September 8 and 9. Botanical Workshop with Wendy Hollender. New York botanical artist Wendy Hollender will visit campus the of Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA from September 6-10 to extend her creative work to plants of the prairie region and share her blend of scientific illustration and artistry with Grinnell audiences. The Center for Prairie Studies is sponsoring Ms. Hollender’s visit, which will include a public presentation, “Artist Demonstration, My Techniques for Creating Botanical Art in Colored Pencils,” on Friday, September 8, 4:15 p.m. in A.R.H. 102. On Saturday, September 9, she will lead a limited enrollment workshop on “Drawing for the Naturalist” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Conard Environmental Research Area. To register for this workshop, contact the Center at 269-4720 or vanwyk@grinnell.edu. An exhibition of Ms. Hollender’s work is on view at Burling Library, Lower Level, through September.
“Plant morphology fascinates me,” says Wendy Hollender. “Examining flowers under the microscope opens up a whole world of possibilities for inspiration. Nature is a perfectionist when it comes to the arrangement of color and form.” Through her work as a commercial artist creating floral designs for clients such as Wedgwood China and Westpoint Stevens, Ms. Hollender became intrigued with the complex beauty of plants. Since 2002 she is a full time Botanical Artist and Illustrator.
Ms. Hollender is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She also earned a certificate of botanical illustration from the New York Botanical Garden, where she teaches botanical art and illustration. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium Society.
Currently her clients include the New York Botanical Garden, the French beauty company Coty Inc., the Riverside Park Fund, the Morven Garden and Museum, and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. She painted the walls of one of New York City’s finest Italian restaurants, Cesca, with inspiration from ancient frescos, vegetables and architectural details of Italy. In May of 2004 she painted botanical frescos at Villa Il Sogno in Tuscany, Italy (www.villailsogno.com).
Recent exhibitions of her work have been
- “ Riverside Park and Beyond” at the Interchurch Gallery in New York City Spring 2006
- “Coastal Botanicals, from Nantucket and Beyond” at Wellesley College December, 2005
- “Native Flora: Botanical Treasures of the Northeastern Seaboard,” at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, MA., 2005
- “Alive in New York: A Growing Invasion,” at the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators traveling show, 2005
- Solo exhibit at the Horticultural Society of New York , 2003
- “Broadway Magnolia,” part of the exhibit at the New York State Museum called Focus on Nature, 2004
More event information can be found on Grinnel College’s website.
