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Saturdaze Artists highlighted in "Remarkable Women Illustrators" Exhibit Artistry & Necessity: Remarkable Women Illustrators 9 June - 3 September 2006 The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History houses a collection of more than 1,100 natural history prints representing a sampling of European and American artists and illustrators from the 17th to 19th centuries. Most of these date from a time in which the world’s flora and fauna were being documented for the first time. European voyages of exploration resulted in vast collections of plants and animals new to science. Explorers were discovering new lands beyond the boundaries of the known world. Naturalists and artists were often sent along on these expeditions so that specimens could be recorded and drawn where they were found. Brought back to the capitals of Europe, the drawings were engraved onto copper plates and printed for an eager public anxious to see what the new, mysterious discoveries looked like. Three exhibits are presented in the gallery each year. Prints must be over 100 years old. Entering this summer's exhibit of antique prints, visitors pass through a foyer where they are greeted by an outstanding collection of four of today's local female artists working in a variety of media from watercolor to art markers, pen and ink, and computer digital applications. It is an extraordinary blend of antique and modern natural history illustration. This summer the exhibit is "Artistry & Necessity: Remarkable Women Illustrators". This exhibit investigates the role of nine women illustrators and their pursuit of illustrating natural subjects against the conventions of the time for woment to be involved in science . . . or even to have careers.  |
 | The John and Peggy Maximus Gallery is expertly curated by Linda Miller, left and above and designed by Kathy Marsailes, right. Each exhibit always provides remarkable insights into the lives and works of artists from the 17th to 19th Centuries. Each reveals special insights into the creation and history of portraying natural subjects. This summer's exhibits allows children (and adults) the opportunity to "color along" with prints and colored pencils provided. |
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 | 1647-1717 . . . "the unusual and adventurous life" of Merian began with a fascination of caterpillars that continued throughout her life drew her to the forests of South America. She published a two-volume collection of essays and illustrations, Wonderful Transformation and Singular Flowerfood of Caterpillars. |
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| Above: Bertha Hoola van Nooten (1840-1885) relied on her artistic talents to support her family after the death of her husband while they were living in Java. Her bold and accurate depictions of flowers and foliage were first published 1n 1863 as 40 large chromolithographs in a text describing plants of Java and their medicinal properties. If you know the fruit, rambutan (above middle), you imagine its taste as you view this print. Women with an interest in natural science and talent in art faced a challenge in an era when it was unusual for women to have their own careers. The summer exhibit focuses on a handful of women who defied social convention and pursued their artistic endeavors with individuality making a unique contribution to the art of scientific illustration. "Necessity" was an instrumental force at times equal to the passion for nature. Several of the women highlighted in this exhibit, like van Nooten and Elizabeth Blackwell (below) were in dire financial straits because of circumstance. Blackwell's husband was in debtor's prison and she hoped to sell enough copies of an herbal allow his release. "A Curious Herbal" was published in weekly parts from 1737-1739. |
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| Accompanying this exhibit are the works of four local artists: Alexa Birk, Stephanie McCann, Rebecca Robinson, and Jean Sankey. Each has a unique style and methodology |
| Jean Sankey illustrates flowers, leaves and seedpods (right) and works in watercolor directly from freshly collected specimens and without preliminary sketches. She began her studies at Santa Barbara City College and the University of California, Santa Barbara before completing her degree in botanical studies at Washington University in Saint Louis. |  |
 | Left and below: Alexa (Birk) McKenna grew up in a family that raised exotic birds and had many aviaries. Having had so much experience with animals of such diverse species allowed her to experience their wonderful individualism and intelligence. The compassion she learned from being in such close contact with them no doubt was integral to her eventual decision to become a veterinarian. Beginning her scientific studies at Santa Barbara City College, she transfered to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, but was accepted during her junior year to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where she received her Veterinary Degree. McKenna works in a variety of media but displayed in this exhibit are her incredible illustrations produced with art markers. She has an uncanny "feeling for the organism" and using vibrant, but natural, colors makes each subject come alive. Her method is shown in a series of scans during production of an illustration of a Jackrabbit (below) together with the markers she uses. Many of her illustrations are used in the online classes produced by Saturdaze for Santa Barbara City College. Her background as a scientist allows her to develop her subjects from a biomechanical perspective, yet her work "flows" from the beauty she sees. She writes "The nature of how animals work and appear in life has always inspired me as well as their interactions with people. Biomechanics and the sheer beauty of form and function in the natural world surrounding us is what I find most inspiring." |
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| Right and below: Rebecca Robinson graduated from the University of Melbourne in Australia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology in 1998. Although she always managed to do a sketch now and again, her main focus at that time was science. It was not until her final year of study that she was encouraged to take her artistic talent seriously with the aim one day, perhaps, of marrying the two disciplines. Once Rebecca made the decision to finally give art the attention it deserved, there was no turning back. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Honors in Wildlife Illustration, at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia in 1999. Early in the year, she won first prize of the Black and White Illustration division Australian Entomological Society Insect Illustration Competition. Then in August 1999 she was awarded winner of the prestigious Margaret Senior National Parks and Wildlife Scholarship for Plant and Wildlife Illustration. Shortly after leaving the course Rebecca was offered a part-time position in the U.S. at the art and graphics department of the Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). In 2001 she left UCSB to become a professional freelance natural science illustrator. Since then she has sold most of her work to private collectors, learning institutions, and has her work published in books internationally. She is one of the Saturdaze illustrators contributing exacting illustrations to several online courses (Principles of Biology, Animal Diversity, Ecology, Animal Physiology and Evolution & Adaptation) available through Santa Barbara City College. |  |
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 | Left and below: Stephanie McCann is a medical illustrator with a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Medical and Biological Illustration from the Johns Hopkins University. Stephanie taeches Biological Illustration and Adobe Illustrator classes at Santa Barbara City College. As a medical illustrator, McCann's work must first and foremost be technically accurate, but also educational and attractive. She has several cover illustrations on medical journals and has recently published "The Anatomy Coloring Book" to be used as a study guide by students in the medical and health fields. Whenever possible she works from actual specimens such as dissections of anatomical materials, X-rays or other radiology images (for example, MRIs), observation during surgery, skeletons, live plants and animals or people used as models. Beginning with numerous sketches, she may continue wholly in a traditional medium such as watercolor, or begin with watercolor, scan theimage, and complete it in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. "The Anatomy Coloring Book" illustrations were created entirely digitally. |
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