Within One Cubic Foot

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Plant Conservation

In this photo essay, renowned ecologist E.O. Wilson writes about the importance and magnificence of the smaller organisms on the planet. Photography by David Liittschwager highlights 5 different ecosystems, including a coral reef and deciduous forest, representing the many different creatures that inhabit 1 cubic foot of the earth.

Links:

• Within One Cubic Foot via National Geographic

And another thank you to Claire Thompson for again contributing a weblog entry.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM

Botanical Meets Digital

Category(-ies): Botanical Art

This pictorial features the work of Macoto Murayama, whose colorful computer generated illustrations reveal the geometric, almost mechanical features of some common flowers.

Links:

• Botanical Drawings for the Digital Age via Wired Magazine
• More of Murayama's work via PSFK: Macoto Murayama's Flower Illustrations

This weblog entry is also courtesy of work-study student, Claire Thompson.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM

Bio-Diversity

Category(-ies): Botanical Art

Christoph Niemann is an award-winning graphic artist, whose work has appeared on the covers of such magazines as The New Yorker and the Atlantic Monthly.

In a recent posting on his weblog with the New York Times, Christoph turned his attention to autumn leaves...

Links:

• Bio-Diversity (the weblog post)
• Abstract City, Christoph's weblog for the New York Times
• Christoph Niemann, his personal web site

Thank you to Dr. Andrew Riseman who first let me know about this.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 11:28 AM

The Japanese Art of Gourmet Apples

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Plants, Food and Medicine

Thank you to Claire Thompson, a UBC Botanical Garden work-study student, for providing this write-up. Claire writes:

The $150 apple? This article highlights photographer Jane Stevens' exploration of the Japanese craft of gourmet apple farming. Developed in the 19th century, this labour-intensive technique involves the meticulous work of farmers to produce the biggest and most beautiful apples. Farmers will tend to apples up to 12 times before cultivation, hand turning and using specialized techniques to increase their sugar content and produce delicious and uniform fruits for sale in Japanese markets.

From the University of Cincinnati Magazine, continue reading: Perfect to the Core.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:47 PM

Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art opens at Kew Gardens

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Other Botanical Gardens

Many works of botanical art never before seen by the public will be exhibited in the newly-opened Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Read more, or watch the video:

New botanical art museum to open via the BBC

New Gallery of Botanical Art, an RBG Kew press release

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:52 PM

A Man of the Trees

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Plant Conservation

For more than thirty years, Tom Zetterstrom has photographed the natural beauty of the Berkshire Mountains near his home. Trees have been a favourite subject for the artist - whose works have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery and the Getty Museum of Art. Mr. Zetterstrom may be know as much for his environmental activism as he is for his art. Noting the pressure of development on the wild lands in the region, the artist was inspired to work for environmental protection early on in his career.

Mr. Zetterstrom laments that the environmental work has taken on such great importance that he does not have time to devote to his art, but his work on both fronts will help preserve the beauty of the Berkshires.

Link: Canaan's Man of the Trees from the Litchfield County Times

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 12:53 PM

Joseph Prestele and Sons

Category(-ies): Botanical Art

Although he worked for such esteemed botanists as John Torrey and Asa Gray and artist Isaac Sprague, 19th century botanical artist, Joseph Prestele, is not well known. As a member of the Amana Society, Sprague did not sign his work, so it was often attributed to the printers who distributed it. The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation has prepared an exhibit of the life and work of Joseph Prestele and his three sons, Joseph Jr., Gottlieb and William Henry, who followed in their father's footsteps.

Continue reading "Joseph Prestele and Sons"

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:11 PM

In Search of Elephants in the Trees

Category(-ies): Botanical Art

The enduring presence and beauty of trees can inspire deep emotional connections to things and events that are part of our lives. Artists interpret the image of trees in many different ways; each finding a unique view to portray. Many artists capture the nature of the tree itself. Some artists use the natural forms of trees as a type of 'canvas' for their creativity.

Continue reading "In Search of Elephants in the Trees"

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:17 PM

Yahoo! Pick of the Day

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Botanical Resources

Once a day, Yahoo! editors pick one web site out of millions on the web as noteworthy.

On June 10, they picked UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research's Botany Photo of the Day: Yahoo! Picks - June 10, 2005 - Botany Photo of the Day.

While Botany Photo of the Day is a venture with participants from staff and researchers (read more about Botany PotD), it also owes much credit to two people: Tim Bray, who seeded the idea in a technology lunch we had at the garden; and Dr. Quentin Cronk, the garden's director, who has fostered a garden that allows seeds of ideas to grow.

If you agree with Yahoo! and think we're doing some noteworthy activities at UBC Botanical Garden, please consider reading Dr. Cronk's letter on the importance of plants and the role of botanical gardens.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:50 AM

The Unseen World of Plants

Category(-ies): Botanical Art

Modern technologies have expanded our view of the plant world. With magnification as high as 200,000x, scanning electron microscopes can transform the view of a grain of pollen from a simple speck to a highly-detailed textured form. Images produced this way reveal the unseen world of plants and with a bit of colourization become stunning 'botanical art'.

Continue reading "The Unseen World of Plants"

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:56 PM