ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank so many people for giving me support and encouragement on my journey with botanical art. I especially want to thank my enthusiastic students from all over the world, for expressing their appreciation for what I teach and for being loyal followers for many years. It is music to my ears when I hear them say “Learning botanical drawing has been life-changing.” Some even compare it to falling in love!

Veronica Fannin became my assistant a few years ago, at first helping with graphic design. I now consider her a respected colleague as she has developed into a talented botanical artist and instructor, helping me perfect curriculum and teach workshops around the world and online. Without her help I wouldn’t have had the time to create this book, and her suggestions and organizational skills expedited the process.

I want to thank Dina Falconi, herbalist and author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook, for broadening my knowledge of plants and sharing her undying enthusiasm for nature.

A shout-out goes to the group of talented international botanical artists who join me each year at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. We share techniques while developing a Florilegium collection of art for this spectacular garden. Working together alongside the knowledgeable botanists and horticulturists helps us grow as botanical artists and enhances our artwork and its usefulness in today’s world.

My two children designed and created the gardens at my home, which is a daily source of inspiration. It means a lot that they and their growing families share my passion for plants. I look forward to discovering nature all over again with my grandchildren as we walk around the gardens together exploring—planting peach pits and other seeds and experiencing nature’s life cycle and magic together.

Thanks to the talented group at Ten Speed Press: my editors, Ashley Pierce and Sigi Nacson, and designer Chloe Rawlins, for enthusiastically supporting this project.

More than anything I want to thank the plants themselves for inspiring and nourishing me!