A stunning wildflower, Michigan Lily,  Lilium michiganense, with Meadow Fritillary Painted in watercolor by ©Heeyoung Kim Lilies and Butterflies: Next Zoom Workshop for Intermediate Level While woodland understory plants being dormant in summer, edges and areas with open canopy are filled with colorful wildflowers. When you turn your eyes to wet areas with full or half sunlight, you might see striking orange lilies with dark markings.  There are several native lilies in similar shape a ..read more

  Subscribe for Newsletter at www.heeyoungkim.net  New Class Schedule for Spring/Summer Greetings to you all! Thank you for allowing me to share my 3rd news letter with you! It’s been busy with teaching and lots of paintings, but I am thrilled with the new classes planned through the summer. Here they are! #1. Beginner’s Courses are back: Via Zoom and In-Person Drawing Fundamentals and Watercolor for Beginners, June 17 ~ When you are local (Deerfield, IL or in the drivable distance), check out this series as in-person classes at Brushwood Center. I usually offer these co ..read more

  Thank You for Your Subscription! Through my website, www.heeyoungkim.net, I recently set up SUBSCRIPTION, because I have often received emails from those who found out about my classes only after they started. To prevent that from happening in the future, I decided to take proactive actions to inform about the classes in time, which I had not been very good at by far. My apologies to those who had experiences disappoints....  I would like to share the Newsletter I sent to the subscribers with the readers in this blog. If you like to receive Newsletters directly in the future, pleas ..read more

 New Year, New Classes Watercolor for Beginners, via Zoom, ©Heeyoung Kim Leaf painting class for beginning level, via Zoom, ©Heeyoung Kim Intermediate level class, via Zoom, ©Heeyoung Kim Advanced level class, via Zoom, ©Heeyoung Kim First of all, I like to thank all who went through my classes, in-person and online. It was an extraordinary year. I was absolutely thrilled to witness everyone create beautiful works using plant materials, bees, birds and other faunal elements. All the results are being presented at Brushwood Gallery from January 8th ..read more

Botanical Art Exhibit by Heeyoung Kim and Brushwood Artists  Prodigal, Nature indulges us with impressions We observe, Learn and toil, Responding with expressions By Dr. Ramiro Prudencio Exhibit: January 8 - February 27, 2023 Opening Reception: Jan. 8, 1-3 pm, CT Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods (21850 N Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods, IL) Virtually presented at www.brushwoodcenter.org  Gallery Hours and Direction: Check the latest info at www.brushwoodcenter.org This exhibit is curated by Julia Kemerer, director of arts and administration at Brushwood Center and H ..read more

Botanical Art Exhibition, Heeyoung Kim & Brushwood Botanical Artists Here we are! The 7th, already! Botanical Art Exhibition: Heeyoung Kim & Brushwood Botanical Artists 2021 was a remarkable year in many ways. Getting to the final phase of the Covid pandemic (hopefully), we have been cultivating various life styles that suit to our routines as artists fairly successfully. Teaching and learning have been well adapted to the changes, so much so some of us don't even want to go back to physically crowded in-person classes any more.  Surely there are irreplaceable merits in in-per ..read more

It will be via Zoom, continuously!  The pandemic changed our every life dramatically. We have discovered every possible way to get connected and continue our daily activities amidst the frightening uncertainty. The adjustment to online platform, Zoom, was one of the changes I made for my classes, but surprisingly, it became the favorites for my students. To compensate the indirect learning situation in the online classes, I put in extra time and efforts for the class preparation to make each class an effective learning experience. The results have been very rewarding. Both my st ..read more

6th Annual: Enriching Life Botanical Art Exhibition by Heeyoung Kim & Brushwood Botanical  Artists.   "Creating fellowship, discovering peace and healing during a Pandemic, these 20 artists sustained their connections with one another and with nature’s beauty.  Though they couldn’t meet safely in person, they found laughter, strength and focus in virtual gatherings.  Working alone at home, their joy in creative energy, spiritual and artistic growth overcame isolation. These works and works in progress are witness to the restorative power of nature, art and community ..read more

Finally, I am announcing the new courses for Winter/Spring, 2021.  Botanical Drawing Fundamentals - 5 Saturdays: Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13 & 20.  Advanced Drawing Project 1 and 2 - 3 Saturdays per each project.  Tuesday Watercolor, Intermediate Level: 3 projects - 3 Tuesdays per each project.  Saturday Pen-and-Ink 1 and 2.  And the usual Monday Open Workshop. Each course is designed to make the best use of the virtual format: Displaying detailed techniques and my drawing/painting know-how right in front of the viewer's eyes.  The demo videos are accessibl ..read more

Study the plant scientifically!  There should be more than one answer to this question, but my own experience convinces me that understanding the plant structures scientifically is the most important beginning of any   botanical art and illustration.  Just improving drawing/painting techniques will only be the partial solution. It is like trying to get out of the woods without a map.  Once you study and understand the botanical structures of a plant, you can interpret its complicated forms into an artistic image with botanical accuracy. With ..read more