Oregon Botanical Artists

Banner art, above, was designed by Alice Fredericy, using art created by OBA members.

We welcome and support artists of all levels of skill and knowledge, as well as supporters of botanical art and those who celebrate the importance of plants in the world.

Artist Spotlight: Hollye Maxwell & Robin Phillips Occhipinti

For our spring OBA Artist Spotlight, we're talking with Hollye Maxwell and Robin Phillips Occhipinti, two OBA members who are pursuing the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Certificate Program in Botanical Art & Illustration, as well as the Natural Science Illustration Certificate Program at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Japanese Maple & Warbler, © H. Maxwell

With two degrees in art and architectural history, Hollye Maxwell has been principal artist since 1997 at Maxwell Studios offering interior design, garden design, murals, and graphic design.

Northwest Forest Floor, © R. Phillips Occhipinti

Robin Phillips Occhipinti has an extensive fine arts background, beginning with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and has been a professional artist, graphic and web designer for 25 years. Robin Phillips Studio (RPS) offers fine art, illustration, graphic and web design, workshops and creativity coaching.

OBA: You are both well-established artists with successful businesses, and you both already have degrees in art. What led you to the decision to take on the very rigorous studies at NYBG and RISD?

Hollye: I wanted to hone my practice with in-depth and rigorous studies at RISD for a Natural Science Illustration Certificate.

Robin: I chose to enroll in both of the certificate programs to grow as an artist -- to improve my skills, to expand into new markets for my work and to earn a credential for teaching botanical and natural science illustration. Both of these programs have long standing reputations, accomplished teachers, and great potential for making connections in the fields of botanical art or science illustration.

Datura shamonium, © H. Maxwell

OBA: Since you both have years of experience in drawing and painting, what do you find different or challenging about the courses at NYBG and RISD?

Hollye: I am finding I am learning some new techniques as well as revisiting and refining my practice.

Robin: Overall, the classes have really helped me boost my technical skills in illustration and learn how to observe living subjects much more closely. The instructors I have studied with push me to create my best possible work and give very precise feedback on how to improve a piece. I earned my art degree a long time ago, and traditional art education doesn’t typically include such precise training (especially in natural science) so the classes have been very valuable for me. For example, the NYBG program includes an entire class on the study of plant morphology, and RISD has an amazing collection of natural subjects for reference (accessible through digital library online also). Learning from a diverse range of instructors is also inspiring.

OBA: How are classes and critiques conducted in the online programs, as opposed to in-person learning? Do you have any plans to visit either location in person during your course?

Hollye: At RISD, we engage in online discussions, Zoom meetings with some of the instructors, and written critiques.

Robin: The NYBG program offers live 2-4 hour online classes via Zoom (with the option of taking in person workshops in NY at the garden as electives if you wish), and the RISD program is conducted via asynchronous learning online on the Canvas platform with no live classes. The course content includes videos, reading material, and message boards. In both programs, assignments are due weekly and the instructors give detailed feedback to everyone. At NYBG, feedback is given during class so all students can learn from each other as well. At RISD, assignment feedback is sent privately and students also post work in the message board forums for classmates to make comments on. I plan to visit NYBG in person for my graduation ceremony next year.

Gala Apple, © R. Phillips Occhipinti

OBA: You both have created beautiful botanical art in a variety of media. For botanical art, what is your favorite medium?

Hollye: Colored pencil and watercolor combined.

Robin: I am a multidisciplinary artist at heart. For botanical art, I enjoy watercolor and colored pencil the most perhaps. I also love to occasionally paint flora and fauna in acrylic and encaustic.

OBA: How long will each course take to complete? Are there deadlines? Or do you work at your own pace?

Hollye: RISD classes are broken into six-week sprints where we will take, for example, "Drawing From Nature Part A" with Part B in the second six-week timeframe. I take two courses per term at RISD and hope to complete the certificate by the end of spring term 2025.

Robin: In both programs, most classes are 6 weeks (1 quarter). NYBG runs a few 8 week classes, and some electives are workshops that meet just 3-4 times. Assignments are due weekly. NYBG classes also have a final project due at the end of each class which is due 2-3 weeks after the course has ended. At the end of both certificate programs, there is also a final project semester where students design their own project consisting of several pieces based on a particular theme. You can choose to take classes at your own pace, and take up to 5 yrs to complete the program. Many of these online classes and workshops are also open to the public, so you don’t need to be enrolled in the certificate program to try out a class.

OBA: Kudos to both of you for taking on these challenging programs! We look forward to seeing your future work.

To learn more about the programs at the New York Botanic Garden and the Rhode Island School of Design, here are the links:

NYBG https://www.nybg.org/learn/adult-education/certificate-program/
RISD https://ce.risd.edu/

And be sure to visit the websites of Robin and Hollye!

Robin Phillips Studio: https://www.robinphillipsstudio.com
Maxwell Studios: https://www.maxstudios.net

Upcoming Educational Opportunities and Member Exhibitions:

See Upcoming Events on the News/Calendar page: www.oba-artists.com/news--calendar.html

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L I N K S
American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA)
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI)
ArtPlantae
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
Pacific NW Botanical Artists (PNBA)
Native Plant Society of Oregon
Hardy Plant Society of Oregon
The Hoyt Arboretum
The Audubon Society of Portland
Tryon Creek Nature Center
Leach Botanical Garden
The Oregon Garden
Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Chinese Garden
Fibonacci YouTube video
Bosky Dell Native Plant Nursery

Above: Sketchbook Exchange, Round 5.