Green: source versus screen

Green: source versus screen

Three years ago, I posted an article about the use of digital versus natural greens in botanical art. Unfortunately, it’s an ongoing issue. Artists who have sourced all their information about a subject from a screen (hand-held devices or computer monitors) are most...
Botanical art in a war zone; it’s a battle

Botanical art in a war zone; it’s a battle

By Michael Best Creating botanical art in a war zone is a battle. And Ukrainian botanical artist, Alona Hrinchuk, is living that battle. She’s creating botanical art in circumstances unimaginable to those of us whose daily lives do not include air raid sirens,...
Watercolour: simplicity and style in small spaces

Watercolour: simplicity and style in small spaces

While working on my latest e-booklet on watercolour techniques for botanical art, I was looking for images by artists whose work offers information on the process they use, while at the same time speaking to an identifiable style. In other words, I wanted works that...
Renewal rising from the ashes

Renewal rising from the ashes

I’ve been offline for almost all of December while visiting the Western Cape region of South Africa; a special place that was once my home. One purpose of our trip was to attend an important family celebration. But it was also an opportunity to enjoy a much-needed...
An apparent AI fraudster targets a botanical art group.

An apparent AI fraudster targets a botanical art group.

This past week botanical artists received a warning about how seedy the seedy side of social media can be, especially since the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I was visiting the Botanical Art for Coloured Pencil group on Facebook, when a new post caught my...