Dear Art Patrons,
This is the Holiday invitation you’ve been waiting for. Good food, drinks, botanical paintings, and our ever-popular Merch Table with prints, notecards, scarves, wraps, etc. This year’s class project features brilliant flora against a black fold-up tote. I’ll exhibit golden freesia, lonely in my first accordion journal, and the surprise gift painting I mentioned previously, also available for sale in our print rack. On display as well, one or two, always in demand, Bug Hotels — hanging garden art for pollinators. My trumpet vine and hummingbird painting is in progress, and if I get that far, you’ll see the difficulty of depicting tiny fluorescent feathers!
The finished watercolor will be ready for our NorCal 2025 Plants Illustrated exhibition at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens for two weeks in late Jan. The theme, Partners in Pollination, is hummingbird apropos. We’re exhibiting in the Julia Morgan building just past the garden entrance. If it’s rainy, you’ll appreciate the 100-year-old walk-in fireplace, if sunny, you can hike, then have a simple winter picnic on the porch — we’ll hold your goods. Bring a little thermos of chowder and crackers, some crisp persimmon or apple slices, and cheese. If you want to get fancy, bring another little thermos of hot cider or mulled wine. And if you’re me, shortbread cookies.
Plants Illustrated 2025: Partners in Pollination
UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens
Julia Morgan Hall
200 Centennial Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
Jan 22- Feb 3, 2024. 10 am – 5 pm. Closed Tuesdays.
Artists Reception TBA
http://www.botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu
As promised, here is the surprise decoy painting I recently gifted. Turns out it also makes great notecards. I’ll have them packaged at Rocky’s Market in the Leimert district of Oakland, and/or mix and match your own card packs there, choosing from my 60 different botanical artworks. Or email me. This hand-carved pintail duck and call are part of my family history, and I think I nailed it.
Happy Holidays everyone. See you at the party.
Bonnie Bonner
aka Joanne Palamountain
https://www.BonniesBotanicalArt.com
Instagram: @bonniesbotanicalart
https://www.BonnieBonner.blogspot.com