Dear Friends:
In last month's newsletter, I gave an overview of the history of botanical art. There was brief mention made of several developmental stages of this art form in particular the herbal plant discovery for medicinal purposes. From the beginning, all records of human existence point to this very fact: plants are documented for their use.

Even before we could write, humans made a point of recording the plants around them and whether they were edible or not. This simple understanding then of course led to the discovery of their medicinal properties.

Unfortunately, these early discoveries were not properly recorded, but rather passed down orally, often within families, and thus the knowledge of their proper use was lost and altered. Fortunately today we are still learning about plants from obscure cultures. My work in the Dominican Republic is an example of how modern research enables wonderful re-discoveries of local native plants, their medicinal properties, and how they can best be used.

Sacred clay tablets, hieroglyphics, then later, books and manuscripts all marked the beginning of written documentation. The Egyptian Ebers Papyrus written around 1550 BCE describing natural plants and properties, the Chinese and Ayurvedic texts about herbal medicines written between 2700 and 1500 BCE and the Greek physicians Hippocrates, Theophrastus, and Dioscorides who pursued the discover of medicines, the early quest for and writings about the healing powers of herbs remained no small matter.

As I mentioned last month, monks in Christian monasteries from the 9th through 11th centuries were chiefly responsible for recording many of these early discoveries. They documented the medicinal purposes of plants in books called "Herbals." The job of copying these books was passed down and illustrations were rarely taken from the actual plant. This abstraction created copies that contained distorted information about the true nature of the plants being described.

Fortunately, the Renaissance which brought about the beginning of modern science pulled civilization out of the Dark Ages and prompted original thought. During the 14th and following centuries, plants were documented according to their true physical morphology. Re-recordings of the early monastic records prompted new investigation with great vigor.

Both the science of navigation and the printing press made it possible for the revised printed herbals to gain popularity. And with so much available information and with a vehicle that would allow wide spread influence, accurate illustrations and proper taxonomy (plant naming) of plants borne from first-hand observations were in high demand.

Although Europe holds a significant portion of the history regarding the use of medicinal plants for healing, America began the process of integrating North American plants into the European materia medica, which ultimately altered the face of herbal medicine in Europe. Botanical illustrators more than ever before played a necessary role in plant idenification from sea to shining sea and beyond.

We are fortunate today to have a wealth of this historic information available to us in the various museums and libraries throughout the world. In these places, we are able to see the magnificent antique collections of illustrated Herbals as well as those printed in later centuries. One such place near Florence, Italy called the Aboca Museum has made its primary goal the illustration and documentation of medicinal herbs. Its ancient library contains a collection of over 1,000 printed volumes from the 16th to the 20th century of old herbals, botanical books, and related manuscripts.

At the Bodleian Library, Cambridge, England, one can find assorted texts of Herbals and other medieval medical images from as early as the 11th century. Also, a book published in association with the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh, PA, called Plant, Animal & Anatomical Illustration in Art and Science: a Bibliographical Guide from the 16th Century to the Present Day by Gavis Bridson references John Payne's complete Flora: Flowers, Fruits, Beastes, Birds, and Flies Exactly Drawne (London, 1660) and includes full-page illustrated plates. Additionally, the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, PA, is holding a copy of William Bartram's Botanical and Zoological Drawings, 1756-1788, that contains over 60 botanical illustrations.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that thousands of listings of books where information on herbs can be found complete with black and white line drawings and color illustrations are not only available for viewing but the mention of which gives a glimpse into the enormous world of botanical art and to the importance of its tiny subjects.

"Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time." Georgia O'Keefe

God Bless. OM

Soul Biz

A pleasing melancholy pervades the soul as we trace the memorials of these devoted and magnanimous men, benefactors of the human race. They seem to redeem the vary character of man from all the vile aspersions that have been cast upon it; they shine as spendid beacons on the solitude of time, to point out to the traveller the road to glory and the haven of immortality and peace."

The Working-Man's
Family Botanical Guide
by William Fox, M.D. 1924

Art Classes

Exhibitions

Marie Selby
Botanical Gardens
present
An Artist's Tribute to
Selby Garden's Botanical Legacy
Botanical Paintings
by Karen J. Schunck
July 17 to August 29, 2005

Batiks Botanicos
by Angela Maria Isaza
September 2 to October 14, 2005

10am to 5pm Daily
In the Selby Mansion
811 South Palm Avenue
Sarasota, Florida
941-366-5731

Brooklyn Botanical Garden
The Secret Garden:
A Women's View
Photograpy Exhibit
June 5 to August 2, 2005
Second Nature: Abstractions of Botanical Forms -
Pastels by Nancy Storrow
September 23 to November 13, 2005
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
718-623-7200

GARDEN EVENTS
Fairchild Tropical Gardens
Volunteer Day
August 24 & 25, 2005, or
September 10, 2005
9:30am to Noon
Call 305.667.1651 x 3344

Book Buys
The New Age Herbalist
Consultant Editor
Richard Maybe

The Holistic Herbal
by David Hoffman

Los Remidos
Traditional Herbal Remedies
of the Southwest
by Michael Moore

Medicinal Plants of the
Pacific West
by Michael Moore

Web Addresses
for Loads of Books on Herbs
www.mycountrygarden.net
www.herbalremedies.com
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Hunting for Art Supplies???

It's never been easier....

The OM ART Marketplace now has direct access to all the art supplies one would ever need to practice botanical art.

Click
www.omartdesigns.com
to visit our Marketplace

Click the easy access buttons for drawing and watercolor.
Supply lists appear and supplies can be purchased directly through Dick Blick.
Let me know if I am missing anything you might need.

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Available Only Through
OM Art Designs
OM ART TEXT BOOKS
PERPLEXI

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ENJOY YOUR SUMMER.

I'M GOIN' FISHING... :-)

SEE YOU IN OCTOBER!!!