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A seriously lovely giveaway

plus the final workshops for the year!

Don’t miss out!

Hello again creative friends, and welcome to my Spring Newsletter!  Thanks for following along on my, erm, artistic journey, I’ve got some lovely things in store for you:

1. The perfect giveaway

2. A ’retro’ recommendation to help you invite more creativity into your life

3. Workshop places open at Auckland Wintergardens

4. Workshop places open at Taranaki Garden Festival

5. WIP of the month and a free exhibition to visit

6. A little bit of press

1. The perfect giveaway - It’s a win/win!

Have you put your name in yet for a chance to win this absolutely super giveaway? The prize is a lovely archival-quality Kakabeak print, one of my most popular, plus this very nice set of handcrafted earrings made by my fab friend Isla, at Wearing Glass? The package is worth $173.00. Lordy!

As backstory, Isla and I got know each other as fellow archery mums on the sidelines watching our offspring play Robin Hood at Cornwall Park. I first got my own pair of these gorgeous earrings by swapping socks I had made for her. I l do love a creative swap! So next we hatched this collaboration. I get heaps of compliments on these earrings and they are very light and pleasant to wear.  I’m really looking forward to seeing who wins!

Check it out here and get your entry in before midnight on Friday 27 September.

ENTER HERE!

1. How to invite more creativity into your life

Not to get too ‘woo’ about it but I firmly believe creativity in our lives isn’t just confined to a specific art form or expression, it’s part of how we are and how we live, fuelled by our energy and attention. So I’m always looking for ways to improve my focus and tune up the creative frequency. One of the best ways I have found to do this, admittedly quite retro, is a programme called The Artist’s Way. If you’re not familiar, do not worry, it’s not an MLM, or a cult, It’s a book written by writer Julia Cameron way back in 1993 to help screenwriters rescue themselves from writer’s block. You can find the book for a couple of dollars at any second-hand book store or buy it new here.

Effectively it’s a 12 week programme of morning writing and weekly outings to provoke and revive your creativity. You can do it on your own or with a circle of similarly minded others. I like to write first thing in the morning before the dreams have dribbled out of my ears. Parts of the process are are quite personally challenging but I really can recommend it as a discipline and a structured approach for personal exploration.

I’m about four weeks in so far, and I have to say the results really are quite surprising. Things that seemed difficult are suddenly much easier. Boundaries with myself and others are slightly easier to keep and help has sprung up from quite unexpected people (including one of my sons beginning to clear 25 years of junk from the shed which will become my studio!). Psycho-somatic? Coincidence? Who cares? I really want that studio space!

1. Wintergardens workshops

It has gone so quickly - just two Wintergardens workshops left this year! One of the best things about these workshops is that we get to work with specimens which are not ordinarily available to the public. So if you have a specific interest in these types of plants it’s a great opportunity. Equally, the skills you will learn at these workshops will transfer to drawing any other subject.

Learn to draw Cacti and Succulents - Just 5 seats left for our upcoming workshop! Don't wait—snag your spot now by clicking here and unleash your inner artist!

Date: Sunday, 20 October 10am—1pm, Auckland Domain Wintergardens

      Click here to book

Learn to draw Carnivorous Plants: if you're feeling extra lucky, there’s only 1 seat left in our exclusive Carnivorous plants workshop! If you're ready to dive in, grab that last seat here before it vanishes!

Date: Sunday, 17 November, 10am-1pm,  Auckland Domain Wintergardens

      Click here to book

I always like to check if I am on the right track, and had this really nice feedback from a recent group of workshop attendees:

“Jolly, informative, Impassioned and talented tutor”

“The best course I have found so far to teach you the basics, how to approach drawing which is the most important when you are a complete beginner”

“Lovely teaching style! Easy to follow, very fun”

“Excellent teaching, just the right amount of detail and encouragement”

1. Taranaki Garden Festival workshops

I‘m back at stunning Riverlea garden again this year and with luck the ladies from Little Liberty Creamery will be right beside me once more. I have to ration myself to one per day but I’m still thinking about their intense espresso flavour!

The remaining workshop tickets are:

Your grandmother’s garden – revisiting plants of our past One seat left!

Date – Fri 1 Nov, 11am- 2pm, , Riverlea Garden Bell Block, Taranaki

     Click here to book

Capture a native forest leaf with confidence Just four seats left

Date – Sun 3 Nov, 11am – 2pm , Riverlea Garden Bell Block, Taranaki

     Click here to book

As with all of my workshops, all materials are provided and no experience is required. All you need to do is turn up, relax and enjoy yourself.

1. WIP of the month and a roadie!

I was rapt to be asked to join a group of artists with Sandra Morris and the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre to raise funds for local wetland preservation.

The painting below “Pūkorokoro Tideline” is my response to this call to action. My piece features natural objects I found along the shellbank, reflecting a scientific tideline sample and celebrating the ordinary treasures of this fragile ecosystem. Each specimen tells a part of the story, both commonplace and wonderfully unique.

The images I painted in my journal last May evoke vivid memories of hot sun-bleached shells crunching underfoot, the salty tang of mangroves, and that thrilling sense of imminent discovery I always feel along the tideline.

The original is for sale at the exhibition Wetland: Pūkorokoro runs at Miranda Gallery from September 29 to October 20, 2024. Miranda Gallery is about 10 minutes’ drive from the Shorebird Centre and you could easily pop into both on a day out and drive that beautiful winding coastline home. The Shorebird Centre is a wonderful place to drop into, with an incredible selection of books on naturalist subjects for sale. You could always pick your lunch up at Clevedon Market if you’re going for the ultimate trifecta. Otherwise fish and chips at the pink shop at Kaiaua is the traditional alternative!

FYI I’m also offering archival quality signed limited edition prints of this work, with 20% going to the wetland preservation fund. A4 prints are $75 and A3 prints are $150. Let me know if you’re interested! As well as supporting a local artist, you’d be making a contribution to wetland preservation!

1. A little bit of press!

And if you haven’t had enough of me talking about me (!) I was recently interviewed by Megan Lyon for Nourish Magazine for the very same Spring issue which features my fennel painting on its cover. Look out for Nourish all over the Waikato and the BOP. The recipes are absolutely reliable.

One of the best and somehow unexpected parts of this, ahem ‘mature career pivot’ into botanical art is the opportunity to meet creative people whose values and enthusiasm align really closely. So I really enjoyed the chance to spend a bit more time with Nourish Publisher Vicki Ravlich-Horan. As well as publishing Nourish Magazine and doing spontaneous photoshoots, Vicki also runs incredible foodie tours to Siciliy, Mexico and Sri Lanka. One day, I swear I’ll be eating pastry in Sicily with the rest of you!

Thanks for allowing me into your inbox

I hope there’s been something in this newsletter for you. Do send me your comments! Let me know if you have any questions at all for the next one. And as always, if it’s not for you, simply unsubscribe any time, no hard feelings.

Ngā mihi nui,

Jennifer

PS Don’t forget to enter the giveaway - you could well win! Check it out here and get your entry in before midnight on Friday 27 September.

Click through to sign up. for my winter solstice newsletter which is out now! This edition outlines four ways you can invite more creativity into your life and lists a raft of frewarding workshops and events you can attend - one of completely free!. Feel free to

unsubscribe any time

This is my “bare minimum” kit which I have used on the Routeburn Track, on airplanes and at many quite dull sporting events. It’s light enough to fit in my handbag for spur of the moment sketching but makes no compromises on pigment quality, which is where I draw the line.

Essential elements:

An A5 sketchbook with thick pages which won’t warp with a wet wash. This is a Winsor Newton one from the junk shop in Greymouth. The pages are a bit rough tbh, but you can order a nice Stillman and Bern softcover with smooth pages for $35. On sale at Hobbyland here for $26 btw. Think about whether you’d prefer landscape or portrait orientation, mine is landscape. Also you might prefer a spiral bound so you can flip the back around 360 degrees without cracking the spine like I have here. 

A light cheap mechanical HB pencil with a refillable 0.5 lead. This one is light and fine enough for me. Perfectionists might want to go to a .3, but I find them a bit snappy as I’m heavy-handed.

A small palette: this is a Schmincke Horadam palette mostly filled with my favourite Winsor Newton shades and a small splotch of Daniel Smith Moonglow because friends let friends share pigments (thanks Lesley Alexander!). If you’re starting out, a Schmincke Horadam or Winsor Newton basic half pan palette will see you right. As you learn what you like, you can buy empty palettes and half pans and fill them from tubes as I have. If you’d like a list of my essential pigments then email me back and I’m happy to send it to you. If you think you’ll do a bit of painting and can afford artist quality then that is much better value for money. They last forever, are bright, and aren’t adulterated with chalky fillers.  Alternatively you could take a bunch of watercolour pencils if that’s your jam.

My dot paint swatch: My best basic ‘hack’ is to make a little swatch of your colours to take with you so you can make more accurate colour choices. You could laminate it but I wrapped mine in Gladwrap™ because I’m classy like that.

A cheap as chips refillable aquabrush $9.99 for three from Warehouse stationery. There’s your brush and your water all-in-one and you’re good to go. The point is surprisingly good if you keep the lid on, and once you’ve got to grips with how hard to squeeze the brush for water control you’re golden. Also you won’t lose or damage your expensive brushes while travelling, or break and spill your water jar in your bag as I have

An old ‘white’ facecloth for dabbing your brush. I keep a couple of these grotty looking characters on the go and simply haven’t found anything better to use.

A sealable waterproof bag: The main aim is to protect your sketchbook from your drinkbottle leaking in your bag. They do wear out, so a small waterproof pouch is a good idea, I’m just too lazy to find one and it’s so light and everything is visible in there.

On Saturday I had the absolute joy of being interviewed by Bethan Burton for the international podcast Journaling With Nature. Episode 145 - out now. Bethan is such a consummate professional that I had a brilliant time chatting about nature journaling, nature and creativity and entirely forgot to be nervous about appearing on one of my favourite podcasts! In a twist which surprise absolutely nobody, it turns out I can talk...at length. We had quite a few laughs as we shared our experiences and our approaches to Nature Journaling. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
We covered such great topics as

• The similarities and differences between botanical art and nature journaling.

• The pitfall of perfectionism.

• Nature journaling in a conference setting.

• Nature journaling as a means of self-care

• If you are also happen to be a podcast tragic like I am (listening while I paint, walk, drive, cook, queue etc), you might also find this is generally one of the good podcasts for relaxing or before bed, because is is simply joyful and uplifting content about people finding inspiration in nature and creativity. Please consider subscribing to Journaling With Nature on whichever app you use.
  
  If you are interested in finding out more about nature journaling, reach out! The botanical classes I am running through the year at Auckland Domain Wintergardens are based on nature journaling principles. Click here to find out more!
  
  I hate to sound like I am getting played off at the Oscars here but I'd like to mention two absolute mentors: On instagram check out the work of @lesleyalexanderart and @sandramorrisart I’d like to thank them for being so encouraging to an absolute upstart and showing the way.
  
  A further enduring source of inspiration I thoroughly recommend, particularly on technique and neuroscience aspects is John Muir Laws, whose incredible book (bible, really) The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling I hold up and point to at every class I ever teach. It’s massive but stuffed with goodness.

Thank you @journalingwithnature for the chat. I will be thinking about our conversation for some time to come.

My calendar Reconnect with Nature 2024 is now ready to go! Thanks so much to everybody who asked me when it would be coming out and encouraged me to go through with it once more. As always it takes a lot longer to get to the print ready stage than imagined but the printer’s sample has just arrived and it looks and feels perfect and well worth the wait! You can get a sneak peek of the inside here.

Reconnect With Nature 2024 is a 12 month botanical calendar featuring prints from my original watercolour paintings. Each month features a different plant subject, some from Auckland Wintergardens, others from my neighbourhood, and some more relaxed nature journaling images straight from my sketchbooks. I hope you enjoy them!

The calendar is A4 opening to A3 portrait size. It features one month per spread with a final double page allowing forward planning for 2025.

It is printed locally in New Zealand, on an uncoated card stock which is completely recyclable when the year is over. It will be delivered in a waterproof compostable plastic envelope which can be recycled with your soft plastics.

A note on postage:

• Postage and packaging within New Zealand is $5 (for up to 5 calendars).

• Postage and packaging outside NZ is set at $7 per calendar due to a quirk in the NZ postal system, which means weirdly it’s cheaper for you if I mail them to you individually.

• If you wish to make a bulk order let me know and I can investigate postage for you.

• All postage will be untracked due to the excessive cost, however if you would like yours tracked please email me.

Thanks so much to Benedict O’Flaherty for the beautiful design and to Nicholas O’Flaherty for the production assistance and detail orientation.

If you think this calendar would make a lovely gift or adorn your kitchen or study wall feel free to order now. We should get our hands on them early next week and mail them out in good time for Christmas (allowing for the vagaries of international post).

Click here if you’d like one. And please - do let me know if anything weird happens in the ordering. We’ve tested it out but you just never know!

Love, Jennifer xx