6 Week Class Taught Online Via Zoom

Tuesdays, February 18 - March 25, 2025
7 pm - 9 pm EST (NYC Time)
Admission: $185 Paid Patreon Members / $195 General Admission

Please note: All classes will be recorded for those unable to attend

Discover the fascinating and often dark histories behind illustrations of flowers, butterflies, and four-legged creatures in a six week course that combines art history with hands-on art projects!

Behind the most beautiful and bizarre images of flora and fauna, one finds a complex combination of religious, scientific, artistic, political, social, and economic motivations. Humans have portrayed the natural world for millennia, with aims ranging from the artistic and spiritual to the scientific and didactic. In this class, we'll examine the stories behind centuries of collecting and documenting the natural world, from Ancient Greece to the Enlightenment, with a special focus on the scientific revolution of the Renaissance.

Each week, we’ll look at highlights from the various fields of natural illustration (botany, zoology, anatomy, ornithology, entomology, and more) and discuss the context in which they were created. Students will be guided through a series of drawing and painting exercises based on historical examples. They will experiment with providing context for natural specimens, invent creatures for a bestiary, develop botanical motifs with a ruler and compass, and imitate the look of various printmaking techniques. By the end of class, they will have a series of their own nature-inspired images. These projects will cultivate the contemplation of natural specimens and new approaches to conveying information while developing style in mixed media. They are designed for anyone with an interest in the natural world.

Kate Samworth is a fine artist and award-winning illustrator (Aviary Wonders Inc., Why Fish Don't Exist, and others). She teaches online through RISD, the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and more. Her work can be seen at katesamworth.com or at Le Mieux Gallery in New Orleans, LA.

Images: Jan van Kessel, View for Mbanza-Kongo, from the Africa section of Ferdinand van Kessel's Ansichten aus den vier Weltteilen mit Szenen von Tieren, ca. 1689