants of the southwestern United States.