I have always loved Botanical Illustration and plants in general. I had the opportunity to complete a certificate of Botanical Art and Illustration at the School of Botanical Art and Illustration at the Denver Botanical Gardens in 2019, the program gave me a wonderful gift of a scholarship to do the program. I was also a foundations instructor at the same program in 2021-2022. The work below is a small amount of work that I have done in this vain of work. I also still do private tutoring for Botanical Art and Illustration if you are interested. Please see the statement about the work below.
We take for granted our experience with the things that are green, that are gold and that are red and vibrant, but those things are actually living. Their waxing existence should be remembered. Each plant, each subject, each specimen, have their own identity; they exist ephemerally, albeit greater than we can understand. My work is a reflection of the time that I spend with something living, maybe clipped, repotted, displaced. However I still have tender care and love for their existence, and I never forget that. I don’t want to forget that. I want to have a unique experience with each individual by making as close to comparison, a portrait, as I can. Botanical illustrations may show the life cycle of a specimen, so we can understand its place, how we can use it, or how it’s to our benefit, but I want a unique experience. Like the beautiful wrinkles on my grandmother, or your grandmother, they tell where she’s come and gone. I value the accuracy of observational work but with the added element of making something more real than real, by adding the artistic interpretation to enhance their individuality. By taking a cutting for an illustration, we may not appreciate its value, but instead I want to embody what it meant for it to exist.The plant’s sacrifice may be un-given to me, or for us, to have a greater understanding of the natal world. I don’t want that to be forgotten. Each plant, each varietal, is as unique as each person. It’s a reflection back to us; to see the humanity within our selves, the beauty, the diversity of thought, and physical representation that we have.