Athens, Ga. – The State Botanical Garden at the University of Georgia will host three watercolor workshops and three art exhibitions this spring.
“Watercolor Painting Inspired By Nature” will be held Feb. 23 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Feb. 24 from 1-4 p.m. in the Visitor Center, Gardenside Room. Cost is $160.
Kie Johnson will teach this two-day workshop designed for a variety of experience levels. Participants should have basic knowledge and experience with this medium. There will be demonstrations during each class, plus individual work time during classes with one-on-one instruction.
“Roadside Flower + Exotic Blossoms + Watercolor = Magic” will be held March 11 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Visitor Center, Gardenside Room. The cost is $75.
Margaret Walsh Best will lead a one-day workshop on how to make a painting of a featured plant. The class will have demonstrations on techniques, accompanied by individual work with each participant. All skill levels are welcome.
“Botanical Watercolor Illustration” will be held May 11 from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Visitor Center, Gardenside Room. Cost is $75.
Dorset Trapnell, an assistant professor in UGA’s plant biology department, will teach botanical watercolor illustration. Learn how to compose, sketch and paint a botanical watercolor illustration. The class will focus on techniques and materials for execution of a lasting rendition. The workshop is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced artists.
The exhibition “Women on Paper: Lauren Kerbelis, Gail Smith, Caroline Swanson, Nancy Schultz, Karen Banker, Lillie Morris and Ingrid Hofer” is on display at the Visitor Center Gallery through March 3. The art was created by a small group of professional artists from Augusta. They have been gathering weekly since 1989 to paint en plein air using a variety of media on paper.
“Margaret Walsh Best: Balancing Act: Invasive Alien Plants” will be on display in the Visitor Center Gallery March 10 thru April 28. An opening reception will be held March 10 from 2-4 p.m. Best is a watercolorist and art educator visiting the Garden from St. John’s, Newfoundland. This exhibition is part of a national and international tour. Best was recently honored with a lifetime membership in the Art Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1999, Margaret’s work was chosen to create “Flowers of Hope,” a poster used in a fundraising campaign by the Canadian Cancer Society. Best will offer a one-day workshop and work with children.
“David Foster: Floral Wonders” will be on display in the Visitor Center Gallery from May 12-June 30. An opening reception will be held May 12 from 2-4 p.m.
“My images are created as an ongoing celebration of the extraordinary beauty to be discovered in the natural world around us,” Foster said. “Beauty that lies in the delicate glint of a dewdrop, the glory of a waterfall, or the sweep of a radiant sunrise.”
Foster has an image in the “Atlanta Celebrates Photography” exhibit in the Atrium Gallery at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was recently selected Artist-in-Residence at Cheraw State Park in South Carolina.
Registration and more information on each workshop are available at botgarden.uga.edu or 706/542-6156.
