Premier Venue for Botanical Art - 15th Annual International ASBA at The Hort Exhibition to Open

Sept. 10, 2012 - PRLog -- 15th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists
at The Horticultural Society of New York

September 14 – November 21, 2012

Opening Reception: Friday, September 14, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
VIP & Press Preview: Friday, September 14, from 4:30pm to 6:00pm (please RSVP to exhibitions@thehort.org)

One of the world’s premier venues for botanical art, for 15 years this annual exhibition has showcased the most important artists in the genre alongside emerging artists.  Chosen from a field of 192 submissions, the forty-three artworks selected by jurors Patricia Jonas, Kathie Miranda, and Derek Norman have been created by artists from the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the UK.

Within the genre, artists find a broad range of approaches, and each artist brings a unique interpretation to their subject. Hillary Parker zooms in on a single fern in her contemporary watercolor, Wooly Fern Fiddlehead.  Maria Alice deRezende takes the long view of a Brazilian palm, showing the trunk and its full canopy, in her watercolor, Acai. Trees seem to be a favored subject this year, from Leah Kaizer’s Tasmanian Blue Gum arching gracefully into the picture plane, to a powerful hand-colored etching, Papaya, by Monika deVries Gohlke.  Akiko Enokido’s sensuous Camellia is luminously painted in watercolor on natural vellum.

Works on natural vellum are becoming more prevalent, with 10 artists choosing it as their material, and botanical art exhibitions are become the prime venue for seeing what mastery of this medium produces.  Jean Emmons, one of today’s premier colorists, stretches it over panels for both of her paintings, Hyacinth II and Onion. Heirloom ‘Rome’ Apples are beautifully depicted in a non-traditional composition on vellum by Pamela Geer-Gordon.  Also on vellum are a pair of flower details, painted in watercolor by Australian Beverly Allen, who brings to life the rich coloration and velvety and glossy textures of Old Port Magnolia and Upside-down Orchid.

A stunning minimalist composition displays two Prickly Pear Fruits in watercolor by Asuka Hishiki, to be contrasted with Wendy Hollender’s colored pencil drawing of Red Burgundy Okra, a multi-faceted exploration of the plant and all its parts. George Olson’s autumnal and muscular version of Compass Plant stands in sharp relief to Heeyoung Kim’s delicately colored and drawn watercolor of the same subject. Another roadside plant, Common Mullein, was studied through the season and cropped to focus on the flowering tips and spring leaves in a watercolor painting by Betsy Rogers-Knox.  Birch and Buckthorn are placed side by side in a watercolor by Mary Anne O’Malley, bringing out the blues in the birch bark alongside the blue buckthorn berries.

A color catalog of the exhibition has been published and will be available for purchase at the exhibition and through ASBA’s website (below).  Author Jack Kramer penned the introduction and Karen Kluglein’s Brassica oleracea, a watercolor on vellum, was chosen to illustrate the wraparound cover. The Hort is planning several events to coincide with the exhibition, including workshops with Carol Woodin (October 1), Asuka Hishiki (October 29), and Wendy Hollender (November 5, 8, and 9). On Thursday, November 15, a Last Look Jurors’ Walkthrough will be held from 6pm – 8pm. Further events will be announced. Please check The Hort’s website (below) for further details on the classes and other related events.

The American Society of Botanical Artists has a membership of over 1,100 from the United States and 25 other countries.  Its mission is to promote public awareness of botanical art, honoring its traditions and furthering its development.

The Horticultural Society of New York provides programs that sustain the vital connection between people and plants, growing a community of New Yorkers that values horticulture and giving even those with limited resources the knowledge and opportunity to cultivate plants, benefitting the environment, their neighborhoods, and their own lives.  Our gallery encourages gardeners and artists alike to appreciate the creative intersection between art and nature.  Our exhibitions showcase emerging and established contemporary artists who are inspired by botany, landscape, horticulture, and the environment.

The Gallery at The Hort is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm.  

For further information, please contact:
ASBA at 866-691-9080 / ASBA@aol.com / www.asba-art.org or
The Hort at 212-757-0915 x121 / cmurtha@thehort.org / www.thehort.org