Current Exhibition:
The Botanical Gourmet
Botanical Arts Society of the National Capital Region
November 17, 2022 — January 8, 2023
Reception, Sunday, November 20,
4 — 6 pm
For eons, animals ranging from massive leaf-eating dinosaurs to minuscule nectar-sipping insects have been attuned to the healthful benefits of a plant-based diet. For their part, plants have enlisted the help of animals by attracting them with visual and other cues for purposes of reproduction. These interactions, while necessary, are purely transactional. They lack the aesthetic spirit. That’s where botanical artists step in!
Botanical art is neither scientific illustration nor decorative floral composition, but an engaging
combination of the two. Like blue jays or cabbage moths, botanical artists are drawn to shiny red berries and bright yellow flowers, but unlike other creatures, they have the means to depict their attraction. The works in this exhibit focus specifically on plants that have health-giving nutritional properties for people.
Alice Tangerini, Honeycrisp Apple, Malus domestica (detail), Watercolor on vellum, 12” x 15”