A word of caution for Rudbeckia painters: handle with care

A word of caution for Rudbeckia painters: handle with care

Few flowers say “late summer” quite like Rudbeckia Hirta Prairie Sun, with its velvety brown-black cone and sunburst of golden petals. It’s a favorite subject for botanical artists — bold, structurally satisfying, and endlessly forgiving of imperfect...
What you’re really buying

What you’re really buying

Recently, a fellow botanical artist sent me a quote she found on social media. It’s expressed as a reminder to a potential buyer of art as to what they are really buying. “When you buy a piece of art from an artist, you are buying hundreds of hours of failures...
Leonardo – The science and the art of seeing

Leonardo – The science and the art of seeing

As many artists who have studied with me over the years know, I have long been fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci’s seamless connection between science and art. My own interest is no doubt heightened by a shared love of geometric forms—especially the circle and the...
Colour theory challenged, doing the “impossible”

Colour theory challenged, doing the “impossible”

Recently, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across an artist mixing oil paints on a palette with a palette knife. He had three blobs of pigment: PG7 Phthalocyanine Green, PR122 Quinacridone Magenta, and PW6 White. He began blending some of the Quinacridone...