Thanks, Mo!

Thanks to garden writer Maureen Gilmer for her kind words about GardenRant.  She says, " These chicks are smart and witty, and have obviously been around the garden..."

You're damn right.  But here's what we really wanted to tell you:  Mo has produced a cool new e-book all about botanical illustrations. It's quick and easy to download from her website, and it's a useful guide to online resources for old botanical art.  She shows you where to go online to find horticultural art, and what to do with it once you're there.  If you're the crafty type, she's got all kinds of ideas for using botanical illustrations on cards, collages, and so on.

Comments

[angela]

I've been a Maureen Gilmer fan for years. I love the historical info she weaves into her articles and I appreciate her "zonal intelligence". When she writes for my paper, she hasn't forgotten what it's like to garden in the northern California/Central Valley region... even though she's a southern Californian now.

Her TV show is fun too. It's veeeeeery refreshing to see a female gardening show host who isn't a ditz.

Her botanical illustrations e-book is gorgeous and fascinating. Now I'm curious about online botanical illustrations; I just Googled the term and got the following website, which has a members' gallery and link to artist websites:

American Society of Botanical Artists

http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/ASBA/ASBotArtists.html

[Kathy Jentz]

This is what my brother doesfror a living - selling antique prints - many are botanicals and most are in the $10-30 range -- not dirt cheap, but not outrageous. What I find ridiculous is the prices they charge for reproductions at certain home design changes.
I can see that Mo has a real eye in her use of the prints she gets online. One project I'd suggest is using the prints for making simple children's flip books and coloring pages.

[Pam]

What a beautiful online resource. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Cynthia Padilla, Botanical Artist/Naturalist Illustrator]

Thnaks for the info. I am a botanical artist and happy to read of all I can on the topic. Here is an informal international discussion group anyone can join:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/botanicalart Botanical Art & Naturalist Illustration. Forum for artists, photographers, fanciers, directors, dabblers, doodlers, illustrators, collectors, calligraphers, crafters, naturalists, gardeners, botanists, scientists, growers, explorers, directors, writers, journalers, educators, birders, shopkeepers, curators, printers, historians, enthusiasts...the curious [whew]. Dedicated to the realistic portrayal of plants, flowers and natural science subjects!