413-298-3926 berkshirebotanical.org
spring/summer classes Landscape Painting with John Macdonald with Oils or Acrylics Thursday & Friday, August 1 & 2, 10 am – 4 pm Members $240; Nonmembers $260 All levels Materials list available upon registration. This two-day intensive painting workshop will focus on using the essentials of painting - composition, value, color and edges - to create strong landscapes. We’ll look at different approaches and painting styles with the goal of finding your authentic voice. The class will work en plein air, weather permitting, or in the studio using photo reference. All levels of ability are welcome. John Macdonald has worked for 30 years as both a full-time freelance illustrator and landscape painter. He has won awards from Print magazine and has had work appear in the Society of Illustrators’ annual show. He is now concentrating solely on painting and teaching. His paintings can be found in private, corporate and museum collections throughout North America.
The Garden in Watercolor Session II En Plein Air Watercolor Painting in the Summer Garden Session II: Mondays, August 5 – 26, 10 am - 1 pm Members $145; Nonmembers $175 Individual classes $45 All levels Seeing and painting the garden en plein air is the subject of this class. Students of all levels are welcome in either or both sessions; no experience is necessary. Focus on drawing forms, finding compositions and simple, direct color schemes. Composition will be stressed. Each class will begin with an introduction and demonstration by the instructor and then move into the garden to paint, with the instructor circulating among the students to provide input and answer questions. You may attend the whole series or pick and choose individual classes; however, everyone is encouraged to attend the first meeting, when the basics of watercolor, paint, brushes and paper will be explained. Ann Kremers is an artist and calligrapher. Her work is currently focused on watercolor and drawing media. She has received commissions for paintings, drawings, illustrated and calligraphed citations and awards, artists’ books and botanical drawings. Ann lives in Bennington, VT and teaches throughout Berkshire County. Examples of her work can be viewed at annkremers.com. 24 C U T T I N G S Spring/Summer 2013
Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens Wednesday, August 7, 4 pm Members $25; Nonmembers $30 All levels Book sale and signing to follow the talk Private country paradises marry the artistry of man with the beauty of nature. Join garden designer Jack Staub on a visual garden tour through twenty-one superb private country gardens in Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, each with a unique story to tell. This lecture is based on his latest book Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens. From a romantic garden that pays homage to the best of English garden vernacular to a historic farmstead to a splendid Marylandmeets-Himalayas Eden of transcendent serenity, these garden paradises are inspirational on their own terms and together offer up the breadth and depth of what we can all achieve with a little respect for nature and a bit of imagination. Inspired plant palettes and combinations, dazzling views, ingenious water features, splendid outbuildings, artistically crafted fences and gates, and exceptional garden structures and appointments all draw us into these heavenly landscapes and, ultimately and emotionally, into the countryside of our longing. A book sale and signing of Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens will follow the lecture. Jack Staub is a passionate edible gardener, locavore advocate, and author of the celebrated “75” series of edible gardening books, which includes 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden, 75 Remarkable Fruits for Your Garden, and 75 Exceptional Herbs for Your Garden. His latest book with photographer Rob Cardillo is Private Edens: Beautiful Country Gardens. With his partner, landscape designer Renny Reynolds, he is the owner of historic Hortulus Farm in Wrightstown, Pennsylvania.