Finding Common Ground in Botanical Art Across the Continent
Botanical Artists Crossover Meeting via Zoom with the Central Texas Botanical Artists
Moderators:
Christina Lovering, Reed-Turner Botanical Artists Circle
Christiane Fashek, Central Texas Botanical Artists
Zoom meeting share
Artwork by Gail Dentler
On June 5, 2025, the Reed-Turner Botanical Artists Circle, met via Zoom with Central Texas Botanical Artists to share and discuss their recent artworks and ongoing projects. Members of each group shared the history of their botanical artwork, discussed different techniques and medium with a focus on native plants.
Communication Among Members
Reed-Turner Botanical Artists Circle members shares their events and artwork with each other and the public through the website and their monthly meeting. Central Texas Botanical Artists share their artwork through a more private internet medium of Padlet - a virtual bulletin board.
Slideshow of artwork at Mayslake Peabody Estate
Christina Lovering first made an introduction about the diverse group of the Reed-Turner Botanical Artists Circle and our meetings at Reed-Turner Woodlands. She had prepared a slide show of the Mayslake Peabody Estate Exhibition artwork. The presentation emphasized artwork of the native plants of the area and presented a photograph of the plant along with the artwork.
Zoom meeting share
Artwork by Jacqueline Casasnovas
The artists described the background for the artwork, the location and the history of the plant. Central Texas Botanical Artists were able to cross-reference plants that are also in Texas. Both groups shared their knowledge of common plants: anecdotes, memories, and food or dye recipes for these plants.
Fun facts: Poke Salad Annie is song about food made from the plant Pokeweed. Serviceberries are like blueberries, only smaller, and make good muffins and pies. Abraham Lincoln’s mother is believed to have gotten ill and died of milk contaminated by white snakeroot.
Zoom Padlet Share
Central Texas Botanical Artists share their information and artwork online
Padlet of artwork from Central Texas Botanical Artists
Christiane Fashek introduced the makeup of the Central Texas Botanical Artists which needs to meet online due to the distance between their members. She shared their Padlet page. The page is organized by columns for different categories: Wildflower Center, monthly meetings, books, etc.
The beauty of this format is that it is created collaboratively and in real time. Each member has a section and can post their progress on their artwork, while others can comment.
Central Texas Botanical Artists is a diverse group of botanical garden volunteers, botanical art students, botanical instructors. Members of each group shared their passion projects: birds and plants, plants that have adapted to urban environment, pollinators and plants, habitat of plants, endangered plants.
Each group shared how their groups gather and share information including education. Reed-Turner Botanical Artist Circle mostly gathering in-person for meetings, education, show and tell. Central Texas Botanical Artists mostly in zoom monthly for meetings, education, show and tell with in-person meeting about two times a year.
The Zoom meeting with our new Texas friends ended after a few hours. There were many thanks and smiles and the hopes to meet again in person at a conference or online.
The full Zoom meeting will be available for a short while. Link and passcode are on the RTBA Members Resource Page HERE