Celebrating 20 Years Supporting Botanical Art and Artists!
The First Meeting of the Red-Turner Botanical Artist was on October 29, 2005,
Derek Norman convened the meeting.
Botanical art connects science to people with one finely tuned, articulate voice. And it draws us to plants, to conservation and to a sense of awareness and concern that without plants we are nothing. All of which makes the subject of botanical art so enormously relevant - more relevant today, perhaps, than it has been for generations. Derek Norman
Welcome to Reed-Turner Botanical Artists
Each year Reed-Turner Botanical Artist (RTBA) brings local botanical artists together to educate each other and the public about botany and the conservation of our natural resources through their artwork. Members have achieved success in presenting their botanical artwork at exibitions in the community. Members have also achieved success in national and international exhibitions, written articles in ASBA The Botanical Artist magazine and published books on botanical art. Reed-Turner Botanical Artist have made great strides in their 20 years.
Reed-Turner Botanical Artists is a Circle affiliated with the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA). Artists’ Circles are independent associations with a mutual interest in botanical art whose participants may be comprised of ASBA members and non-members. Reed-Turner Botanical Artists also maintains an ongoing relationship with the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Members meet monthly throughout the year. Meetings give members the opportunity to gather together with fellow botanical artists, learn botanical art techniques, become educated about botany, and share their botanical artwork.
Important Dates
September 27, 2025, 9:30 a.m. Monthly Meeting of Reed-Turner Botanical Artist Circle / Carol Jean Rogalski Silverpoint Workshop
Silverpoint is the art of drawing with a silver-tipped tool. This art form was utilized by old masters like Leonardo DaVinci. It lends itself nicely to botanical art. Carol Jean will be demonstrating this technique.
Members have received emails regarding the RSVP deadline date, materials that will be distributed and materials that members need to bring to the workshop.
Reed-Turner Botanical Artist Meeting at Reed-Turner Woodland Preserve. The Board of Directors will be reviewing matters with the committees.
*Snacks/refreshments as usual on that day.
Botanical Education Opportunities
This list is intended for the midwest area. It is in not all inclusive. The intention is to show the availability of botanical art education online or in-person this area.
Contact the RTBA website administrator HERE if you have a course coming up and would like it to be announced on the website or in the RTBA Newsletter.
Chicago Botanical Garden offers many botanical art courses both in person and online. Here are a few coming soon:
September 6 - October 25, 2025 Online Botanical Drawing
Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, The Field Museum. Strong drawing is the cornerstone of botanical art. In this class, we will work in pencil, covering the fundamentals of proportions, line, tone, dimensionality, and expression. We will work from live specimens, flowers, seeds, and fruit. Register HERE.
Heeyoug Kim offers many botanical art courses both in person and online. Here are a few coming soon:
Nov 6, 13, 20, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm The First Step toward Bird Painting: Demystifying the Complex Bird Anatomy for Accurate Drawing and Painting
This third in the series of 3 workshops is designed for those who want to add faunal elements such as birds to their botanical paintings, but have not gotten courage to start yet, or do not have enough knowledge and experience about drawing/painting them. Kim will guid them from drawing to painting with easy-to-follow demonstrations.
Register HERE for any in this series
Julia Trickey Talks are one hour presentations from award winning botanical artist and experienced tutors. Here are a few coming soon:
September, 11, 2025 - 7pm Seeing Nature by Drawing with Vlada Repina. Register HERE
Septermber 25, 2025 - 7 pm -From Challenge to Chill with Mary Dillon Register HERE.
ASBA offers many botanical presentations and tutorials online: most of these workshops are $15 for members and $25 for non-member. Here are a few coming soon:
September 11, 2025 Watercolor Painting in Sepia Tone with Lara Call Gastinger. Register HERE
Exhibitions & Events
Through the Eyes of Piping Plovers: Flora, Fauna & People of the Waukegan Shores
Waukegan History Museum, 1 N. Sheridan Rd, Waukegan, IL
September 12 - October 31, 2025
In collaboration with Share Our Shore - Waukegan (Lake County Audubon) and Waukegan History Museum at Carnegie, Heeyoung Kim, and 14 artists from Brushwood Monday Open Workshop and Tuesday Eco-Botancial Zoom Workshop of HK Botanical Art Academy took on a new theme, shorebirds, migrating/residential birds, and other fauna and flora in the dunes ecosystem, mainly of Waukegan shores.
Reception: Sept 12, 2025, 2 - 4 pm, 2025
Call for Entry
ASBA Orchids: Jewels of the Plant World / The Sixth New York Botanical Garden Triennial
March 11 - September 11, 2026
The theme for The Sixth New York Botanical Garden Triennial is all about orchids, whether terrestrial or epiphytic, found nearby or anywhere in the world. The diversity of orchids is incredible; there are over 30,000 species and over 100,000 hybrids.
Details of this Exhibition HERE
From Our Blog
Botanical Sketches and Rambles
Chronicling the interests and activities of Reed-Turner Botanical Artists Circle
Dues are $25 for the year. These dues are put towards programs, website and exhibition costs.
Memberships are for a calendar year, January through December.
Benefits
Shared community of local botanical artist with common goals
Stay up-to-date with the botanical arts events
Workshops, lectures, and field trips throughout the year
Annual local exhibition opportunity
Listing of members websites and artwork in exhibition galleries
Contact us for more information about joining Reed-Turner Botanical Artist
Membership
Background artwork: George Dionysius Ehret (1708 - 1770)