Mary Harden Artist - Botanical Illustrations

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting in on a botanical illustration class being held at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The class was being conducted by artist Mary Harden.

Mary Harden is a hard working instructor who is passionate about her work which is evident when watching her interact with her students. The class is not just about technique. It's about truly seeing and feeling your subject which in these classes are specimens from the botanical gardens as you can see in the above photo. As an artist, no matter your genre, the ability to see depth with an artistic flair is something innate which needs to be drawn out of the student in order to be fully aware of and understand the creative process. This is what Mary provides and teaches. Each one of us could observe the first photo in this post and see something different. That's what this educator teaches; Seeing with depth and feeling.

As an educator, her artistic passion flows through her instruction as a paintbrush on a blank canvas. She is in touch on a one-on-one basis with each of her students and it's that personal touch that makes Mary Harden the person she is and artist she shares with the world.

She currently teaches the Botanical Illustrations with Pen and Ink classes at the Botanical Gardens between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays from July 6th through August 24th. This class is not only very informative and inspirational, it is also much fun. For more information on her classes you can visit the Botanical Gardens page by clicking here.

Ms. Harden also offers a certification program for her students in which you can find more information by visiting her website at Mary Harden Designs.

Thank you Mary for allowing me to observe your class. I had a wonderful time.