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 exhibition awards 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 currently on a worldwide tour.  She has developed a network of clients within the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Thailand.  Her school, books, and teaching methods attract students as far away as 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.

PENELL SKINNER

Penell Skinner brings to the Academy a dynamic teaching style coupled with a broad professional background. She taught for several years in the Diocese of New York City at Cardinal Spellman and for the School of French Culture in Paris . 

Penell has written and delivered educational lectures for international travelers with American Tours International, Grand Circle, Collette, People-to-People Ambassadors and EF America.

 
From her childhood in New York City on Penell has been studying art.  Following lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick and The Whitney to her days in Washington, D.C. at the Corcoran and Philip’s galleries, and at the Louvre during study at the Sorbonne, Penell has listened, viewed and learned about the details and evolution of painting.  Over the last six years Penell has studied botanical drawing with the Academy and sold both sculpture of children and fruit drawing to private collectors.

After gaining her degree from Georgetown University in Languages and Linguistics, Penell traveled professionally for many years to many of the world’s important cities.  Over a period of 35 years Penell had been fortunate to view and discuss a variety of world art.   She arrives now to a singular professional goal; that is, to bring people together for peaceful co-existence and to facilitate the knowledge and enjoyment of our world both in nature and art.

Ms. Skinner, as the Academy’s Dean of Academic Affairs, is the student’s link to education, materials, instructors. 

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 botanical drawing, watercolor, and pen & ink.  She is comfortable working in Watercolor, Graphite, Pen & Ink, Charcoal, Acrylic, & Oil.

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.

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

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.