CELEBRATION OF THE PLANT BODY
Botanical Experience Lessons
A 3-day botanical workshop with Ivana Miloš and Hanna Schimek
Friday, April 4, 2025 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Daily Workshop hours: 10 am–13pm and 15pm –18pm
Price of 3-day workshop: 300€
Early Bird Price: 240€. Available unitl Januray 31st.
Bus tickets to Perdika and tickets to the archeological site of Kolonna, as well as meals are not included in the price. Materials included areindicated at the bottom of the page.
This three-day workshop is envisioned as a celebration of the plant body. Together we will study the forms and colors that make up a plant, but also dedicate time to observing its temporal dimensions. Following the progression of plants from seeds to seedlings to full-grown individuals and finally their decaying, wilting return to the soil, we will connect to the different time scale that plants exist on. By trying out different techniques, from classical botanical painting to experimental approaches to plant portrayal, participants will be able to connect with and pursue the form that fits them best. An introduction to the history of plants in art will interweave past approaches with the practical observation of our surroundings. Pursuing the idea of a perpetual journal, which follows the changes in nature throughout the year(s), sketchbooks will be provided for all participants. In these, we will create color studies of leaves, flowers and branches, and explore their appearance in the play of light and shadow.
On two different day trips, we will direct our attention to the plants in our immediate surroundings and collect individual plants to portray. One will lead us to an almost untouched, magical landscape close to the fishing village of Pertika. The second trip will include a visit to the archaeological excavation of Kolonna, where we will dive into an ancient world and explore the biodiversity of the flora at this unique site. Along with the artistic exploration of plants, we will also focus on human relationships to plants throughout history and share our keen interest and love for the living beings that make up the world(s) we live in.
The following (basic) drawing and painting equipment will be provided: a variety of pencils as well as water-soluble colored pencils, paintbrushes, magnifying glasses and sketchbooks. If you already have your own watercolours and brushes, be sure to bring them along!
The sketchbooks we have selected and provided especially for you will be filled with plant sketches during the workshop: like a perpetual botanical journal that – we hope – you will continue to fill with more sketches over time.
This 3-day workshop is open to everyone – amateurs and artists above the age of 18. No previous experience, knowledge or skill is required, except for the desire to be creative and connect to our natural environment.
It will be held is English, with the possibility of including the following additional languages: German, Croatian, Italian and some French.
The workshop is limited to a group of 15 participants maximum.
Need help with accommodation? Contact us and we will make suggestions according to your needs.
Would you like to spend more time in Aegina and immerse yourself in the creative process? The workshop teachers and hosts will be pleased to provide advice on how to practice your drawing and painting skills and discover the flora of Aegina in your own way. We will happily give you tips on visiting the island's hidden natural landscapes!
Celebration of the Plant Body
There are 2 options to pay for this course:
1. Pay the whole amount when you book the course. Payment is refundable if you cancel 30 days before the start of your course.
2. Pay for your course 50% upon booking and the remainder 1 month later or upon your arrival, whichever is sooner. Advance payment is refundable if you cancel 30 days before the start of your course.
IVANA MILOŠ
Ivana Miloš is a poet, literary translator and graphic artist with a special focus on plants and botanical colours. She was born in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1988, and has been based in Austria since 2012. She has an M.A. in Comparative Literature and English from the University of Zagreb, and Visual Communications from the University of Arts, Linz. Her poems have been translated into several languages and published in numerous literary magazines and on the radio. "Good Demons Only", her first book of poetry, will be published in Croatia in 2025. In her practice she focuses on the zones of contact between literature and nature as well as the complex, organic connections between language, images and their interstices. ivanami.com
HANNA SCHIMEK
Hanna Schimek is a Multimedia artist who lives and works in Vienna and Aegina, with artistic activities and exhibitions in Austria and abroad. Her basic areas of artistic work are: photography, installations, conception and organisation of interdisciplinary art projects. She also does research and curation in visual media and film, artistic works in sociocultural contexts, and colour concepts for architectural projects. She has numerous publications of artist's books. In 2024, she published her latest artist's book "goodandevil", a diary based on photographs of her Instagram posts. She is the founder and artistic director of Light Image – The Aegina Academy / GR, 2003/2005, a forum for Art and Science. hannaschimek.at