A local artist is welcoming the opportunity to expand awareness of her blossoming artistic specialty.
The Okotoks Art Gallery is hosting a presentation featuring the work of Linda Le Geyt Paterson called Seeing Anew: The Wonders of Botanical Art on April 7 at 7 p.m.
The presentation is a journey into the history of this precise art form. It will also be a bit of a biology lesson as guests will get to see many beautiful renderings of flower and plant species.
A member of both the Canadian and American botanical arts societies, Le Geyt Paterson admitted it’s a new experience for her to have an information session like this so near to her Okotoks area home.
“I used to be curator at the Honolulu Academy of Arts so I did a lot of this kind of thing there but I haven’t done very much of it locally though,” she said.
The artist said this presentation already feels special to her.
“I am really looking forward to it,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful experience preparing for it. So far I think I have about 140 images. It’s been wonderful looking at all these lovely growing things in this cold snowy environment we live in. I am looking forward to showing people lots of colour and light.”
Botanical art is extremely detailed and the paintings must be realistic enough to make the genus and species of each plant easily identifiable for scientists.
Le Geyt Paterson explained the practice dates back centuries.
“It’s certainly not a new field it’s been practiced in a fairly continuous way since the 15 and 16 hundreds,” she said. “But I think there’s a growing awareness of it. In the last 15 to 20 years it’s been very much a burgeoning field.”
The artist said her upcoming talk would be a well-rounded examination of the subject. She will be detailing exactly what botanical art is, examining the historical precedents, identifying some of the great masters and providing details on what the contemporary scene looks like.
She also said attendees will see far more than just her paintings at the event.
“I will have a bit of my work in the show but only as I explain things like how you do it and the approach I use,” Le Geyt Paterson said. “It will be mostly other people’s artwork including pieces from some of the most significant names. There’ll be work from (Leonardo) da Vinci and (Pierre-Joseph) Redouté who was an extremely famous botanical artist, in fact he was the artist of Marie Antoinette.”
There is no cost to attend Seeing Anew: The Wonders of Botanical Art tomorrow at the Okotoks Art Gallery in The Station on North Railway Street. It is preferred you pre-register by calling (403) 938-3204.
A collection of Le Geyt Paterson’s paintings can also be seen all April as part of Art in the Hall at the Okotoks Municipal Centre at Elizabeth Street and Centre Avenue.
