Drawing Nature

Many of us began as artists early in life when we were bored with what our teachers were saying and began to let our minds wonder to scribbled expressions of the world outside the window. Drawing was second nature to many of us then, before our minds became crowded with the expectations of others, and the illusion that innumerable lists of responsibilities would somehow make us mature.

Over time many of us forgot we ever drew to begin with, and only now, much later in life, are beginning to realize we have skills and abilities that have lain dormant within us like a long winter that are now emerging and demanding our attention and priority.

For those of us who have this newly awakened interest in artistic expression, and for those who have already begun consciously working on their artistic talent, the Houston Arboretum has scheduled a Drawing Nature class for June 13, 2009. This class will be taught by Jason Kishell, who received his BFA from the Heron School of Art in Indianapolis and his MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

We encourage all local artists and would-be artists to attend this class. Drawing the many different types of objects we find in Nature is both a way of improving your talent and a means to a greater connection to the organic world that surrounds us.

The Drawing Nature class will consist of three phases. The first phase takes place in the Arboretum forest. Participants will be led on a guided tour through the Arboretum to collect items from the forest floor. Such things as leaves, flowers, sticks, rocks, and roots will serve as later models for black-and-white Nature illustrations. Jason will then go over basic drawing techniques. His main emphasis will focus on the rendering of textures and shadows with graphite.

In order for participants to get as many questions answered as possible, Jason will open the class to discussion at this time. His intention is to increase participant awareness of the elements of art itself and the principles of design. He believes a foundational understanding of the forms of art will help participants to better understand the forms of Nature.

Jason is currently the Education and Artist-in-Residence Coordinator at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. He has exhibited his drawings and sculptures throughout the U.S. and works with a range of media including clay, wood, graphite, and color pencil. His creative work is inspired by Nature, its forms, and its textures.