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Robert Sweet (1783-1835) Rosy Rhododendron
The snow-covered entrance to the Botanical Gardens didn't prevent the early spring crowd from "Getting the Jump on Spring 2007". It was mainly a showcase for the horticultural and garden societies (with even one called "Rock Gardens"!)
There were also lectures for the garden amateurs, to prepare for the few months of garden bliss.
I went to hear the lectures on Botanical Art, and Digital Photography. It was interesting to see the photographer show us her hand painted black and white photographs of plants and fruits, but that in no way is comparable to the beautiful work displayed by the painter Leslie Staple. Unfortunately, Staple has no website or images where her works are displayed. But, I can describe them as a mixture of texture and transcendence, with rich colors. Although her work is mostly watercolor, it looks almost like she added pastels to her technique to bring out the subtly roughened petals and leaves.
Botanical painting is of course centuries old, starting out probably as a way to graphically identify medicinal plants. Later on, the rigidness of botanical illustrations' scientific observation led some painters to try a more poetic and artistic approach, calling the method also an art form. Nevertheless, these are very precise and accurate depictions of plants and flowers.
I did buy, for less than half price!, a Robert Sweet diary for 2007 - I still have lots of days to fill in, and some home-made Rose soap. Unfortunately, the soap wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, but the diary will definitely stay.