OLIVIA MARIE BRAIDA-CHIUSANO

Olivia Braida is founder of the Academy of Botanical Art, a division of OM Art Designs.  As a Certified Botanical Artist, Ms. Braida has authored a book series entitled, “Ten Steps – A Course in Botanical Art, Volumes 1-10” which she has used to design the various classes that form the Academy’s Botanical Art Certificate Program. The botanical art lessons are designed to be sequential with each lesson building on the one before.  

Ms. Braida’s course curriculum emphasizes developing strong drawing skills and an understanding of both watercolor and pen and ink which are considered the traditional media of the botanical artist.  The entire program is designed to prepare the student for becoming a professional artist – whether it be for vocation or avocation.

Founder and Board President Emeritus of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists, Inc. (FSBA), Ms. Braida is delighted to expand the awareness of botanical art to both adults and young teens who may find the numerous opportunities connected with botanical art of great interest as they develop their drawing skills.

 Ms. Braida's work has received many exhibitionawards and publishing honors and is featured in “TODAY’S BOTANICAL ARTISTS” by Cora B. Marcus and Libby Kyer, Schiffer Publishing 2008 and in “Kirpal Singh,His Grace Lives On” published by Ruhani Satsang 2001.   She created a florilegia reflecting the biodiversity study in the Caribbean -- thirteen grand scale commissioned pieces now hang in the Cornell University’s Conference Center for Biodiversity and Medicinal Plants, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  Ms. Braida has been recognized by The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Research Division of Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, by the purchase for their private collection of her original watercolor, “Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ #2 and the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Florida by their acquisition of “Nelumbo Baby Doll’ a Dwarf White Lotus.  She has developed a network of clients within the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Thailand.  Ms. Braida is the founder and director of the Academy of Botanical Art. Her school, books, and teaching methods available through her Distance Learning Program attract students in the US, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia and Mexico.

A graduate of the State University of New York, Ms. Braida holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Art and a Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate from the New York Botanical Garden. She received her professional art training at SUNY Purchase, Pratt, the New York Art Students League, the New York Botanical Garden and studied under Master Painters Caesar Borgia and Anne Marie Evans in the New York and in the United Kingdom.

Ms. Braida also conducts travel workshops and offers distance learning both in the U.S. and abroad. She lives in Sarasota with her husband with other family members close by, including two young grandchildren who love to draw and paint.

Ron Sanders ^PAA

Ron Sanders is an extremely talented artist and the Academy of Botanical Art is proud to have him as part of their education team.

Ron is a Signature Member of the Paint America Association and Associate Member of the Oil Painters of America. With his inclusion in numerous national juried exhibitions and ever increasing Best of Show Awards, this dedicated artist houses his beautiful work in both private and public collections throughout the United States, including the Indiana State Museum Collection. Recent awards include First Place in the 2009 Richeson 75: Portrait/Figure competition and the Most Innovative Painting Award at the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society “Best of America 2008” exhibition.

A BFA graduate, Ron received a strong foundation in traditional art at the Columbus College of Art & Design including an introduction to Renaissance painting techniques by Nathaniel Larrabee. In spite of Ron's love for and commitment to Academic Realism, his preference for outdoor settings eventually lead to his study of impressionism and alla prima painting with instructors like Huihan Liu and then president of Plein Air Painters of America, George Strickland. This helped Ron develop a thorough understanding of outdoor color and plein air paint application which explains his advanced skill in expressing temperature and edge shifts that occur in natural light. Ron now integrates the design, draftsmanship, and layered painting techniques of his classical training with the color, texture and edges inspired by impressionism. He continues to explore the balance between the formal aspects of academic work and the expressive and romantic qualities of impressionism. He is author of the book Color Mixing/Color Matching: How to mix clean bright colors and beautiful neutrals.

Experienced in oil, watercolor, and acrylic, Ron has also worked as a commercial illustrator represented by agents in New York and Chicago. His commercial clients include Spike TV, Doubleday Book Club, Chase Financial, The Boy Scouts, BF Goodrich and many others. Although some of Ron’s work appears as limited edition prints, including extensively researched historical images, his focus is now on the sale of original paintings through galleries and on commissions. Learn more about Ron Sanders by visiting his website: www.sanders-studio.com

Ron is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1989 from the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, with a BFA in illustration and minors in advertising, photography, and fine art. He currently lives in Florida with his family.

LESLIE W. RAMSEY

Leslie Ramsey was born and raised in the beautiful mountains of Eastern Kentucky . She has always enjoyed drawing and painting.  Ms. Ramsey has been a snowbird since the tender age of two when her family began wintering in Bradenton , Florida .  She continues to call both Florida and Kentucky home.  It was during the winter several years ago that Ms. Ramsey met Olivia Braida at the  Ringling College of Art and Design Open House and  was so impressed with Ms. Braida’s watercolor rendering of a pineapple that she decided to take an introductory course in Botanical Art and Illustration and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ms. Ramsey is an award winning botanical artist, a member of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists and the Florida Native Plant Society.  Her work has been published in Ms. Braida’s “Ten Steps – A Course in Botanical Art.”  Ms. Ramsey followed the Academy’s instructor apprenticeship program to completion and is now an approved Academy instructor.  In addition, she was chosen to be part of the OM Art Design team that created images for the IWGS.  Her drawing of Nymphaea ‘St. Louis Gold’ was chosen for the cover of the 2006 International Water Garden Society program for the annual convention in Orlando, Florida.  She and Ms. Braida collaborated on the IWGS promotional materials featuring Freddy the Frog which can be seen on the symposium Freddy information fold-out for the IWGS arts competition and the symposium water bottles.   After drawing Freddy for many years he has finally hopped into the limelight.

Leslie Ramsey is currently living in Lexington, Kentucky where she recently began teaching the Academy lessons at the new Academy in Kentucky school.  In addition to her teaching, and her private art commissions, she has her own interior design firm, Designing Women, LLC. 

SUSAN LEIGH COFFEY

Susan Coffey started her career in the business world as a marketing specialist.  Her professional training and her love of art was the impetous for opening her own design firm in Nashua, New Hampshire where she completed commissions for hand painted furniture, faux finish, Trompe L’Oeille, and murals.

Ms. Coffey relocated to Sarasota, Florida in 1996 with her husband and three children where she continued to sell her designs.  An interest in executing “correct” botanical designs led her to the studio of O.M. Braida and a discussion that would re-directed her path forever.

Having completed the Fine Art Certificate Program and working on her final independent study for the Botanical Art Certificate offered at the Ringling College of Art and Design, School of Continuing Studies and Special Programs, Ms. Coffey followed a teacher apprenticeship program with Ms. Braida and now teaches the Academy lessons in photography, botanical drawing, watercolor, and pen & ink. Susan is a professional photographer and is the consultant for the Academy's Replicate Art Program for Digital Camera, Photography, & Art Reproduction. Susan can help student's choose the right camera for their research work, as well as photograph or scan completed artwork in preparation for Giclée reproduction. Her state of the art equipment will produce archival reproductions. To learn more visit her website: www.susancoffeydesigns.com

Ms. Coffey was selected to be part of the OM Art Design team that created the recent marketing campaign for the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society.  Her watercolor of the Nymphaea ‘Shirley Bryne’ was sold at the IWGS 2006 Symposium in Orlando, Florida, and parts of this design were commissioned for the IWGS aprons that were on sale.  She was responsible for compiling a large body of necessary botanical art discussion materials that the IWGS presenters used for their speeches on education, research, and conservation.  Her work with the IWGS garnered an invitation to a botanical field trip on the Amazon in spring of 2007 which resulted in wonderful research and field study.  She makes plants to return to the Amazon with another team of professional scientists and botanists.

Susan Coffey lives in Sarasota with her husband, and three beautiful children who exhibit their genetic influence by creating fabulous designs of their own.

DIANE L. HARM

Diane is an award-winning artist in both Ohio and Florida where she has won awards from several venues including the Florida Native Plant Society's Symposium cover competition and the Smoky Mountain Wildflower Brochure competition.

Born and raised for most of her childhood in Michigan. She attended Michigan State University for three years as fine arts major and finished her college education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with both a bachelor and masters degree in Art Education. As a graduate assistant to the Dean of the Art Education Department at Miami she received a high degree of teaching experience which greatly prepared her to teach high school art in Dayton, Ohio.

After raising her children, she reentered the business world, as an account executive for a major communications company. During this time she continued to take art courses at night and exhibited in several shows. Upon retiring from the cooperate world , she began her own business, Fee, Fie, Faux Fun, doing faux finishes, painted furniture, Tromp L'Oeille, and murals.

While working as a decorative painter, Diane completed the Master Gardener Program through the Ohio State Extension in Montgomery County, Ohio and has become very active in the organization, as program committee chair and board member. Her study of plants through the Master Gardener training and her love of gardening have greatly influenced her botanical art.

In 2005 the Harm's became snowbirds spending the winters in Florida. Intrigued by combining her knowledge of gardening with her artistic temperament, Diane enrolled in the Botanical Art & Illustration program designed by O.M. Braida for the Ringling School of Art and Design. Her interest in botanical art became a passion and she decided to pursue her Certification in Botanical Art under the tutelage of O.M. Braida which she earned in December of 2008. During these years she was also a founding member of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists and acted as Vice President and newsletter editor until 2008. Currently, Diane lives with her husband Marty in rural southwest Ohio. She has two married sons and four grandchildren.

The Academy is proud to appoint Diane Harm as a Certified Academy Instructor and Director of the Academy @ Ohio. She brings her experience as an educator, her artistic abilities, and her professional experience to everyone that participates in her botanical art classes. To learn more about Diane and her work, visit: www.dianeharm.com.

ROSALIND SORBELLO ROWE

Rosalind S. Rowe is a researcher, writer, educator, and nature artist. Her extensive career in nature studies has provided opportunities that involve her in the study of Central Florida Invasive Plants for the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and as editor for the Florida Native Plant Society newsletter (Sabal minor).

Rosalind has been busy contributing her research and case studies to provide hands-on activities for 12th grade science textbooks, as well as conducting research to summarize and create composite species descriptions for over 2500 plants, descriptions which will be used as baselines for the herbarium and field research applied to writing Flora of Virginia. Never too far removed from the botanical art world, Rosalind has contributed line drawings and paintings of plants for brochures and displays for The Wintergreen Nature Foundation and the Next Steps Collective.

Rosalind brings to the Academy her knowledge of botany and of education. Her background as a Senior Technical Writer and Education Curriculum Developer for Computer Associates not only gave her experience in designing and developing training deliverables, including Student Workbooks and instructor guides, but also in performing editorial and quality assurance reviews and in mentoring her peers and others working on course development products. The Academy is delighted to have Rosalind’s contribution to their course study of Plant Morphology for Artists by O. M. Braida. We are grateful to her contribution to the course work book and her many suggestions for improving the plant morphology course for online students.

Rosalind Rowe holds a B.S. in Information Systems Management from the College of Business, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida (3.9 GPA) and studied in the Ecosystems Analysis core program in Maths & Sciences major at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her analytical and strong communication skills (she speaks fluent English, French and some Spanish) will go a long way to help students enjoy their studies of Plant Morphology for Artists at the Academy of Botanical Art. She currently lives in Florida with her family. Academy Students can contact her at rosalind@academyofbotanicalart.com .

JOHN BECKNER, BS Botany

“Only the individual artist can be truly creative and express whatever the artistic goal may be.  To reach the level of talented art production a vast foundation can be learned from those who have already gained experience.  Olivia Braida is one such person, an artist and a teacher, who has covered just about anything the student, will want to know to begin their botanical art career in her “Ten Steps” series.  Even more important, she teaches what they did not realize they needed to know.  It is a privilege to be associated with such an ongoing effort.  In the years ahead we can watch for the growing body of talented students and an impressive body of artistic results.” JB

ALAN BAMBERGER

The Academy is honored to have among its instructors Alan Bamberger who will be consulting with its distance learners during their study of “Marketing Your Art – The ABC’s of Developing Your Art Career” program. Mr. Bamberger has a very long and distinguished career as an art consultant, advisor, author, and independent appraiser specializing in research, appraisal, and all business and market aspects of original works of art, artist manuscript materials, art-related documents, and art reference books. He has been selling art since 1979 and rare and scholarly art reference books since 1982, and has been consulting and appraising for artists, galleries, businesses, organizations and collectors since 1985. You will want to learn more by visiting his website: www.artbusiness.com.

Bamberger has appeared live on CNN's Daywatch, KTLA's Making It (Los Angeles), and KRON-TV in San Francisco, and answered art business questions on New York City Cable TV's Project Art Show. He's been quoted in numerous media including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Great Britain's Guardian Unlimited, Marketplace (National Public Radio), the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, ESPN Magazine, Real Simple, ARTnews, The Arizona Republic and Wired and has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Your Money, and other publications.

Bamberger has written about the art business since 1983. His syndicated column, "Art Talk," debuted in 1985 and appeared in antique and collectibles newspapers and magazines nationwide including Antique Week, Mid-Atlantic Antiques Magazine, Yesteryear, Antique and Collectables, The Collector, Antiques and Auction News, Antique Gazette, Old Stuff, and Collectors Journal. Bamberger currently writes the "Turning Pro" column for Coagula Art Journal, has been a columnist for Art Calendar Magazine, and has written numerous articles about the art business for publications like American Artist, Antiques and Fine Art, Antiques West, Antique Trader, San Francisco Review of Books, and Art of California. He has also written three books, Buy Art Smart and Art For All, published by Wallace-Homestead in 1990 and 1994 respectively, and The Art of Buying Art, published by Gordon's Art Reference in 2002, and then revised and enlarged in 2007.

He has given expert testimony in court, done numerous radio interviews, spoken with Spencer Michaels of The News Hour With Jim Lehrer regarding a PBS news story about eBay, consulted with financial columnist Andrew Leckey for annual predictions on what's hot in the art market, been interviewed by Random House editors for the art section of their book The Practical Guide to Practically Everything, and is a listed expert in Tony Hyman's Trash or Treasure. He also speaks to museum and collector groups across the country and was the original moderator of the "Topics in Art" forum on the Antique Week website.

Bamberger is a member of the Association of Online Appraisers, the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. He has served on the board of directors of Creativity Explored, an organization dedicated to encouraging artistic expression in the developmentally challenged, on the exhibition committee of Visual Aid, a service organization serving artists with life threatening illnesses, and worked with ArtSpan which produces San Francisco Open Studios. Visit: http://www.artbusiness.com/

Howard L. Cowdrick

Artist Statement:

The Spirit Rising series is a manifestation of those quiet moments during a prayer, a meditation, or the twilight moment when one is falling asleep � that time when suddenly a hidden thought or emotion seems to be revealed.

DOB: July 28, 1948 -- POB: Lakewood, NJ

Teaching:

Academy of Botanical Art at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Ringling College of Art and Design-Fine Arts Marketing

VICTORIA KIBILDIS

Teaching Experience:
 
Academy of Botanical Art at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL
Big Arts on Sanibel Island, FL
Edison College off-campus, FL
Calusa Scribes, Ft. Myers, FL
Coastal Calligraphers Guild, Sarasota, FL
Florida Gulf Coast Society of Scribes, Clearwater, FL
Scribes of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Cape Coral Art League, FL 

 Education:

            1997-Present:

1. Lettering art classes in a variety of broad-pen lettering styles, i.e. Italic, Foundational, Romans, Neuland, Blackletter, and variations thereof. 
2. Pointed pen styles include Copperplate and Spencerian. 
3. Brush lettering includes flat brush and pointed brush. 
4. Studied with Julian and Sheila Waters, Thomas Ingmire, Brody Neuenschwander, Nancy Culmone, Sheri Kiesel, Peter Thornton, Reggie Ezell, and many others. 
5. Additional classes include, but not limited to, gilding and illumination, paper surface techniques, and hand made books.

1. Annual International Calligraphy Conference
2. The IAMPETH Annual Conference with extended workshops. 
3. 2006 Reggie Ezell Course: Organized and participated in a 12 month course of study with this noted teacher.

MARGUERITE JILL DYE

Jill Dye brings to the Academy of Botanical Art her delightful spirit and artistic skills. Her work is influenced by her love of life, nature, France and China. Her deep connection with the natural world translates into respect for all of nature. Surrounded by nature and life, she paints what she feels and experiences: the movement of the wind translates into spontaneous brush strokes and lively lines; flickering sunlight and shadow become a playful dance of color and light; a sense of serenity becomes gentle transparent glazes of harmonious hues. The spirit of the place determines the mood of the painting, whether active and exciting or meditative and peaceful.

Academy students have enjoyed Ms. Dye’s classes in ink and watercolor, as well as her cheerful instruction in the art of Chinese Brush Painting. She tells her students, “The highest ideal is to create the work with a pure heart so the viewer will absorb only the best qualities of the artist which are believed to transcend the work of art.”

A Brief Biography of the Artist

Art Education: The Ringling College of Art and Design’s Fine Art Certificate Program, Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art (Hangzhou, China), Schiller International University (Paris), Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Museum of Fine Art, private tutorials :China, US.

Teaching Experience:Classes and workshops for adults, children and families in Chinese Brush Painting, Chinese Culture, Watercolor, Ink and Watercolor, Plein Air Painting, Watercolor Woodblock, Experimental Work on Rice Paper, Eclectic Art, The Artist’s Way, Creating the Life You Want to Live.

Organizations and locations:Sarasota Arts Council Visiting Artist in numerous schools throughout Sarasota City and County (2003-current);The Academy of Botanical Art (2005-current);Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (2004-5);Sarasota Studio Classes (2003-5)Chaffee Art Center, Rutland VT (2005, 6);Killington Summerfest (2005,6);Richmond Partners in the Arts, Arts and Humanities Center, Henrico County Arts Program, Richmond Hand Workshop, Arts on the Square, Richmond Children’s Museum (1990-2000)

Exhibits:1985 to Present:One woman and group exhibitions in Florida (including Promenade Gallery, Imperial Fine Art Gallery, and the Abbott Galleries of St. Armand’s Circle), Virginia and Vermont, plus public, private and corporate collections in the US, Europe and China; Ms. Dye is the recipient of numerous awards and certificates

Associations:Founder and Director of Friendship Through the Arts, a cultural exchange program of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association, leader of nine delegations of artists, writers and teachers to China, hosted numerous Chinese delegations in US Sarasota Sister Cities Committees for China and France, leading delegation of artists to France 2007 National League of American PEN Women (served as Virginia State President), member Arts and Letters in Virginia, Vermont, Florida (1985-2006) Killington Arts Guild

LESLIE A. NICKS

Leslie Nicks studied Oceanography pursuing marine illustrations and scientific illustration for field study work.  Her skills and interests led her to work as a consultant in the nuclear industry in one of the premier nuclear training facilities in the United States.  She was responsible for illustrating training manuals, visual presentations for upper management and assist in the production of training videos.  

After relocating to Florida, Ms. Nicks started in her own marketing business where she became a corporate educator.  She also coached young athletes in synchronized swimming.  Her continued passion for the outdoors and art led her to have a conversation with a friend who said “the botanical art program at Ringling is a perfect match for you.”  Not sure how she could juggle working, coaching and being a single mom she enrolled to take one class in Ms. Braida's Botanical Art Certification Program at Ringling College of Art and Design.  She found the program to be so fantastic she continued on and hasn’t looked back.

Ms Nicks continues to work under the tutelage of O.M. Braida to receive both her certification as a botanical artist and as an approved Academy instructor sometime in the Spring of 2009.  Ms. Nicks is the recipient of several awards at student exhibitions for her graphite and watercolor paintings including Best of Show for watercolor.  Her artwork is published in O.M. Braida’s Ten Steps book series.  Ms. Nicks serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Society of Botanical Artists (FSBA) as treasurer.  The FSBA is a chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA).  She is also a member of the Florida Native Plant Society and the International Waterlilly and Water Gardening Society.