Quarterly Newsletter First Chapter of the ASBA

SPRING 2011

R o c k y M o u n ta in
Society of Botanical Artists
President’s Notes
Hello Everyone!

Here is what we
want to do on “Lily of the Valley”
our next time Courtsey of Annie Reiser
together. May
29 at Koelbel Library from 1
th

to 5 p.m. come and enjoy a day

of art and fun! No costs to you (except, if you have
forgotten to pay your dues bring a check!) It would be
a great time to bring in new member too. No charge
to them, well, they have to join, but look what a great
introductory meeting this will be! Here is the program.

Libby Kyer will demonstrate Caran d’Ache colored

pencils, wet and dry. These pigment-rich tools will kick-
start color in brilliant ways that might be new to you.
You’ll have samples of substrates and pencils to work
with, and she’ll guide you through a neat trick or two to
Contents
make colored pencils even more fun. All materials are
provided. Don’t miss this fun, informative time with your About RMSBA
peers.
Founded in 1997 ................................... 2
Then we will break for refreshments and the second From the Maine Girl ................................ 2
part will be: 2010 RMSBA Tagawa Show ..................3
RMSBA Calendar & Events
Heidi Snyder and Dorothy DePaulo are going to tell
you everything they know about working on drafting February, March and April ..................... 4
film (commonly known as Mylar)! We’ll color with RMSBA Board Meeting Minutes ............... 5
pencils, paint with acrylic, splash with inks, wash with
watercolors and dabble in collage. You can try your 2011 Published Membership List .......... 6, 7
hand at this very versatile film and perhaps come up Letter to the Board ................................ 8
with techniques we never thought about. Come and
dabble in something new. We’ll have fun and learn Rocky Mountain Garden Call For Entry
something too! The Colorado Garden ......................... 9, 10
I need a head count so we can organize food so let me
2014 ASBA Annual Conference
know as soon as you mark those calendars. What can we do to impress? ............... 11
susiolson@msn.com or 303-456-5175
RMSBA Position Vacancies
Just to let those painters out there know I haven’t New Treasurer needed ....................... BC
forgotten them. I am working on a similar day for you.
More to come later.
 About the RMSBA From the Maine Girl

The Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists founded in I am happy to say that I finally managed to sit down
1997 is the first chapter of the American Society of Botanical and draw! Of course it helped that the drawing was a
Artists and is open to all persons interested in botanical commission and I had a deadline. The illustration was of
illustration. Texas Blue Bonnets and I did it with colored pencil.

RMSBA Officers of 2011

President ............................................... Susan Olson

Vice President........................................ Dorothy DePaulo
Secretary ............................................... Jan Boyd Haring
Treasurer ............................................... Vicky MacWilliam
Marketing Chair ................................... TBD
Membership Chair ................................. Sharon Garrett
Programs Chair ..................................... Julie Terry
Exhibits Chair ........................................ Libby Kyer
Exhibits Coordinator ........................... TBD
Logistics (Refreshment) Chair................ Heidi Schnyder
Newsletter Editor ................................... Katie Nichols

To join the RMSBA, please contact Vicky

MacWilliam,Treasurer
Tele.: 719.495.2986
E-mail: hgvmacwm@worldnet.att.net
8285 Freeman Drive • Black Forest, CO 80908

ASBA Journal and RMSBA Newsletter $90.00 membership
includes regular individual membership in the RMSBA and
American Society of Botancial Artists and entitles you to
receive both the ASBA Journal and the RMSBA newsletter,
as well as participate in all open exhibits and functions.
Membership is for one calendar year. Memberships received
after the first of November in any year will be applied to the
following calendar year.
Questions or contributions, please contact
Katie Nichols, Editor
E-mail: plantmanagerstudio@me.com
Tel.: 207.798.2677
325 Five Islands Road • Georgetown, ME 04548
The Mayflowers are budding here and that is a for sure
sign of Spring. The other night I participated in the
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens “Input” meeting. The
Gardens have been open for five years and they are going
through a re-discovering phase to see what visitors and/
or members like, dislike and would like to see happen. I
of course inquired whether the Gardens were considering
any Botanical Illustration courses since they are building
an education building. My question was noted with
enthusiasm, so we shall see what the Gardens procures
and I’ll keep you posted.
Have a wonderful Spring!

• Artwork is donated to RMSBA for exclusive use in this

newsletter. Any other use is strictly prohibited without
written authorization of the artist.
• The membership list is printed in whole in the Spring
Edition of the newsletter.
• Reproduction of this newsletter is prohibited without
written permission from RMSBA.
• We welcome your articles, calendar events and images.
Please submit all text as an electronic file in .DOC
(Word), .XLS (Excel), or the body of an e-mail. Please
submit images in digital format; .JPG, .TIF, .PDF and at
least 300 dpi (resolution; dots per inch) in color.

2
 TAGAWA 2011 ART SHOW
Hello Artists,

We had a light-filled and well traveled-location within the

Tagawa greenhouses this year, giving us a steadier visitor
rate and better art viewing for customers. The expanded
“Back to Nature” theme was very well received. Sales were
right at $2000.

We are revisiting the idea of linking up with Tagawa’s special

events, and the various societies such as the Rose Society,
African Violet Society, the Daylily Society and the edible
plant group for additional opportunities to exhibit and sell on
a smaller scale throughout the year.

Thank you for your gorgeous art and for participating in the
processes that keep this show happening. We are scheduled
for a Fourth Annual Show in mid April, 2012.

Mary Jo Ramsdale

3
 Calendar Events

2011
May 29 RMSBA’s Spring Meeting at Koelbel • The Rocky Mountain Garden
Library, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. A show open to all RMSBA members
At the Center for the Arts in Evergreen
May 26- Coming in September through October 2011
FIVE : Sensory Garden,
June 19
• ASBA and RMSBA links to workshops/classes
Opening Reception
Friday, May 27, 2011 6-9 pm www.amsocbotartists.org
www.botanicalartists.org
First Friday
June 3, 2011
6-9 pm General Links to Events and
Workshops/Classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens:
Last Look: coffee with the artist
Sunday, June 19, 2011 • DBG
1-4 pm
www.botanicgardens.org

• 2011 • Café Botanique Lectures

www.cb-lectures-mervi.blogspot.com
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Place: Morrison Center, Denver Botanic Gardens
(SE corner of York Street & 11th Avenue)

June 2: Marja Eloheimo, University of Washington,

Olympia WA: [Issues of Access to Traditional
Materials for Indigenous Basket Makers]
(Abstract and more information)

“Tillgentianth”, Courtsey of Carol Till

4
RMSBA December 2010 Executive Board Meeting
RMSBA Executive Board Meeting Minutes, held March 27
2011
Location: Brios, Cherry Creek
Documented by: Jan Boyd Haring, Secretary
Eight members were in attendance:
Susi Olson -President
Libby Kyer -Exhibit Coordinator
Dorothy DePaulo - VP
Sharon Garrett - Membership
Julie Terry - Events
Vicky MacWilliam - Treasurer
Heidi Snyder - Refreshments
Jan Boyd Haring - Secretary
Treasurer’s report from Vicky:
Bank account: 5145.66.
Credit Card Fees: We still have our First America
card/$23. per month fee without additional sales.
Susi is going to investigate “Go Payment on
Smart Phone” with lower rate. May need to open
a coverage account with the bank. Discussion
of receiving membership dues via Paypal.
Membership is down to 59, which is normal for the season.
Newsletter: Are members reading the newsletter? Katie
is going to continue her post until the end of the year.
Motion passed to add the newsletter to the blog. Dorothy
mentioned Carol might be interested in updating the
newsletter items.
RMSBA Blog: Libby has created a blog:
rmsbartists@blogspot.com.
Function: for specific entry forms, membership forms, and
other org-wide notifications. Decision made to have the
membership application in print and mail format instead
of fill-in pdf. Vicky had corrections to make to the form.
Contact info for each officer will not be displayed.
Open to all: followers are ok, can also subscribe.
To add information: the contact can be Libby
with a copy to Dorothy to email the group.
Links: Standard – DBG, ASBA, GNSI
Possible link of the week: informational
with comment section
Encourage input from readers, including
info on classes, supplies, and books.
Create a gallery function for members, can
link to their website. Members would be
responsible for their own updates.
Shows
Dorothy has succeeded in getting the Evergreen
venue for a show theme “Colorado Garden”. It
would be a self juried, “first come first served” entry
process for 35 digital entries. Timeframe 9/11.
Heidi suggested the Brighton Armory as a possible venue.
Julie is in contact with the Astor House in Golden. Possible
theme of the “Language of Flowers” (Florigraphy, was a
Victorian era of communication). Could group flowers per
meaning and create card packages. Timeframe: 2012.
Another theme suggestion: Western Pioneer Flowers
used in everyday life. Venue: Pioneer Museum in
Golden. Could include plants brought with them from
home: cuttings of fruit trees, peonies, daisies, iris.
Dorothy updated on the Rare 2.0 exhibit. Selection
from 120 plants on the endangered list within
the Rocky Mountain area. First meeting April 2,
2011. Goal is the ASBA Conference in 2014.
Possible future venue for shows: Museum
of Nature and Science, Denver.
Discussion on the no charge shows, Tagawas and
Echters. Will try this method this year and see how it
goes. Would only need $50. for food and $100 for cards.
Motion passed: if people can’t sit at the venue for a
minimum of two hours, they must pay $20. Heidi says the
inventory sheets weren’t used at Echters, and it should
be mandatory. It’s difficult to make sales without them.
RMSBA will have two sales shows and
two exhibit shows per year.
Future RMSBA Meeting Event ideas
Susi: Graham Paints – honey based watercolor workshop
Critiques – continuing in other parts of the
metro area – next one at Julie’s house. Try
different days of the week or evenings.
Julie: Alyson B. Stanfield and her book “I’d Rather Be in
the Studio”, business of art topic. No fee meeting but
Alyson would like to sell her books and cds. Or, a fee to
attend the meeting and you get a book to take home.
An all day instructional event with Libby/Caran D’ache
and Dorothy/Mylar and a snack break in the middle.
Could be at Koebel Library. Timeframe: Spring 2011.
Another meeting place could be Susi’s
clubhouse. Discussion on guests being welcome
to meetings and events if they join RMSBA.
ASBA 2014 Notes
Ideas for the convention are starting to take shape.
Jan is doing the catalog, Sharon some of the activity
ideas, Susi is handling the totebag, Three shows:
Rare 2.0, a miniature show, and an ASBA show.
03/27/11 RMSBA Executive Board Meeting adjourned
5
 Letter to the Board:

I was sorry to see in the last newsletter that the new

RMSBA Exhibit Requisites include imposing a sales
commission on member’s artwork. “Works for sale may
have a commission charged by the venue, and will have
a 10% commission withheld by the RMSBA to support
Chapter activities, including the exhibition expenses.”
RMSBA’s cash on hand has increased from approximately
$2000 in 2007 to over $5300 now. I’m going to assume that
some of that income came from our members from dues,
exhibit entry fees and RARE products. Remember that our
members donated the use of RARE images for the cards
and catalogs and did the packaging and retailing too. How
about looking for ways to use our cash excess for members
activities instead adding on more fees for our members?

Sincerely,
Carol Till

Susan Rubin
2235 Dexter St.
Denver, CO 80207
303-698-2355
susan@susanrubinstudio.com
susanrubinstudio.com

Exhibit at SPARK Gallery

900 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
720-889-2200
www.sparkgallery.com

TITLE: FIVE : Sensory Garden

May 26 – June 19, 2011

Opening Reception
Friday, May 27, 2011
6-9 pm

First Friday
June 3, 2011
6-9 pm

Last Look: coffee with the artist

Sunday, June 19, 2011
1-4 pm

ARTIST STATEMENT
In an ongoing exploration of the relationship between
people and plants, this group of drawings takes a closer
look at the five senses, sight touch, taste, sound and
smell, and the way we experience the environment.
There is no question that beautiful, delicious, fragrant
plants delight our senses, but it is not their job. Their
scents and colors and tastes are all geared toward
“Woven by Nature”, Courtsey of Lotus McElfish one thing: species survival – theirs, not ours. . It is
coincidence that the sensory output of plants affects
us at all, but they do affect us, and we count on
plants for survival and pleasure – ours not theirs.
8
 Call for Entries
“The Colorado Garden”
This will be an RMSBA show at the Rotary Gallery at
Center Stage in Evergreen.
Date: September- October 2011 (exact dates will be announced)

Location: Rotary Gallery at Center Stage in Evergreen, Colorado.

Eligibility: This show is open to all members of RMSBA who have paid dues
for 2011.

Eligible Submissions: Artwork must be (inner dimension) frame size 16”x20” or

smaller. It must realistically depict, with botanical accuracy, any plant that
commonly grows in a Colorado garden. (This includes both the flower and
vegetable garden.) Artwork must have been completed within the past four
years and can not have been previously hung in an RMSBA show. The subject
plant must be the predominant feature of the work.

Media: Entries should be original art. (Watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, pen
and ink, artist prints such as etchings, oil, egg-tempra, pastel, are all
acceptable.) The artwork can be either a horizontal or vertical format.

Jury: Entries will be vetted for quality, conformity to theme, and space available.
The curator of Evergreen Center for the Arts will review all submitted work for
quality.

Frame Label: Each item must be labeled on back of frame with the artist’s name,
title, medium, contact information and price.

Exhibit information: Space is limited, and entries will be accepted on a first

come, first serve, basis. Entries will be limited to one submission per artist.
continued on page 10
9
 Thirty five submissions will be selected in total. Drop off and pick-up dates will
be announced as soon as Evergreen Center for the Arts provides them.

T0 Enter:

E-mail a jpeg. image of your work(not larger than 2 MB) to Dorothy DePaulo at
ddepaulo@gmail.com by August 15, 2011 and include:
Name____________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________

Phone #___________________E-mail address__________________

Title of work______________________________________________

Media___________________________________________________

Frame size__________________ Price_________________________

Fees: There will be a $5.00 fee to cover the cost of labels, cards, and hanging
materials. This will be collected at time of delivery of artwork. At this point in
time, we’re waiting to hear if Evergreen charges a commission. There will be no
RMBSA commission. It is also not known at this point in time, whether or not
Evergreen requires that artwork be for sale. As soon as this information is
available, it will be passed on to the membership.

10
 2014 ASBA Annual Conference
American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) 2014 Annual Meeting
Denver, Colorado
Hosted by
Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists (RMSBA)

The 2014 annual meeting of ASBA will be held in Denver, Colorado. Although still 3 years
away, it is time to make arrangements for the meeting to be one of the best possible.

The annual meeting is held in the autumn each year at a location proposed by a local sponsor.
After discussions between several RMSBA members, it was decided to begin with downtown
Denver as a potential meeting location because of the number of hotels with meeting facilities,
variety of restaurants, and proximity to the Denver Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum,
downtown galleries and other points of interest to visitors. The Denver Visitors Bureau was
contacted to see what might be available for October or November 2014. The week of 8-11
October was identified as unavailable. The Visitors Bureau offered to handle contacting hotels.
As a result, a request for proposals for meeting space for 15-18 October 2014 was sent to
several downtown hotels, with proposals due by 21 January 2011.

In addition to accommodations, classes and meetings, the ASBA meetings frequently have a
concurrent show of botanical art. A proposal was submitted to the Denver Art Museum (DAM)
for such a show. While interested in botanical art, the DAM is not setting up small shows for
2014. Other potential venues have been suggested for the ASBA show.

Putting on a successful annual meeting requires considerable up-front work by the host chapter.
The following help is needed for the Denver meeting:
Conference co-chairs
Local logistics committee (ensures all activities are completed!)
Develop conference title
Registration packets and conference gift
Develop conference PowerPoint for 2013 meeting
Keep conference records
Follow-up reports
Hotel/site liaison and transportation coordinators
Show committee
Local registration committee
Education committee (identify Colorado-based courses and field trips)
Local silent auction support
Graphic design (including development of meeting logo)
Keynote speaker committee
Public relations

There is a great deal of work to be done and plenty to go around! If you are interested in joining
the initial activities, please send an e-mail to Terry Ruiter (tlruiter@msn.com) and Dorothy
DePaulo (ddepaulo@comcast.net). If you have thoughts on any of the topics listed, please pass
them along. Your involvement will be a terrific way to highlight the botanical art being done in
the Rocky Mountain region....and will be a lot of fun!

11
RMSBA Postion Vacancies

RMSBA is in need of the following positions

within the society to be filled:
New Treasurer Needed

Please consider taking on this function for RMSBA beginning

next year. Vicky is looking for a willing individual who will
work with her as an assistant over a period of time until
the new person is confident in performing this task. After
the transfer, Vicky will remain as an assistant if needed
and will help in any way. The job is neither difficult nor time
consuming -- it just takes attention to detail. A calendar has
been set up to make sure nothing is missed and involves
approximately three items per month. Most of the activities
are computerized and simple to perform.

Please contact Vicky (719-495-2986 or hgvmacwm@att.net)

for more information. This job is a great way to participate
while still having full control over your own schedule.

“Tulip Tango” Courtsey of Dorothy DePaulo

325 Five Islands Road

Georgetown, ME 04548
www.botanicalartists.org

Printed on certified 30% post consumer material