57. 4th Annual Botanical Art Exhibition: Enriching Life at Brushwood- Heeyoung Kim & Brushwood Botanical Artists

-

"It's getting better every year!" 

Well, that is what I have been trying :). It has been delightful and grateful to study botanical art with 25 talented and aspiring botanical artists in 2018. I 'teach' them, but I also 'learn' from them. So, my students and I study togehter, and we have been building up the whole community around Brushwood Center. Each year, I see more and more people show interest in botanical art, and willing to learn more about it. 

How did I design the invitation card? 

As you see, the invitation card shows it all. There were too many excellent works, which caused me a serious problem in choosing one to feature on the card. So, I came up with an idea to feature everyone's work on a jumbo size folded card! So, everyone is featured! It is the best invitation card I have ever made :)))   

Not only the card, but the quality of all works exhibited is quite impressive, too. I am so proud of everyone who worked very hard to make this happen again this year, especially my students' families and friends, and the Brushwood Center's executive director and staffs. They have been the most supportive people ever! I am utterly grateful for that. 


25 participating artists! 

Congrtatulations to you all!

Christine Cheney, Dolores Diaz, Joann Dinneen, Peg Gabala, Sandy Kessel, Catherine Kenyon, Claudia Lane, Meredith Lincoln, Jean Meilinger, Eileen Miller, Monica Munaretto, Pamela Najarian, Ramiro Prudencio, Patricia Robillard,  Barbara Rose, Carole Schumacher, Jane Sturgeon, Mary Voegeli, Kathy Walsh, Mary Janet Wellensiek, Susie Williams, Judy Woznyj, Grace Yoo, Deborah Zimmerman, Diane Jaffe and Heeyoung Kim



Opening Reception

Ok, winter is harsh here in Chicago area. November 4 is not safe from sudden icy rain or heavy snow. Alas, it was cold and rainy, despite of my prayer! However, when we were ready with food set up and live music by fantastic acoustic guitarist, Rick Frank, started, the large forest preserve parking lot was getting fuller! Whew!!!! One thousand cards were printed and displayed at Brushwood Center a month ahead, each students spreaded about 20 cards, hundreds mailed, and more email blasts by me and Brushwood Center...
All the efforts were well paid off. We were blessed with joy and excitement by artists, families, friends, and just anyone who admired the artworks. Later, many said to me that the extra pretty invitation card inspired them to come and see the artworks in person. Lesson: high quality invitation cards are critical to impress potential audience. So, I don't mind spending some more to get the best quality I can get ,but the cost was too much this time. Thankfully, when I explained it to my students, each chipped in generously. So, it all worked out.

Smart strategy to reach out to more people ;)

It is not easy to draw people to the show constantly after the opening reception. So, on the next Sunday, Nov 11, I planned an extra demonstration about keeping a botanical sketchbook aiming to attract some new people who wanted to taste a little bit of botanical art. With this demo, I tried to show some general ideas about keeping botanical sketchbook through presentation, rather than being too professional or specific. I also showed what I have been doing with my native plant documentation project, which was very well received.

Also, on Saturday, Nov 8, our beautiful botancal art exhibit was used as backdrop for Brushwood Center Doner Appreciation Reception featuring performance by a violinist, Dr. Natanel Draiblate. Perfectly, it drew lots of viewers. 

On December 8 & 9, one more event is scheduled along with the exhibit: Brushwood Holiday Art Market. This will draw a lot of extra local viewers to the show. And I will have a pop up demo corner during the art market. It is the perfect opportunity to promote my botanical art program and botanical art in general. I am planning to be there for both days with my brochures ready :) If you are local, please, stop by. You might find perfect holiday gifts made by many local artists and artisans, including our botanical prints, and others, oh, of course, the originals on the wall :) 

So, the 4th Annual exhibit, Enriching Life at Brushwood Center: Heeyoung Kim & Brushwood Botanical Artists has been strategically staged with extra events to introduce botanical art to broader audience. I am already excited about the 5th one :))
(The video about the 4th Annual will be posted soon.)


Back of the invitation card listing extra events and info


Some photos from the opening reception (Video will be ready soon!)













Popular posts from this blog

65. New in July: Zoom Special: Botanical Watercolor Troubleshooting

-
Image
Watercolor demo for a series of Zoom class, grapes, ©Heeyoung Kim 2020 Painting is a meditative activity to me. I immerse myself into the whole painting process and become one with my tools. Since I teach, however, I force myself to be awaken to sort out which parts need to be noticed to point out to my students in the class. That has lead me to have a list of certain painting techniques that are commonly troublesome to my students. With the current pandemic situation, all my local classes are converted to online instruction and we feel grateful to continue our weekly botanical art classes without interruption. I even start the class 20 minutes earlier to have some fun chat time to secure full 'art time'. We miss the in-person classes, of course, but the virtual connection with our painting buddies has been blessing amid the isolation time. On top of that, thanks goodness, my students find the instructions presented on their personal computer screens are clear, and mu
Read more

70. New Botanical Watercolor Courses for Beginners on Saturdays

-
Image
It will be via Zoom, continuously!  The pandemic changed our every life dramatically. We have discovered every possible way to get connected and continue our daily activities amidst the frightening uncertainty. The adjustment to online platform, Zoom, was one of the changes I made for my classes, but surprisingly, it became the favorites for my students. To compensate the indirect learning situation in the online classes, I put in extra time and efforts for the class preparation to make each class an effective learning experience. The results have been very rewarding. Both my students and I love having the classes via Zoom. So, we decided to continue the Zoom classes even though we can go back to in-person classes in USA. The continuing Zoom class means people from far away can take this watercolor for beginners! In my current drawing classes on Saturdays I  have people from several states and abroad. Every week, it is fun to say hi to each other, and hear what's happening in many
Read more

Paintings & Stories: 42. A Special Treat to a Lady!

-
Image
Large Yellow Lady's Slipper Orchid Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens ©Heeyoung Kim Finally Finished! Some years ago, a fairly old lady approached me after she saw my paintings at a show. She 'confessed' that a bunch of Yellow Lady's Slipper Orchids thrive in her back yard. I was invited to see them. My jaw dropped, completely! They were so beautiful! I started to study them right away, but it was a bit too late. Soon, the flowers got brown spots. I was determined to study them very closely during the rest of the season. The lady's German shepherd was getting used to me in the meantime.     I had good amount of drawings, and more than enough studies, not to mention hundreds of photos taken from every possible angles. However I could not start painting. I needed more time. I needed to get to know the lady's slipper better. In the next fall and winter, the sketches and photos were lingering in my head until I decide the composition. In the n
Read more