If you would like to see some of my work on display Click Here for locations.

My Online Galleries Are Listed Below

Some of my student pieces that were done as assignments for Botanical Art Classes have been included in the gallery.  In the description of those pieces, I have indicated which class the assignment was for and what was to be accomplished.  The purpose of including these works is twofold, the first so that potential botanical art student might see the progression from early attempts to current work and the second, to indicate how, even in the early courses of the Academy of Botanical Art program a degree of success can be achieved.

I have oeganized the galleries into collections by the type of medium used.

Watercolors	Graphites	Ink Wash	Colored Pencil
Since the mid eighteenth century, watercolor has been the medium of choice for most botanical artists.  Gerald van Spaendonck, the Royal Professor of Painting at the Museum, Jardin du Roi in Paris, is recognized for developing the watercolor technique that Pierre Joseph Redoute’ (considered, by many, to be the greatest botanical artist of the French Court Period) popularized in his beautiful botanicals. Watercolor, depending on the pigment, can be transparent, translucent or almost opaque.  It has, again depending on the pigment, various degrees of staining or lifting qualities and various degrees of light fastness.  It is imperative that botanical artists understand the attributes of the pigments that they use.  Botanical artists work with controlled washes and dry brush techniques, often using many layers or glazes to develop the characteristics of the plant being painted.	For many botanical artists, graphite drawings are merely a tool to establish the template and tonal study for a watercolor painting.  Others find it beautiful in itself and only work in graphite. A solid shading technique called Sfumato (to make smoky) is used.  This is a most sensitive and subtle form of shading often seen in the old masters drawings.	Pen and Ink is the medium of the scientific botanical illustrator.  The main reason for an illustrator’s use of pen and ink, a black and white medium, is that only one plate is needed to run through a press a opposed to four or more for color.  For scientists, the cost of including color illustrations would be prohibitive and many scientific documents would be published without the support of illustrations Pen and ink is also a time saver when doing quick sketches in the field when there is not the time for complete tonal studies or watercolor paintings. As with graphite, some botanical artists work only in pen and ink with beautiful results. I like adding colored ink washes to pen and ink drawings.  Though, the ink is not as capable of the subtle, smooth washes one has in watercolor, it has a beautiful transparent richness of its own.	Many contemporary botanical artists are beginning to work in colored pencil, some exclusively.  Colored pencil is a very versatile medium that can be as refined as a watercolor or take on the properties of an oil painting.  It is basically translucent, so may be layered without losing the benefit of the under-color.  Colored pencil has many hidden qualities and endless possibilities. It is very portable and affordable.    I am just beginning my journey with colored pencil and am finding it great fun.