Happy Holidays

publish or perish?

Illinois Audubon published an article I wrote about Illinois' native orchids, in their fall 2008 issue. Since that article, one more orchid species has gone extinct in Illinois, the small whorled pogonia, Isotria medeoloides. They are federally listed as threatened, recently downgraded from endangered because of new population discoveries, but the populations are so small and intermittent, they're hard to locate and monitor.

John Schwegman, noted state botanist, had been monitoring the tiny population for many years and a friend of his had even purchased the piece of property the plants were on, to save them from the ravages of development. So it goes, sometimes... 

New Work

Well, the ASBA exhibition accepted one of my pieces, of the rare native yellow lady's slippers. That was encouraging news. With the stock market tanking and no end in sight to the recession, I fear this will be a tough time for artists - a time for regrouping, reconnecting with their public, re-envisioning. Wouldn't it be nice if Pres-elect Obama instituted a WPA, promoting more art in the service of science and innovation?

Back at the drawing board finally!

After a hiatus of almost two months I am back at the drawing board, finishing up two paintings, hopefully soon, and starting a third. I have a deadline of next June to finish twenty-five native orchid paintings for an exhibit up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Since I won't be out in the woods anytime soon, and the orchid monitoring season is pretty much over for me, I might have enough time to meet that deadline! The CD is in the mail to the American Society of Botanical Artists for their 'Losing Paradise?" exhibit, next year, but it is very competitive and it is the first time I've submitted to them so my expectations aren't high. There are a couple of nice pieces on the CD tho and they plan to post all submissions on the web, so that is something to look forward to in any event!

Hazards of the trade...

On July 26 (my mother's birthday), while out monitoring Ilinois' endangered purple fringed orchid for the Chicago Botanic Garden, I stepped in a low spot. My knee went one way, my ankle the opposite, and my left fibula was broken just above the ankle. Fortunately I had other monitors with cellphones nearby and they called EMS for me. It took them ten minutes to find our location on their map and they ended up sending out four ambulances for the one of me. Even though I ended up as afternoon snack for a horde of mosquitoes, it could have been a lot worse. I didn't need surgery, I didn't end up sitting in a patch of poison ivy (I'm very allergic) and I was able to get home that evening after the leg being put in a cast at the hospital. (Chorus of Beatles' "I'll get by with a little help from my friends!") Five weeks later, I'm more or less back on my feet and tomorrow will start painting again. My son says, "No more hiking in the woods for you, mom!" Hah! We'll see about that, but he's right for the moment. I have to be good for a few more weeks. I have a lot of catching up to do with my artwork! My exhibit is home for now and I'm researching other venues. Any suggestions?