October 2021 Leaflet for Scholars ~ Elisabeth C. Miller Library, UW Botanic Gardens

College of the Environment | University of Washington

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VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10 | October 2021

Layers: new paintings by Rosemary Washington

On the Bluff, Oregon Coast by Rosemary
Washington

We are very pleased to welcome Rosemary Washington back to our exhibit space this month. In her own words:

I picked up a paintbrush and started painting about 10 years ago when my daughter left home for college. I pulled out her old Prang watercolor set with its eight oval-shaped pans of paint and reclaimed my childhood joy in making art. Since then, my painting practice has become a journey of discovery and exploration.

Initially my goal was to recreate on paper the beautiful objects I found in the natural world around me: a flower, an autumn leaf, a pear, a great blue heron … I painted at my dining room table from photographs I had taken. I appreciated that my models did not move! My early paintings were exercises in looking closely, paying attention to detail, and struggling to transform what I saw into a realistic painted image.

Over the years, my painting practice deepened as I explored new challenges and directions. I wanted to paint more complex images and landscapes. What should I paint first? How could I achieve depth with a foreground, middle ground, and background? What should I emphasize and how would I do that? I wanted my paintings to be more expressive of my inner spirit.

It took many years of practice to begin to see in layers and move away from strictly realistic reproductions. The paintings in this “Layers” series play with pattern, form, repetition, negative space, and color values and combinations with the goal of creating a beautiful, harmonious composition. My process was to paint in layers, using a watercolor technique called glazing, or layering transparent colors. I started with just a few shapes around which I painted a light background color. This was my first layer. For the next iteration, I placed a few more shapes and a second, slightly darker layer of color in the negative spaces. Repeating these steps, the paintings grew layer by layer, bit by bit. I did not know ahead of time exactly how a finished painting would look, as each new layer was informed by decisions about color choices and the placement of shapes on top of the older layers.

Painting in layers is a meditative exercise, methodical yet playful, a journey toward a harmonious whole. It is an intuitive process, yet built on a foundation of skills acquired over a decade. Painting is a pleasurably solitary pursuit. But I appreciate this opportunity to bring my latest works before a local audience.

Celebrating Gardens in Art and Artists' Gardens

Autumn is the perfect time to reflect and recharge, getting ready for the cool and rainy days ahead with some fresh reading matter. We have titles on artists' gardens and on works of art inspired by gardens. Anyone looking for art-related books can now browse online through a curated selection of our best books. From the shelf browse tool, click a book cover image to learn more about that title and log in to place a hold.

If you need to establish or renew your borrower record, stop by the library or send us an email at hortlib@uw.edu.

Pacific Northwest ecology focus this quarter

The University of Washington currently offers many courses on the ecology of the Pacific Northwest. From introductions such as ESRM 101 (Forests and Society) to SEFS 535 (Fire Ecology) and beyond, more than twenty different courses bring ecological resources to the forefront for hundreds of UW students and researchers in the College of the Environment this quarter.

To support this work, the Miller Library is highlighting related journals and books, including the digital thesis collection and an in-library book display opening at noon on September 20. Browse and borrow from the display, which includes popular resources such as John M. Marzluff's In Search of Meadowlarks: Birds, Farms, and Food in Harmony with the Land, pictured here. Anyone can browse or use our online catalog to see recommended resources, and registered borrowers can place holds to check out specific titles. It's easy to register as a new borrower: just stop by the library with photo ID showing your Washington address.

ASK A LIBRARIAN

The Miller Library's Plant Answer Line provides quick answers to gardening questions.

You can reach the reference staff at 206-UWPLANT (206-897-5268),
hortlib@uw.edu, or from our website: www.millerlibrary.org.

Digital resources