Quality Botanical Art & Affordable Prices
Vorobik Botanical Art
P.O. Box 866, Lopez Island, WA 98261. 510-520-2423. vorobik@gmail.com
All images on this site copyright Linda Ann Vorobik unless otherwise stated; Use granted only with written permission.
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Fairfax Library Botanical Art Show June 1-30, 2008
Please join me for a reception on Saturday, June 14, 3-5 pm at the Fairfax Library. Make a weekend of it: visit the events at the Fairfax Festival!
See below for list of work and prices
Linda Ann Vorobik PhD Botanist, Illustrator, Educator. Artist's Statement:
I have played with artistry since a child, always encouraged by parents with gifts of sketchbooks, pens, and paints. In high school I had a very lovely teacher, Miss Ideta, who gave me the great gift of free access to her art room and all its glorious supplies. In college I fell in love with learning, and particularly learning about plants and their environment, but never guessed that my dream of becoming a professional botanical artist would come true. Beginning with illustrations for a Systematic Botany lab manual at Western Washington University, then drawing Oregon rare plants, I continued with this career first as Botany Department artist at the University of Texas, Austin, and then as staff illustrator for the flora of California, The Jepson Manual, out of UC Berkeley.
I still juggle three careers: I continue with some research on rockcress species (Arabis); I teach botany and illustration in workshops at universities and botanical gardens throughout the west; I draw and paint whenever I can. I love the meditation of botanical illustration. Executing the detailed drawings provides me with “long dates” with plants that harbor seemingly infinite visual secrets, glands and star shaped hairs, colors within colors. My work has evolved from pen and ink botanical illustrations that have matured from simple drawings to extremely complex plates, to color illustrations, and now I have a new dream: to springboard off my botanical knowledge and artistic skills to works with artistry more prominent than science. The next show....Education
BA, Biology with Math Minor, Magna Cum Laude. 1977. Western Washington University, Bellingham.
PhD, Biology. 1985. University of Oregon, Eugene. Dissertation: Hybridization and reproductive isolation between sympatric Arabis (Cruciferae) in southwestern Oregon.Selected Books with Vorobik illustrations
Flora North America, Volume 25, edited by M. Barkworth, et al. and FNA Editorial Board.
The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California, ed. by B. Baldwin, et al.
A Flora of Santa Cruz Island, by S. Junak et al. (Vorobik sole illustrator)
The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California, edited by J. Hickman.
Mountain Plants of the Pacific Northwest, by R.J. Taylor and G.W. Douglas.
Morphology and Evolution of Vascular Plants, by E.M. Gifford and A.S. Foster.Library conference room
1. Artist statement--watercolors
2. Orchid Hybrid “Mokinia” (Ascocentrum)
Oncidinae hybrid painted during Vorobik October orchid-painting workshop on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Watercolor. $400.
3. Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata)Blechnaceae or Woodwardiaceae. Giant Chain Fern is named both for its size and for the pattern of veins on the pinnae (leaflets). This is the largest fern of the Pacific west, and can grow to 2 meters (6 feet) in height, especially when it is an understory fern of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests. If you look closely at the pinnae (leaflets), you may note that the veins come together in a chain-like pattern. A unique feature of this fern is its "trap-door" sori (tissue bearing the sporangia or spore cases). These open as if by a hinge on one side, releasing the spores when the fronds dry out. Woodwardia is a lovely addition to western gardens and is available at many nurseries.
Giclée from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $90 each for this, Western Licorice Fern, and Jordan’s Maidenhair; 3 for $250
4. A collection of gooseberries and currants (Ribes species).Currant Family (Grossulariaceae). Original reprinted in limited edition series given to selected contributors to The Jepson Manual Project. Scraperboard is a clay covered board, suitable for not only laying down areas in pen and ink, but also scraping them up to reveal the white clay underneath.
Pen and Ink on Scraperboard (Scratchboard). $600
5. New species of Viguiera (Viguiera vorobikae)
Sunflower Family (Compositae). Pen and ink drawing of new species from Cascada Basasiachic, Chihauhau, Mexico, named for artist by Professor Billie Turner, University of Texas, Austin. Vorobik and Nesom, a Texas botanist, found this plant during a 1986 collecting trip. Damage to illustration is due to poor handling while being reproduced for publication.
Pen and Ink. Private Collection
6. Western Sword Fern (Polysticum munitum)Wood Fern Family (Dryopteridaceae). Western Sword Fern is one of the largest and most common ferns of the Pacific west. It is often an understory dominant of Douglas Fir forests or Coast Redwood forests, and can be found in a variety of plant communities from sea level to mountain forests.
Members of the genus Polystichum are distinguished in part by pinnae (leaflets) that sport a "hitchhiker's thumb"—the prominent lobe on the lower part of the pinna (leaflet). Western Sword Fern is closely related to Polysichum imbricans, a fern of drier habitats with pinnae that are layered up the midrib of the frond in an imbricated fashion. It is always a delight to come across some of the less common holly ferns such as Polystichum lemmonii or P. lonchitis. Each of these perennial ferns would be a wonderful addition to the garden, are relatively easy to grow, and many are available through the nursery trade.Giclée from original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $350
7. Cultivated Oncidinae orchidOrchid Family (Orchidaceae). Painted during Vorobik yearly October orchid-painting workshop on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
Watercolor. $300
8. Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant)Deer Fern Family (Blechnaceae). Deer Fern is a common understory plant, especially of forests of the Coast Ranges and It is an excellent addition to shady, moist sites in the garden. The striking feature of Deer Fern is that the spore-bearing or fertile fronds, located centrally, differ strikingly in form from the sterile fronds.
Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $1200
9. Cultivated Oncidinae Orchid: “The Clown”Orchid Family (Orchidaceae). “The Clown” is not a cultivar name, rather an impression of what the flower looks like.
Watercolor. $300
10. Jordan’s Maidenhair or California Maidenhair (Adiantum jordanii)Pteridaceae. This beautiful maidenhair fern occurs from southwestern Oregon south to Baja California, and occurs in the foothills of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada in California as well as within coastal communities. It is often found on serpentine, and most typically occurs on shady slopes or in moist crevices.
Other species of maidenhair ferns native to the western United States are the delightful Five-Finger Fern (Adiantum aleuticum, also known as A. pedatum) and the graceful Southern Maidenhair Fern (A. capillus-veneris). In the field, sterile hybrids can be found between A. aleuticum and A. jordanii, and have been called A. tracyi. Many species of Adiantum can be found in cultivation, and they each make a lovely addition to moist shade gardens throughout the west. The fronds are deciduous in the winter, but are delicately green and lovely throughout the growing season.Giclée from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $90 each for this, Western Licorice Fern, and Jordan’s Maidenhair; 3 for $250
11. Polypodium Western Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza)Polypod Family (Polypodiaceae). One of several licorice ferns found in the west, Western Licorice Fern occurs from the San Francisco Bay area of California north to Alaska, and from the coast east to the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and coastal mountains to the north. Its growth habit is both upright from the soil and hanging from cliffs or as epiphytes on trees. One of its relatives, Leather-Leaf Fern (Polypodium scouleri), occurs along the coast from Oregon south to Baja California. Leather-Leaf Fern can be distinguished by its leathery fronds and decidedly larger terminal pinnae (leaflets). All members of this genus have "naked" sori; that is, the clusters of spore cases (sporangia), called the sori, are not covered by a membranous flap (the indusium). Licorice Ferns are lovely in the garden but they are best seen, in my opinion, as the natural decoration on Big Leaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum) in western rainforests.
Giclée from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $90 each for this, Western Licorice Fern, and Jordan’s Maidenhair; 3 for $250
12. Cultivated Oncidinae 0rchid: Sharry BabyOrchid Family (Orchidaceae). Painted during Vorobik’s orchid painting workshop in Hawai’i, this image compares two flower forms of this cultivar whose flowers smell like vanilla and chocolate.
Watercolor. $400
13. Lilac Mariposa Lily or Butterfly Tulip (Calochortus splendens)
Lily Family (Liliaceae). The Lilac Mariposa Lily occurs from central and southern California south to Baja California. It is one of about 65 species that may be found in western North America south to Central America. Flowers of mariposa lilies (or butterfly tulips, their other name) are known for their striking colors and ornate nectaries, located at the base of each petal. An additional delight of this species are its incredible lilac-colored stamens. Mariposa lilies may be challenging for the gardener, but at least a dozen species are cultivated. If you are a gardener who loves the unique, you may find Calochortus bulbs and other native plants that might intrigue you or help reduce your watering needs through your local native plant society.
Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $800 / $1400 for pair
14. Catalina Mariposa Lily (Calochortus catalinae)Lily Family (Liliaceae). The genus Calochortus is found throughout the west, but is best represented in California, with over 40 species occurring there. Calochortus catalinae occurs on the coast of southern California, especially on the Channel Islands. Other species are found from eastern Washington south to Central America. The meaning of the name Calochortus is very appropriate: beautiful grass. The plants often have long grasslike leaves adorned with flowers so lovely as to compare them with butterflies: Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish, and another name for these plants is butterfly tulip. Whenever I encounter a mariposa lily I take the time to peek inside its amazing flowers. Each has an ornate nectary (area of nectar producing tissue), with interesting coloring and often fringed with hairs. Butterfly tulips may be challenging for the gardener, but at least a dozen species are listed as in cultivation. Many of the species are rare, so these plants should never be picked or otherwise collected from the wild.
Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $800 / $1400 for pair
15. Washington Lily (Lilium washingtonianum)
Lily Family (Liliaceae). Watercolor study done for a watercolor collage of lilies including L. columbianum, L. washingtonianum, L. kelloggii, L. bolanderi, L. pardilinum, and L. parvum.Watercolor. $150
16. Badge Moss (Plagiomnium insigne)One of the large bright green mosses found on the forest floor on Lopez, frequently with several sporophytes (non-photosynthetic plant) arising from the green (photosynthetic) gametophyte.
Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $800
17. Western Lily (Lilium columbianum)Lily Family (Liliaceae). Watercolor study done for a watercolor collage of lilies including L. columbianum, L. washingtonianum, L. kelloggii, L. bolanderi, L. pardilinum, and L. parvum.
Watercolor. $200
18. Cultivated Oncidinae OrchidWorkshops sketch of cultivated Oncidinae, Orchid Family (Orchidaceae).
Watercolor. $100
19. Photograph: Vorobik Botanical Illustration WorkshopRancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California. One of several workshops Vorobik instructs throughout the west, including at venues located in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii.
20. Photograph: Vorobik Botanical Illustration WorkshopSiskiyou Field Institute, Selma, Oregon. Students field sketching at Whiskey Creek, Josephine County, Oregon. Plans in photograph include the California Pitcher Plant (Darlingtonia californica) and the California Lady Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium californicum).
21. Brodiaea hybrid (Dichelostemma venustum)Lily Family (Liliaceae). Vorobik first encountered D. venustum while painting with students of a Siskiyou Field Institute workshop above the Salmon River in northern California. She identified it in the field using The Jepson Manual, which stated that it is a hybrid between the parents D. ida-maia and D. hyacynthina. Upon searching, Vorobik and students found both parent species in the vicinity.
Watercolor. $175. $300 for pair
22. Brodiaea hybrid (Dichelostemma venustum and parent plants)
Lily Family (Liliaceae). The hybrid Dichelostemma venustum is show with parent plants D. ida-maia and D. hyacynthina.
Watercolor. $175. $300 for pair
23. Turks and Caicos Stamps: About the ProjectStamps from original Pen and Ink with Watercolor
Private Collection
24. Turks and Caicos Stamps: SamplesStamps from original Pen and Ink with Watercolors
Private Collection
25. Lupine (Lupinus) plate from The Jepson Manual
Legume Family (Fabaceae). This illustration plate for the genus Lupinus was reproduced at the size that the illustrations were created at. See No. 26, “The Jepson Manual: About the Illustrations” to see an illustration page as published: less than two thirds of the actual size.High Resolution Scan from Original Pen and Ink Private Collection
26. The Jepson Manual: About the Illustrations
First of three posters assembled after the publication of the most up-to-date flora of California, The Jepson Manual, out of UC, Berkeley. Vorobik was staff artist for the project, created approximately one third of the illustrations, and was integral in illustration concept, design, and execution, and wrote the treatment for the lousewort genus, Pedicularis. Vorobik is currently working on additions and corrections to illustrations for the extensively revised second edition of The Jepson Manual.
27. The Jepson Manual: Process of Illustration Plate CreationThe same philosophy and process for The Jepson Manual was used to create illustration plates for The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. Vorobik created new illustrations and reorganized illustration plates for the Desert Manual, and is doing the same for the upcoming and extensively revised second edition of The Jepson Manual.
28. The Jepson Manual: The IllustratorsMore than seven illustrators contributed to the illustration plates for The Jepson Manual, but most illustrations were executed by Emily Reid, who started as a volunteer and contributed about half of the art for the 242 illustration plates. Ms. Reid was in her 80s when she accomplished most of this work. Vorobik joined the project after Reid had started drawings, and in addition to executing about one third of the illustrations, she created the design specifications for other artists who later joined the team.
Main room towards back of library29. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Nasturtium Family (Tropaeolaceae). This cheerful flower festoons gardens and fences from late spring throughout the summer. It is especially happy in coastal climates.
Giclée print from original pen and ink with watercolor $350 framed
30. Sierra Mariposa Lily (Calochortus leichtlinii)Lily Family (Liliaceae). Found in open gravelly places in the mountains from the high Sierra Nevada to the Modoc Plateau in California, and east to Nevada. This species, with flowers to two inches in diameter, is always a delight to see, but should never be picked, as the plants are usually uncommon.
The genus Calochortus is known for the spectacular colors of the showy petals, yielding the common name which likens the flowers to a butterfly (Spanish: mariposa). Another common name for Calochortus is "butterfly tulip." Numerous species of Calochortus are in cultivation, and come in a great variety of colors and forms, including species called "globe lilies," which are named for their hanging spherical flowers.Offset Print from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $125
31. Sierra Mariposa Lily (Calochortus leichtlinii)Lily Family (Liliaceae). This painting was inspired after viewing a fantastic display of this Mariposa Lily at Sonora Pass, Sierra Nevada, California.
Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $125
32. Monkeyflower (Mimulus viscidus)Snapdragon Family (Scophulariaceae). Mimulus illustration done for David Thompson’s Systematic Botany Monograph. A monkeyflower of the Sierra Nevada foothills, found in chaparral or burned areas. Like several other species of monkeyflowers, this species can have either yellow- or magenta-colored flowers.
Pen and Ink. $400
33. Calico Monkeyflower (Mimulus pictus)Snapdragon Family (Scophulariaceae). Mimulus illustration done for David Thompson’s Systematic Botany Monograph. A rare plant of the southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains of southern California.
Pen and Ink. $400
34. Monkeyflower (Mimulus bigelovii)
Snapdragon Family (Scophulariaceae). Mimulus illustration done for David Thompson’s Systematic Botany Monograph. This is a common species with purple, quarter-sized flowers that graces the southern California deserts during good flowering years.
Pen and Ink. $400
35. New Variety of Costa Rican OrchidOrchid Family (Orchidaceae). Pencil study of new variety of orchid described by the late Donald Dodd, UC Berkeley.
Pencil. $500 for pencil and ink drawings
36. New Variety of Costa Rican OrchidOrchid Family (Orchidaceae). Final ink drawing of new variety of orchid described by the late Donald Dodd, UC Berkeley.
Pencil. $500 for pencil and ink drawings
37. Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)Primrose Family (Primulaceae). This species occurs in wet meadows of the coastal Pacific Northwest and wet basins or seep areas of the Great Basin. Like other shooting stars, the petals reflex back on the nodding flower stalks (pedicels) with the stamens projecting like narrow black beaks. As the fruits develop, the pedicels straighten out, presenting the capsules towards the sky. This perennial may be in cultivation, but D. hendersonii, a native from foothill locations from southern Oregon south along the western slopes of Sierra Nevada and in the coast ranges, definitely is. Henderson's shooting star has similar flowers and very attractive roundish leaf blades.
Offset Print from Watercolor. $75
38. Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)Primrose Family (Primulaceae). Other species of shooting stars (D. redolens, D. jeffreyi, D. alpinum, D. subalpinum, etc.) are common at higher elevations, and are always a treat to see. Although the flowers are small (often less than one inch), they have distinctive and beautiful colorful markings at the base of the petals near where the stamens protrude.
Giclée from Watercolor. $75
Back wall of library39. Vorobik award, Fremontia
Award presented to Vorobik for her five years of editing the journal of the California Native Plant Society. During her tenure as editior, Vorobik brought the publication into electronic production, redesigned its look, and transformed the publication from black and white into color for a budget less than that for its black and white production.
40. Fremontia article featuring Vorobik photographsAfter editing Kalmiopsis, the journal of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Vorobik spent five years editing Fremontia, the journal of the California Native Plant Society. The article shown here displays her photographs which she uses for teaching and as reference for illustrations.
41. Paintbrushes (Castilleja) from The Jepson ManualSnapdragon Family (Scrophulariaceae). A selection of paintbrushes as illustrated for the California flora, comparing diagnostic characteristics.
High Resolution Scan from Original Pen and Ink. Private Collection
42. New Species of Paintbrush (Castilleja chambersii)Snapdragon Family (Scrophulariaceae). A new species from Mary’s Peak, west of Corvallis, Oregon, named by botanists Mark Egger and Robert Meinke in honor of Professor Kenton Chambers, Oregon State University.
High Resolution Scan from Original Pen and Ink. Private Collection
43. Camas (Camasia leichtlinii)
Lily Family (Liliaceae). Camas is found in coastal to montane wet meadows and swales, and occurs east from northern California into Wyoming and Utah. The plants often grow to be over two feet tall, with numerous pale blue to deep royal blue flowers about one and a half inches in diameter. Look closely at the flowers to see gorgeous striping of different hues of blues. Bulbs of many species of camas were a staple food of Native Americans, who wisely avoided the bulbs of the appropriately named death camas (Zygadenus venenosus), which frequently grows intermixed with camas. Camas is in cultivation in both white- and blue-flowered forms, but native camas stands are becoming less and less common, as lands they once dominated are taken over for grazing or crops. Wild camas is still common along Interstate-5 in Oregon, where the deep blue-flowered form can be seen in the Willamette Valley, the white-flowered forms grow just north of Roseburg, and the intermediate, pale blue-flowered form occurs in the regions between.Offset Print from Watercolor. Price: $100
44. Fringe-Cup (Tellima grandiflora)
Saxifrage Family (Saxifragaceae). A common north-coastal species in forest openings and moist areas, related to the cultivated Pig-Aback-Plant (Tolmiea menziesii). Vorobik once collected and illustrated a hybrid of these two species.
Pen and Ink. $200
45. Fringe-Cup (Tellima grandiflora)Saxifrage Family (Saxifragaceae). One of the most delightful aspects of this species are the flowers, whose petals are delicately lobed, and change from whitish green to pink as the flowers mature.
Pen and Ink. $125
46. New Species of Tibouchina (Tibouchina plumosa).Melastome Family (Melastomataceae). The species Tibouchina plumosa, described and illustrated in the 1990s for publication by Dr. Carol Todzia in 2002. This species is from Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Pen and Ink. $400
47. Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis)Lily Family (Liliaceae). Chocolate lilies with green- or yellow-colored flowers are often overlooked, as they blend in with grass-green foliage. The nectaries of chocolate lilies are slightly depressed ovals on the perianth segments and appear shiny from nectar.
Giclée from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $100
48. Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis)
Lily Family (Liliaceae). Named for their mottled perianth, these lilies occur from the San Francisco Bay Area north to British Columbia, in moist coastal prairies or foothill sites of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade, and Coast ranges. Although usually thought of as having chocolate-colored flowers (as shown here), the tepals (perianth segments) of this species vary from deep purplish-brown to yellow-green with tan mottling. Another name for the genus, rice-root, refers to the small bulblets that look like clustered grains of rice. Both native and non-native chocolate lilies are in cultivation, and can be used as a graceful treat to the spring-flowering suite of bulbs in your garden. In the wild, do not pick the flowers or collect them, as although they are not threatened or endangered, they are never common and may be rare in your area. If you are lucky enough to encounter them, take a peak into their enchanting nodding bells to see six bright yellow stamens with a background of green and brown checker-painted petal color.
Offset Print from Original Pen and Ink with Watercolor. $100
49. Species of Tibouchina (Tibouchina nigricans)
Melastome Family (Melastomataceae). The species Tibouchina nigricans, described and illustrated in the 1990s for publication by Dr. Carol Todzia. The related Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana) is s a noxious weed in Hawaii, but is extensively planted in California gardens. It is a large shrub with imposing flowers: they are round, velvety, and deep purple with long, curved stamens.
Pen and Ink. $400