Donnett Vanek is a contemporary botanical artist working in the traditional botanical art techniques of drybrush watercolor, graphite, and silverpoint. The artist’s studio is in the Los Padres National Forest, near Los Angeles, California.
Donnett is honored to have her graphite drawing, Elegant Clarkia; Clarkia unguiculata, in the permanent collection of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. This graphite drawing exhibited at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation’s 17th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration.
Donnett’s artwork has been exhibited in the American Society of Botanical Artists 28th International Exhibition, 27th International Exhibition and 26th International Exhibition,The New York Botanical Garden’s Fifth Triennial;Curious Allies: Mutualism in Fungi, Parasites, and Carnivores. Exhibitions also include a solo show at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants; California Wildflowers and Pollinators.
The artist is interested in using artwork as a stepping stone for her viewers to explore the natural world around us. Her detailed renderings highlight intricate structures and beauty that are often missed by casual observation of plants.
Silverpoint and graphite lend themselves to the detailed rendering of Donnett’s artwork. She uses a technique of hatching and cross hatching in many layers to develop the values, tone, texture and form of her intricate artwork. Donnett often works in mixed media, using drybrush watercolor techniques with silverpoint or graphite to emphasize specific areas of a rendering.
Donnett enjoys sharing her knowledge and skill of botanical art. She has developed workshops and zoom presentations that explore the techniques of silverpoint, graphite, watercolor, composition and drawing.
