The earliest florilegia—anthologies of illustrations describing living collections of flowering plants—first appeared 400 years ago.
This was at a time when European royalty were avidly collecting new and rare plants from around the world. Commissioned artists then recorded, through botanical illustration, the plants growing in their gardens.
On display in the Howard Center’s Camellia Room, The Gardens at Heather Farm’s Florilegium began in 2006 and is a collection of botanical art depicting plants from GHF’s gardens.
The artwork is both scientifically accurate and aesthetically pleasing using traditional methods of botanical illustration.
We are pleased and fortunate that acclaimed watercolor artist Catherine Watters has brought groups of her students (2006-2009) to create this inspiring collection!
This project would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and generosity of Catherine and her students.
We also wish to acknowledge and thank those who sponsored the framing of this collection:
Happy Valley Garden Club
Orinda Garden Club
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Overaa
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Pease
Walnut Creek Garden Club
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Wendt
| Catherine Watters born and raised in Paris, where her love of art began. She is a botanical artist who paints in watercolor on paper and velum. She exhibits her work in several juried and invitational shows each year, including Filoli in Woodside, CA, the Oakland Museum of California, San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing, Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, Denver Botanic Garden and the Horticultural Society of New York. Her paintings are included in many private collections and several permanent collections: Filoli Florilegium, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium, The Garden Club of America headquarters in New York and the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Her illustrations are also included in five books. Catherine has been teaching at Filoli since 1999 and is a primary instructor and curriculum developer for the Filoli Botanical Art Certification Program. She lectures frequently on ‘The History of Botanical Art’ and ‘The Gardens of Normady’, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Botanical Artists from 200-2006. Catherine received her B.A. from the University of California at Davis where she studied French literature and art. Catherine is also a popular teacher at The Gardens at Heather Farm
(listed under Adult Classes). |
Click here to go to the botanical page.
