Art and nature working together
Nature printing is evidenced in the fossilized remains of plants and animals embedded in rock. It is as old as the act of early man placing a smoke-stained hand on the wall of a cave.
In the 1600s, European physicians used nature prints of herbals to record their knowledge of medicinal plants. In the 1700s, leaf prints were used to prevent counterfeiters from duplicating Colonial currency in the New World. In the 1800s, Japanese fishermen used fish rubbings to preserve the memory of an extraordinary catch. This fish-rubbing technique moved from fisherman to artist, and developed into the sophisticated art form called "gyotaku," or "Print of the Fish."
Jo Ann Urban, instructor of the Selby Gardens Printers, creates a canvas floor cloth. Photos by Frank Colson.
As the half-tone process of printing and photography advanced, nature printing temporarily fell by the wayside. In mid-1900, however, a renaissance of the ancient art form emerged. In 1976, the Nature Printing Society was founded to advance nature printing, establish guidelines, and promote workshops and exhibits all over the world.
Jo Sebastian prints aprons, shoes and purses.
Here in Sarasota, from October through March, a group of 24 artists meets twice a month at Selby Gardens to ply the art of printing from nature. These artists have access to the lovely flora for which the gardens are so famous. Prior to each session, one or two designated leaf pickers collect leaves, branches and cuttings. Sometimes someone from the orchid department brings over a fallen orchid to be included in a composition.
Artists coat their chosen objects with inks, pigments or chemicals, and print those images directly onto paper, cloth, wood and other receptive surfaces. In addition to things harvested from Selby Gardens, artists sometimes bring in other nature forms to print, forms such as insects, shells, fish and octopi.
Ann Stillman prefers to print on cotton.
Some of these Sarasota artists incorporate imprints of nature forms in jewelry. Some create collages, stationary and hand-made books. Others print directly on shoes, purses, shirts, aprons, sheets, placemats and shower curtains. In the words of Ann Stillman, "I want to make the everyday things you use at home more beautiful." And indeed she does.
The day I was there, Jo Ann Urban was hard at work on a handsome floor covering. (She is scheduled to soon teach a class on the technique.) In a nutshell, her process is to print nature designs onto fabric, glue that fabric to canvas, then cover the whole thing with several coats of Mod Podge – which, incidentally, is a product invented in the ‘60s by Sarasota’s own Jan Wetstone.
Beverly Blair does leaf embossing on card stock.
The Nature Printing Society Guide Book says the following: "Mother Nature does the drawing. Artists’ contributions are in the selection, simplification, arrangement, color and often in the unique application."
The Selby Gardens Printers are part of the International Nature Printing Society which meets yearly. Members of that international group travel from the four corners of the world to participate in workshops led by gifted teachers. Selby Gardens played host to this global organization six years ago; a workshop in Oregon is scheduled for 2010.
The Selby Gardens Printers are a dedicated group creating objects of remarkable beauty. An exhibition of their work is scheduled for March 23-25 in the Selby Gardens Activity Center. You will be amazed at the variety of expressions. Nature printing classes are regularly offered at Selby Gardens. For more information, contact joannurban@ymail.com .
The Nature Printing Society website is www.natureprintingsociety.com.
March 15th 2010 - 3:40PM