Botanical Art Exhibit

A few years ago, my neighbor Mary encouraged me to take a botanical art class with Kerri Weller, a well-known artist and art instructor.

I enjoyed the challenge of learning how to do detailed drawings of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

After taking botanical art classes for a few years, I switched to pottery - another art form I always wanted to learn.

I haven't done any botanical art in years - but the field is flourishing in Ottawa, and Mary has kept at it. She recently invited me to attend the opening of a botanical art exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Agriculture, located at the Ottawa Experimental Farm.

The exhibit features paintings of plants native to our area.

It was fun to again meet up with some of the people I had taken classes with years before - and admire their wonderful art.

Lots of photos were taken...

Here are Mary and our instructor, Kerri, standing next to Mary's art.

I forgot to ask her what kind of native plant she illustrated...

This art exhibit will be up all summer long, and thousands of people are expected to visit it.

I hope it inspires others to try to sketch and paint plant life around them.