In May, join Massy Arts and Iranian-Canadian visual artist Mehran Modarres-Sadegh for the in-person workshop “Introduction to Botanical Drawing”.

Throughout four classes – to be conducted between May 7th and 28th, attendees will will develop skills in drawing plants and flowers from observation. “Using various drawing materials such as graphite pencil, pen, and coloured pencil, you will explore basic drawing techniques of contour drawing, shading, stippling, and textural drawing while drawing from wild plants of the West Coast Botanical”, says Mehran.

Attendees will be asked to bring a sketchbook + a set of graphite pencils for the first session. For the following sessions, students will be encouraged to work with pens and a set of coloured pencils (optional), but all attendees are welcome to draw only with graphite.

The event will be hosted at the Massy Arts Gallery – at 23 East Pender Street in Vancouver – and capacity is limited (only 08 seats).

Entrance is upon ticket fee, and registration is mandatory.

Covid Protocols: For all in-person events, attendees must provide proof of vaccination, wear a mask (N95 masks are encouraged and recommended as they offer the best protection), and consent to having their temperature checked at the front door. We kindly ask that if you are showing any symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly.

Click here to register for the workshop

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Schedule

Classes will happen on:

May 7th – Saturday – 3pm to 5pm
May 12th – Thursday – 6pm to 8pm
May 19th – Thursday – 6pm to 8pm
May 28th – Saturday – 3pm to 5pm

For pedagogical purposes, artists are asked to attend all four classes.

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Message from Mehran Modarres-Sadegh

On the first day of the workshops, we will go for a nature walk in the nearby parks in order to collect a few pieces of native plants and later make observational drawings from them. There will be step-by-step drawing demonstrations, as well as presentation and discussions. We will discuss the life cycle of these plants, how to preserve them by pressing and recording the plant’s collecting information.

We will also investigate the connection between language and the plant specimens and practice methods of interweaving that knowledge in conjunction with drawing techniques.

Here you can find the name of some of the seasonal plants that we will look for during our nature walk: Salmonberry, Wild Rose, Oregon Grape, Salal, Bracken Fern, Cattail, Indian Plum, Red-flowering Currant, Labrador tea, and Lupine.

We will also explore a few non-native flowers that are very popular and bloom during May in British Columbia such as apple and cherry blossom.

I will use some of these plants for step by step demonstrations, drawing from their leaves, flowers, and berries. You will only need one or two of the plants to draw from. These workshops are open to any skill level and are meant to be a fun and creative way to keep connected.

– Mehran

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Mentor’s Bio

Mehran Modarres-Sadeghi is a visual artist based in Vancouver, BC. Originally from Isfahan, Iran, she immigrated to Canada more than 20 years ago where she has received an MFA in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (2017) and a BFA from University of British Columbia (2007). She also holds a BSc in Physics from Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.

Modarres-Sadeghi’s recent practice is mostly engaged with drawing and sculpture, although she has worked in a variety of media such as photography, painting, and installation. She has exhibited her work at several art galleries in British Columbia, including group exhibitions at Concourse Gallery (ECU), Charles H. Scott Gallery (ECU), and most notably at Centre A as part of a group exhibition in spring 2017 and later at the Cityscape Community Art Space in summer 2019. One of her recent exhibitions, Thread, was a solo show at the Sunshine Coast Arts Council’s Doris Crowston Gallery in Sechelt, BC, in Spring 2020.

This exhibition was well received and she was featured in a CBC radio interview by Sheryl MacKay, host of North by Northwest, in two podcasts, and in print, including ECU News.

Her most recent exhibition was a solo show, TRACING SHADOWS, at Gallery 1515 in Vancouver in Fall 2021. Her next solo exhibition will be at District Library Gallery, Lynn Valley main Library, North Vancouver, BC, in winter 2022.

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