About a week ago, we hosted the first of four botanical drawing workshops with Brooklyn based naturalist and painter, Jessica Dalrymple. Being that it was a Sunday afternoon class, landing at the tail end of a very intense week – a big wedding on Friday and a heat dome to contend with throughout – I was going into the workshop feeling TIRED.
The workshop landed at the end of a packed April - June wedding season, and the halfway point of the year. We’ve made it through 19/~40 events, 2 major holidays and 3 workshops, since January 1. Oh, and a major studio move, cooler build and general transition associated with said move.
You might be wondering - why are you attending this class, Molly? Lie down for goddess’s sake!!
Despite the heavy workload and often giving up weekends to work (comes with the wedding florist territory), I’d been looking forward to this particular workshop (and all of the upcoming botanical drawing / painting workshops) since the moment we put them on the calendar a few months ago. Something about losing myself (hopefully) in pencil and paper felt promising. Dreamy.
I’ve been overwhelmed at many points this year, and the schedule has been - for better and for worse - quite full. Brimming to overflowing at times. And when I get a little relief - a day off or a walk at the end of the workday if I can get it in - existential worries on repeat bubble up: 43 and still single (will I ever find a partner? have a family?); the housing market feeling impossible on my take-home salary (will I ever have my own space again? Do I want that/need that? Isn’t living intergenerationally healthy? But then how will I have an actual dating life? AYE.); the day-in and out concerns about the business and whether we’re going to make it in this new space (why is the 2025 calendar so slow to book this year???); the impending doomsday election on the horizon (will the world implode?); will I ever clean my car again?????
I spend a lot of time alone, with this looping mind of mine. I’m aware that it’s happening, which leads me to reflect on my mental health, which leads me to thinking a lot about my phone. How I’m constantly tied to it, and Instagram (impossible to abstain from due to the nature of this business nowadays), and a constant stream of what looks like perfection, interspersed with ads that only tell me I have things I need to improve - my facial fascia, my summer beach body, my investment portfolio, my wardrobe’s sustainability, my underwear’s fiber make-up, 10 restaurants I MUST try this summer… it’s exhausting and demoralizing. I feel a level of addiction that I hate admitting to, but here I am admitting it. I want the surgeon general’s warning labels about smartphones and mental health to pass Congress or whatever needs to happen politically… Whether these labels will do much to entice kids to put down their phones is suspect, but I want there to be some public acknowledgement of what these phones are doing to us and our time and of course, our mental health. If social media is impacting my self esteem and my anxiety level, I can only imagine what it must be like to be a teenager - or younger! - and be exposed to it.
So, there’s a snapshot of what’s really going on in my head. Allll this to say, a workshop that separated me and my phone, and was destined to pull something creative out of me that wasn’t my specific medium, was very appealing.
I’ve known our instructor Jessica for 6 or 7 years and from the moment I met her I was struck, both by her beautiful work and her love of nature, but also by the quality of attention she brings to a conversation, to a moment. Her full presence is there, and you have a sense she is deeply listening… It makes me wonder if all painters - deep observes - have that trait.
Jessica is a full-time artist, producing works that make busy New Yorkers stop and witness the incredible diversity of plants (everywhere from parks to abandoned lots), ecological environments, and wildlife found throughout New York City. She offers drawing and plein air painting classes regularly, as well as “mindful nature journaling hikes” – one in each borough every year. As her across-the-hall studio neighbor for the past 4 years, I’ve always been intrigued about her painting and drawing classes, but to go-go-go to slow down to take one. Once we moved into the new space, I was determined, selfishly, to make the classes come to me, and to hopefully create space for others as well to slow down, be with plants, be phone-less.
Last Sunday’s workshop was my first personal experience into the world Jessica creates in a classroom and it was just what my taxed nervous system needed.
After introductions and my brief spiel on the June flowers we had on hand – Campanula, Agrostemma, Sweet Pea, Sweet William, and Matricaria among other leafy “specimens” as they are referred to in the context of botanical illustration – Jessica shared some images from the books she’d kindly lugged with her, and talked about the history of botanical illustration.
We then were led through a series of warm up exercises - to get our hands and arms moving in different directions. We made circles, shapes, figure eights, lines… so satisfyingly simple. Jessica’s playlist featured few to no lyrics, mainly soothing ambient sounds from The Blaze, Plantasia, Sylvan Esso, Bach, birdsong and Tristeza.
Not pictured here was also an exercise in practicing shading using a pencil - to make as light a shade as possible as well as the darkest shade possible.
Jessica then explained how to pin your chosen specimen to foam board, then to choose a piece of beautiful deckle edge paper (she brought many sizes and weights), and finally a board to draw on. (She brought clipboards of many dimensions).
The elementary, uncomplicated act of forming a line to choose a plant, a piece of paper and a drawing board was surprisingly pleasurable. Ahhh, simplicity.
I got up a few times during the workshop to snap some photos and I loved seeing each participant’s drawing come to life over our two and half hours. Jessica wanted the entire drawing exercise to feel free and approachable - so there would be no “hovering” as she put it, or drawing instruction, though she was happy to come around and check in, and answer questions. Everyone seemed to quickly fall into a trance-like state, focused on their specimen, pencil and paper. The music hummed, the light poured in and moving clouds across a mostly blue sky cast shadows.
We have three more drawing and painting workshops to look forward to this year, and I plan to attend each one. I hope you’ll consider joining me! (Find the schedule below.) I can’t wait to trade my phone in for pencil and paper again.
Upcoming botanical drawing and painting workshops, with Jessica Dalrymple:
Paint + Sip Sunflowers
Thursday, 8/15, 6-8pm
Experience the joy of painting sunflowers in the cool of air conditioning this summer while sipping wine (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) or iced herbal tea. Each participant will paint their own sunflower on canvas with oil or acrylics, either from a template or their own drawing. Jessica will demonstrate, provide painting tips, answer questions, and cheer you on. Molly Oliver is excited to procure a diverse range of locally-grown sunflowers for students to capture!
*All supplies included.
Botanical Drink and Draw
Thursday 9/26, 6-8pm
Relax and unwind while sketching at your leisure from an array of locally-grown fall flowers such as celosia, dalias, zinnias, and more. Botanical cocktails and mocktails will be served. There will be lots of papers and drawing implements to grab as well as some color pencils and watercolors if you're tempted to splash on some color. Feel free to bring your own snacks, supplies and/or sketchbooks. Jessica will be there to guide and cheer you on.
*Basic paper and pencils will be provided; feel free to bring your own
Seasonal Flower Painting - Fall Edition
Sunday 9/29, 1-4pm
This workshop will focus on flower painting with oil paint, using a non toxic method. Jessica will demonstrate and teach an alla prima technique for flower painting directly from a beautiful arrangement by Molly Oliver Flowers including such fall beauties as celosa, dahlias, zinnias, and more. Each participant will be guided through the process of starting and finishing a flower painting.
Sign up here.