Illustrator/Artist in Residencies Selection Process for 2015 is completed

(Vanda tesselata by Benjamin Valderrama)

We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2015 Illustrator/Artist-in- Residencies at Denver Botanic Gardens’ School of Botanical Art and Illustration: Benjamin Cardenas Valderrama from Bogota, Colombia and Ikumi Kayama from College Park, Maryland.

We are very excited to host them and keen to see the beautiful work and inspiring projects that they create while staying with us.

(Northern Cardinals by Ikumi Kayama)

Cafe Botanique, Today March 25, 6:30 p.m.

Beekeeper Challenges in Colorado

Beth Conrey, President of Colorado State Beekeepers’ Association

Colorado is a beautiful state known for its commitment to its wildlife and wild lands. Bees are an integral part of Colorado agriculture--pollinating cantaloupes, row crops, and a variety of Western Slope fruits. Despite this, it’s not all "the land of milk and honey" for bees here. Join us to find out why. 

Beth Conrey is the President of Colorado State Beekeepers’ Association and Western Apicultural Society of North America.

Wednesday, March 25, 6:30-8 p.m.

Gates Hall

Make your last minute reservation here.

Reflective surfaces in Botanical Illustration

(Quill and ink by Susan DiMarchi)

Learn how to tackle reflective surfaces in Botanical illustration through studying M.C. Escher's drawing techniques with your instructor, Susan DiMarchi.

In our series Drawing onTradition you'll learn about M.C. Escher the Dutch graphic artist who is mostly known for his black-and-white explorations in printmaking and drawing. His work included mathematically inspired lithographs , woodcuts and mezzotints that featured impossible constructions, exploration of infinity, architecture and tessellations. 

Using quill, brush and black ink, you'll explore Escher's technique of integrating reflective mirror images for a three dimensional effect. For more information about the workshop, please click here.

(Hand with Reflecting Sphere, 1935, M.C. Escher)

Pen and Ink - Timeless and Elegant

(Narcissus by Suzanne Stutzman)

In the beginning of March we had the privilege to host Lucy Smith from Kew, U.K. to teach two pen and ink workshops in our School. She has been producing illustrations for the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew since 1999 and we can frequently see her plates in the Curtis's Botanical Magazine. She also teaches botanical illustration at Kew Gardens, the Chelsea Physics garden and the Chelsea School of Botanical Art. 

During her visit in Colorado, Lycy also had a Cafe Botanique talk about her adventures on the footsteps of Sydney Parkinson and received the fourth Honorary Sydney Parkinson Award. For her work she has received numerous awards, including two gold medals from Royal Horticultural Society, The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Botanical illustration (2014) and the Jill Smythies Award from the Linnean Society of London (2004).

Please see some images from our workshop by clicking here.

(Lycy Smith)

Exploits in Watercolor

Eggplants by Linda Forbess

During this 3-day watercolor weekend workshop the students were exploring and experimenting painting on heavy weight paper with large brushes. They learned about the importance of water management while advancing in the wet-on-wet painting skills.
You can see more images from this workshop by clicking here.

Mango by Sally Grew

Dale Cat-Huly from Tails of the Painted Cats

Dale Cat-Huly (20 ½” tall x 23" long x 8" deep) is part of the 2015 Tails of the Painted Cats Raffle and designed and painted by Carla Pawlewicz. The inspiration for this cat came from the 2014 main outdoor exhibit at Denver Botanic Gardens.  
The 2015 Tails of the Painted Cats Gala Dinner & Auction in on Saturday, Oct. 10, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Pinehurst Country Club in Denver. This will be the fifth Tails of the Painted Cats Event - a fundraiser celebrating local artists and the beautiful cat sculptures they design. The First Look video gallery of the 2015 painted cat designs can be viewed by clicking here.
Last year Carla painted a zentangle inspired cat: Cat-tails and Dogwood and Pysanky Aloha cat in 2013