“Red List protects nature” - The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, founded in 1948, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.

“Protect birds - they are doctors of the forest”

“Cut down one - plant ten”

“Welcome, my feathered friends!”

June 25, 2010 by Designsquish

Signe Parsegel land art.

Forest Art Wisconsin.

Michel de Broin “Superficial”

May 18, 2010 by Designsquish

Located on the Rockaway Peninsula Brooklyn, NY, Fort Tilden is mostly a natual area that was a former United States Army installation.  Fort Tilden today is largely a natural area of beach, dunes and maritime forest. Most of the old military installations are abandoned, though some buildings have been renovated and are used by local arts groups. Atop one of the old batteries, Battery Harris East, is a viewing platform offering 360-degree views.  Fort Tilden includes some of the most secluded beaches in New York.

April 19, 2010 by Designsquish

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre park currently under construction on the Brooklyn waterfront in the vicinity of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. As of March 22, 2010 the first newly built section of the park, Pier 1, has been open to the public. !!!!!!!!!!!!

March 30, 2010 by Designsquish

February 05, 2010 by Designsquish

Ivan Shishkin. Winter. 1890.  Oil on canvas.

(Winter, detail with bird)

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin born in 1832,  was a Russian painter who is known for his realistic forest landscapes, paintings of wildlife, grasses and especially pine trees. I like the tiny details in his paintings. Click on the images to see in full resolution.

Ivan Shishkin. The Rye Field, 1878. Oil on Canvas,

(The Rye Field, detail with grasses)

(The Rye Field, detail with birds)

January 19, 2010 by Designsquish

TREE
Graphite on panel, 2007
18” x 24”

WINTER TREE
Graphite on panel, 2007
18” x 24”

- By Anastasia Ugorskaya

December 30, 2009 by Designsquish

December 18, 2009 by Designsquish

September 13, 2009 by Designsquish

Brunonia Serica
Ferdinand Bauer
1760-1826
from Floral Illustrations of New Holland

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
15th or 16th century
Gouache on vellum

From Vienna Dioscorides



From Vienna Dioscorides



Botanical Illustration from Codex Anicia Juliana, AD 512

From Vienna Dioscorides



Banksia coccinea (Scarlet Banksia)
Ferdinand Bauer
Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae
Early 19th century



Adele Morosini Rossetti (for Botanic Garden)
Rosa Abraham Darby
Watercolor , color pencil, tempera on paper




California flowering plant





California snow flower

Peruvian flowering cactus

September 05, 2009 by Designsquish

September 04, 2009 by Designsquish

Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh was founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants.  Nearly 34,000 plants are grown at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and its three smaller offshoots located in other parts of Scotland.  These represent nearly 17,000 different species from all over the world, or about 7% of all known plant species.  I was surprised to see so many species of plants at the same time!

May 29, 2009 by Designsquish

Pando is a clonal colony of a single male Quaking Aspen located in the state of Utah, U.S.  All trees in Pando colony are determined to be part of a single living organism with same genetic material and one massive underground root system. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000 tonnes making it the heaviest known organism and with the oldest root system known in existence at ~80,000 years of age.

April 23, 2009 by Designsquish

Kusamono and shitakusa are a potted collection of plants. Plants used are typically moss, grass, lichen, small mountain flowers and plants, bonsai trees, bamboo, or bulbs, that may be arranged to heighten the beauty or reflect a certain season.  Usually a collection is displayed separately in special pots, driftwood, or even stones. Photos from beautiful blogs: Shitakusamono and Happy Hearts at Home.

April 22, 2009 by Designsquish

       

Terraskin,  Via Stone and Fiberstone are tree-free papers made of minerals.  Stone paper is similar to traditional papers only it has a lot of advantages. When it comes to printing Via Stone paper uses 20-30% less ink than conventional papers.  Stone paper can be water-resistant, tear-resistant, recyclable and biodegradable.  No water or bleach can be used in its production as well!

by Designsquish

April 21, 2009 by Designsquish

Two day hundred mile bike ride from New York to Lake Purdy and back.

by Designsquish

Sycamore is one of the species of Platanus native to North America. It has been extensively planted in New York City as a shade tree. It can easily endure the big city environment, bears transplanting well and grows rapidly.

April 13, 2009 by Designsquish

*Above: Trees in Prospect Park

by Designsquish

Above:The Unicorn is Penned, the Unicorn Tapestries,
circa 1495–1505,
the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York City



Above: Woodpecker
1885
by William Morris

April 01, 2009 by Designsquish

I love these beautiful nature inspired wallpaper designs by William Morris.  William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement.  The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American aesthetic movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries that influenced arts, crafts and architecture. The Arts and Crafts Movement was inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and a romantic idealization of a craftsperson taking pride in their personal handiwork. The movement was a reaction to the eclectic revival of historic styles of the Victorian era and to “soulless” machine-made production aided by the Industrial Revolution.

March 29, 2009 by Designsquish

Really cute tree and nature inspired stackable ceramic cups by Chris Koens!

March 21, 2009 by Designsquish

I love Charley Harper’s print, The Desert. 

March 15, 2009 by Designsquish

I went to NYU open studios today and this is what I found.  Very talented artist and designer - Hana Tanimura.

http://www.hanatanimura.com/

March 08, 2009 by Designsquish

I made this watercolor/drawing of naked winter trees when I visited Pennsylvania. Watercolor, color pencil and graphite on paper.

February 19, 2009 by Designsquish

Matthias Merkel Hess made these 28 terra cotta self-portrait flower pots for his 28th birthday. Each pot was planted with a nativis updated regularly e California trees chosen specifically for a friend or family member and then given away.  Matthias Merkel Hess is currently receiving MFA at the University of California . He also the founder of the Eco Art Blog (one of my favorite eco blogs) with a focus on visual arts and the environment.

February 17, 2009 by Designsquish

I love this painting by Danna Ray of new growth on a tree that was cut down .  Danna writes: “I grew up in a log cabin in the woods of rural South Carolina. Surrounded by forest and lots of crayons, I enjoyed drawing tiny bugs, and tiny plants, and tiny kittens driving trucks.”

February 16, 2009 by Designsquish

This ia a drawing of a tree by Amy Talluto. Amy draws and paints a lot of trees, forest and nature landscapes. 

January 26, 2009 by Designsquish

Boris and Kenny are my favorite artists with whom I went both to The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and La Guardia high school of Music, Art and Performing Arts in New York City.  Their installations are absolutely stunning! The image below portrays one of their installations called “Below the Highline” and is a dying pocket park as they called it.



The installation took place in an old West Chelsea truck garage underneath the High Line Elevated train tracks.  Boris and Kenny filled the space with torn grass and logs from cut down trees, dead trees, dead leaves, branches, dirt, bushes, paint and stereo system with bird sounds. 



They made similar installation in the Summit High School, NJ and they called it ” A Tree Falls in Summit”.  They created a forest classroom for students of the school to enjoy. Below are some picture details of this installation. 

January 24, 2009 by Designsquish

Drawing of a naked tree in the winter. Watercolor, pencil and graphite on paper.

January 08, 2009 by Designsquish