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Dear Friends:
This past spring season has been a wonderful educational journey. Students from Canada, Georgia, Scotland, New York, Mexico, Minnesota, and around the corner studied here in Sarasota with me and other Academy instructors. We have had quite a time sharing, struggling, inspiring, and achieving. I wish to thank all these wonderful students who travelled here to achieve their dream of perfecting their botanical artistry. I love every minute of it and thank you all for working so hard and so well together.
During these many classes, we studied everything from drawing to watercolor, from research to photography, from morphology to scientific illustration. Wow what a ride. One thing that became very evident was not only the how to use but the what to buy when it came to cameras.
At the Academy the use of the camera is specific to research and recording information. Students are urged not to trace from photographs as they do not always reveal the important morphology. This and the fact that you simply do not learn to draw well if you are tracing.
I asked, Certified Academy Instructor, Susan Coffey to give us her recommendations on the purchase of cameras. Those of you who are not already properly outfitted might want to put a camera on your wish list.
Susan has been busy with the Camera this past year. Photography was her former love until Botanical Art took over. She has resumed this art form and has been teaching Academy students Photography and is additionally developing her own skills at Gicl�e making. Her ability to scan original artwork, clean it up, and produce high quality reproductions is quite impressive. Susan is offering to Academy students this service. Her website will soon be operational. More information on this to follow.
Next fall the Academy will be offering another one of Susan Coffey�s Photography Classes. Let us know your schedule preferences before we set the date. Class size will be limited so be sure to let us know right away.
My next workshop is scheduled in Lexington, Kentucky. I hope to see you there in August at the Arboretum for another rollercoaster ride or should I say thoroughbred ride.
Have a really great summer as you snap away at all those wonderful garden blooms. My newsletter will resume in September. See you then.
God bless. OM
Digital Cameras Today
By
Susan L. Coffey
Certified Academy Instructor
Certified Botanical Artist
There are literally hundreds of digital cameras to choose from today. Surprisingly, there have been over seventy-five new cameras introduced this year alone. Some of the more popular brands include Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony, Panasonic and Pentax. The list of manufacturers is endless. Figuring out which camera to buy can be a challenge. But, there are basically only two styles to choose from:
Point and Shoot (P&S) or Single-Lens Reflex (SLR)
Point and Shoot style cameras are much smaller in size than SLR�s making them very convenient to carry around. They are also a little more affordable depending which camera you choose. If point and shoots are properly set up they can produce some very nice pictures.
There are two major differences between the two styles. The first difference is that SLR cameras have removable lenses, which enable the photographer to have complete control over any scene. If you want to photograph the inside of a flower you might use a macro lens. If you want to photograph a sunset you could use a telephoto lens. This may sound like a lot of work to someone just beginning, but the learning curve between the two styles is not that much different. SLR�s usually come packaged with a multipurpose lens allowing the user the versatility they need starting out. You can also purchase an SLR camera without a lens if you already have lenses.
The second major difference is the image sensor. The image sensor on an SLR camera is larger and more complex than the sensor on a point and shoot style therefore, an SLR produces higher quality images.
I have been asked to recommend a camera to students who are just beginning their adventure into the world of photography. This is really hard to do. It would be much the same as suggesting to someone which car to buy. Each manufacturer designs their cameras to be just a little bit different from all of the rest with the hope of attracting more buyers.
My personal recommendation for anyone just starting out is: Treat yourself to an SLR. Honestly, when you are just beginning, they are not much more expensive than a high quality point and shoot.
Nikon offers several compact, user-friendly, entry-level DSLR�s.
Choose from the Nikon D40, which retails for $450, the Nikon D60 ($550) or the Nikon D80 ($770).
Canon also offers several entry level DSLR�s. Choose from Canon EOS Rebel XS retailing at $500, Canon XTI @ $500 or the Canon XSi @ $650.
My best advice would be to visit your local camera shop and ask to see several brands. Choose a brand that you can stay with as you advance. It makes life easier all around. Be sure to let the sales clerk know that as an artist, you will be doing a lot of macro (close-up) photography. SLR cameras will produce the best macro photographs.
Once you choose a camera, do yourself a favor and check prices on the internet. You will find some great deals out there today. It is best to stick with USA manufacturers. Word of caution, be sure you are getting a �USA Warranty� with your purchase. Go to www.acecam.com/message/4839.html to read an article on Grey market cameras.
Once you begin taking pictures you will be amazed at how quickly you will fall in love with photography.
Consumer Reports has just released an Electronics Buying Guide with a very comprehensive guide to digital cameras. PC has also just released their Buyers Guide #58 which also has extensive reviews on digital cameras. I highly recommend these magazines in addition to web surfing to gather information. Check out digitalcamerareview.com. There are many sites like this offering valuable information.
If I can be of any assistance or can answer any questions, please feel free to contact me. Happy shopping!
Warm Regards,
Susan Coffey
Slcoffey5@verizon.net
(941-350-2372)
And there�s more from OM�
A wonderful treasure of a website that you will want to bookmark: http://www.shortcourses.com tells us more about our camera and photography.
Here's a little background about Short Courses and its publisher...
Dennis Curtin is an editor, author, and publisher in the fields of photography and computers. On the publishing side, he was editor-in-chief of one of Little Brown's divisions and also held the same position in Prentice-Hall's technology and engineering program and Prentice-Hall International. In his role as an editor, he worked with Ansel Adams and was partly responsible for his shifting his book legacy to Little Brown. You can read more about this interesting story his site, entitled: "Ansel Adams and Me". Curtin then became a publisher of photography and computer books (Curtin & London) and then an author in these same fields. His website tells us that he has published or written many best-selling books in photography and computing.
I hope you find Mr. Curtin's site helpful and his books useful. Here are a few of his book titles:
Curtin's Guide to Digital Cameras and Other Photographic Equipment is a guide to choosing a digital camera and understanding its features. Includes coverage of camera bags, tripods, lighting equipment and much more.
Using Your Digital Camera clearly explains everything you need to know about using your camera's controls to capture great photos.
Displaying & Sharing Your Digital Photos discusses what digital photography is all about including printing your images as prints or books, displaying them on screen, and moving beyond the still image into exciting new areas.
Digital Photography Workflow covers everything from getting ready to take photos to storing, organizing, managing and editing your images.
Image Sensors, Pixels and Image Sizes describes key concepts such as resolution, aspect ratio and color depth that have a huge impact on your photographs.
Digital Desktop Lighting is a guide to low-cost tabletop photography equipment and the techniques used to photograph products and other small objects for eBay, Web sites, catalogs, ads and the like. The On-line Library of Digital Photography.
Bookstore is the home of printed copies, ebooks on CDs, and instant downloads of digital photography books published by Short Courses.
The All New OM ART Book Store
We keep adding information on Products & Art Supplies
Click Here To Visit Our Book Store and See What's New
Book Buys
Today's Botanical Artists
By Cora Marcus and Libby Kyer
The Digital Photography Book
by Scott Kelby
The Adobe Photoshop
CS3 Book for Digital Photographers
by Scott Kelby
Closeup Shooting: A Guide to Closeup,
Tabletop and Macro Photography
by Cyrill Harnischmacher
Digital Macro Photography
by Ross Hoddinott
Need Supplies? Visit Our Store!!
OM Art Book Store
OM Art Class Art Supplies
OM Art Instruction Books
For Shipping & Storing
Archival Clamshell Box
And
Glassine Interleaving Paper
Soul Biz
Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
~
He deserves paradise who can
make his companions laugh.
-The Qur'an
~
How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.
-Coco Chanel
~
One must care about a world one will never see.
-Bertrand Russell
~
If there is any kindness I can show,
or any good thing I can do
to any fellow human being,
let me do it now, and not defer
or neglect it, as I shall
not pass this way again.
-William Penn
~
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
-Victor Borge
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Art Classes & Workshops
You can now combine
Distance Learning with Class Time
at any of our locations!!!
Private Classes with O.M.Braida
Studio 20 Resumes October 2009
Time:
All Private Studio Classes
are from 9:30am to 2:30pm
Location:
2068 Sunnyside Lane, Sarasota, FL, 34239.
Just off 41 in the Southgate area two blocks north of Webber and the Mall.
Dates:
2009
October 1,8, 15, 22, 29
November 5, 12, 19
December 3, 10
2010
January 7, 14, 21, 28
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4, 11, 18, 25
April 1,15, 22, 29
May 6, 13, 20, 27
June 4, 18, 25
Tuition:
4 classes/20 hours: $450
Individual class: $125
Refreshments provided, but you may want to bring your own lunch.
Credit Cards Accepted!
Register Here
Or contact olivia@omartdesigns.com
Or Call 941-953-9999 for more information
Academy of Botanical Art sm @
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
To Register, visit www.selby.org
Or Call Marilynn Shelley 941-366-5731 x 239
2009/2010 Academy
@ Selby Schedule
Botanical Drawing & Watercolor
Noon to 5pm
Dates:
Three Day Workshops
2009
October 19, 20, 21
November 9, 10, 11
December 7, 8, 9
2010
January 18, 19, 20
February 15, 16, 17
March 22, 23, 24
April 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 (5-Day Workshop)
May 17, 18, 19
Botanical Art & Illustration
Certificate Program Classes
Ringling College of Art and Design
Learn How to Draw & Paint Plants
Beautiful Botanical Art Workshop
To Register, visit www.ringling.edu
Or call, 941-955-8866
Arboretum State Botanical
Garden of Kentucky
and the
Academy of Botanical Art sm
present
Instructors:
Olivia Marie Braida-Chiusano
Leslie Ramsey
Once again the Arboretum is proud to offer this special opportunity to join the Academy of Botanical Art in a four day botanical art workshop.
August 24, 25, 26, 27, 2009
9:00am to 4:00pm
With half hour lunch
Learn how to draw plants. Develop your nature drawing skills and illustrate a classical plant portrait in the French Court Tradition.
Join the second renaissance of botanical art and let your inspiration be tomorrow's masterpiece!
$450 Arboretum Member -- $475 Non Member
$8.00 paper materials fee payable to instructor
Student will please bring:
- three pears
- drawing and watercolor supplies
- two #3 round watercolor brushes
- one #0 round watercolor brush
- one or two mixing brushes
If you only want to draw, bring only drawing supplies.
Purchase art supplies here.
Arboretum Kentucky Drawing Supplies
Arboretum Kentucky Watercolor Supplies
Academy @ Kentucky
with Leslie Ramsey
Botanical Art Workshops
Graphite � Watercolor � Pen & Ink
Beginners to Advanced
With
Leslie Ramsey
Certified Botanical Artist
Certified Academy Instructor
THURSDAYS
to June
Day & Evening Classes
Day: 10am to 1 pm $200 (individual class $75)
Evening: 5:30pm - 8:30pm $200 (individual class $75)
Location
4464 Stuart Hall Boulevard #33102
Lexington, KY 40509
Art supplies and books not included.
For recent Arboretum/Kentucky University
Workshop attendees who completed Drawing I and Watercolor I, pursue the next level book
Drawing II and Watercolor II.
For Books and Course Paks and
Art Supplies visit�
www.botanicalartsupplies.com
To Register, call Leslie Ramsey:
606-434-4280
Events
With
Gary Borse, Clyde Butcher, Olivia Braida,
Mollie Doctrow, Julia Koliopolis, Nancy Mathews, John Penrod, Maria Saracena, and
Marjorie Shropshire
July 14th to September 11, 2009
Reception July 16, 2009 at 5pm
Arts Center Sarasota
707 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
Events
Green: The Primary Color
Appreciating the Natural Environment
July 14- September 12, 2009
This exhibit is an exploration and celebration of the Florida Environment. Artists from around the state express their relationship to the natural environment through all media.
Arts Center Sarasota
707 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
Exhibits Museums
South Florida Museum
201 10th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34205
(941) 746-4131
http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/
John and Mable Ringling Museum
5401 Bay Shore Road,
Sarasota Florida 34243
(941) 359-5700
http://www.ringling.org/
Museum of Fine Arts
255 Beach Drive NE, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 896-2667
http://www.fine-arts.org/
Salvador Dali Museum
1000 Third Street South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-4901
(727) 823-3767
http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/home.html
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-3890
(412) 268-2434
http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/
National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005-3970
(202) 783-5000
1-800-222-7270
http://www.nmwa.org/
Smithsonian Institute
10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW in Washington, D.C. 20560
(202) 633-1000
http://www.si.edu/
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10028
(212) 535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/
American Museum of Natural History
79th Street @ Central Park West
New York, New York
(212) 769-5100
http://www.amnh.org/
American Museum of Natural History
79th Street @ Central Park West
New York, New York
(212) 769-5100
http://www.amnh.org/
Modern Museum of Art
11 West 53 Street,
New York, NY 10019-5497
(212) 708-9400
http://www.moma.org/
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-5000
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/
High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
(404) 733-HIGH
Receptionist: 404-733-4400
http://www.high.org/
Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600
http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Bruce Museum One Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
203-869-0376
http://www.brucemuseum.org/
Harvard University Museum of Natural History
Home of the famous Glass Flower Sculptures
by Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895)
and his son Rudolf (1857-1939)
22 Divinity Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-2365
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/
Locate Other Fine Art Museums
Locate Garden Events
Academy of Botanical Art
Distance Learning sm
Now Available for Anyone
Interested in Endangered Species,
Bromeliads or Palms
Endangered Species for Botanical Artists
This wonderful course is available to anyone interested in the study of endangered species.
Academy Students earn elective credits for taking this course and completing the enclosed exam. A wealth of information that all will find extremely interesting.
Academy Electives: 15
by John Beckner, Botanist
$150.00 Non Certificate Student ~ $275 Certificate Students
Bromeliads for Botanical Artists
The structure of bromeliad plants and their flowers
with suggestions for ways to illustrate and
better understand these exciting plants.
Academy Electives: 5
by John Beckner, Botanist
$50.00 Non Certificate Student ~ $175 Certificate Students
Palms for the Botanical Artist
This publication is just the tip of an iceberg.
Palms are plants inclined to large dimensions.
They are very numerous and more varied than you first imagine. This text is for the person interested in illustrating them in various ways;
artistic or scientific and as a motif for crafts. But nearly all of it will be useful to plant lovers, tropical nature fans, gardeners and other people.
Academy Electives: 5
by John Beckner, Botanist
$50.00 Non Certificate Student ~ $175 Certificate Students
Click here to learn more about the
Academy and its instructors
ABA Instruction & Course Paks
The Academy of Botanical Art�s flexible program allows for distance learners to tailor a schedule of botanical art training to their needs that includes phone tutored lessons, classes with the Ringling College of Art and Design, the Marie Selby Botanical Garden, and Academy workshops now offered in several locations. Distance learners take advantage of classes offered in their hometown as part of their study program. There is hardly an excuse left not to join the Academy's growing school.
Book Volumes 1-8 = $38.00 each
Book Volumes 9 & 10 = $50.00 each
Plus Shipping and Handling
Accompanying ABA Course Paks
Volumes 1-9 = $19.00 each
Volume 10 = $25.00
Plus Shipping & Handling
Click Here To Order
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