Marie Brezinski CBA Artist Update

I am excited to share my recent completion of the Certificate of Botanical Art & Illustration (CBA) from Wellesley College Botanical Gardens. I feel this is just the beginning with so much more to learn, daily practice and looking forward to spending more time creating for East Chop Designs. 

In my art, the viewer visits my world of coastal wildflowers and gardens on Cape Cod. Wellesley College Botanic Garden’s Certified Botanical Art and Illustration program, under the direction of Sarah Roche has provided me joy, purpose and structure. I’m able to illustrate the beauty that surrounds me with first-hand observation and new technical skills.

I’ve met wonderful like-minded friends. A favorite class, New England Flora really changed my life. When out walking those sandy paths or local gardens, we now note time, temperature, location, local observations and enjoy the fun of identifying specimens.

In a series of six paintings for my final project, Coastal Fruits & Flowers of Cape Cod, I have chosen to illustrate wildflowers observed in local coastal habitats:

Seaside Pea – Lathyrus japonicus

Common Lupine – Lupinus polyphyllus

Beach Plum – Prunus maritima

Rosa rugosa

Bayberry – Myrica caroliniensis

Porcelain Berry – Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata

While some may be invasive, these plants thrive in our sandy seaside paths and meadows. I see them as a beautiful natural treasure of the Cape. The lupine specimen for this watercolor was a generous and immediate response to a call for help from Beth, Linda and Maryanne. The lupine is from Childs River Run. ©M.Brezinski