Saturday, July 26; 11am – 2pm

Instructor: Mira O’Brien

Did you know that many of the plants that we consider “weeds” have been used as medicinal plants? Explore the long tradition of documenting medicinal plants through botanical watercolor and begin to create your own Herbal. Learn the foundation techniques of botanical watercolor painting as well as how to depict the fine details and textures of these delicate plants. Draw inspiration from locally collected specimens as well as historical examples, such as the 18th century publication by Elizabeth Blackwell, “A Curious Herbal.”  Create luscious watercolor paintings and studies as we blur the boundaries between herbs, weeds, food, and medicine.

Materials to Bring: Sketchbook or notebook and pencil, Watercolor paper of your choice, Watercolor paints and brushes of your choice

Optional: Hot press watercolor paper (approximately 8.5” x 11”), Round watercolor brush, size 4/6, sable or synthetic, Set of watercolor paints

Mira O’Brien is an American artist based in Berlin, Germany. Her practice is at the intersection of painting, pedagogy and ecology. She holds a B.A. from UCLA and an M.F.A. from Yale. In her work she explores the boundaries between organic and artificial, urban and wild, human and botanical. She is the founder of Berlin Drawing Room, an independent school for drawing and painting. Exhibitions include solo shows in Berlin, Zürich, Venice, San Francisco and Cologne, as well as group exhibitions worldwide. Her workshops have been supported by numerous institutions such as the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (USA), the Georg Kolbe Museum (Berlin), the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient and the Prinzessinnengarten Kollektiv (Berlin), as well as various universities and schools.

Website: www.miraobrien.com I www.berlindrawingroom.com

Fee: Members $110; Non-members $125

Where: Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 1210 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael (at B Street)