HomeIn Memoriam

In Memoriam

HONORING THOSE WHO SHARED OUR PASSION

Julius Brown

1934 - 2024

Julius “Julie” Brown, ASBA’s Botanical Accountant, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on June 24, 2024. He followed his beloved wife of 68 years, Trudy (7/21/35-12/02/2023). Born on May 31, 1934, Julie and his family lived in and around the New York area, most recently in Manhattan. He is survived by daughters Sue Brown, Cathy Brown (Abe Borenstein), and four grandchildren Gabrielle, Zoe, AJ and Tyler.

While so many people made vital contributions to the health of ASBA, it is easy to say that Julius was a key component, and he was essential to ASBA’s success. For fifteen years, from 1995 to 2010, Julie managed ASBA’s financial records, tax reporting and served as treasurer. Invited to help out this fledgling nonprofit by founder Diane Bouchier, Julie learned about botanical art and developed a real love for it and for the people of ASBA. Since those early days in 1995, when Julie spent 15 minutes a day, perhaps, on ASBA business, during his last year serving as treasurer, he probably spent more than 15 hours a week. He did this all completely as a volunteer – never even reimbursing himself for stamps. Julius had a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to make his treasurer’s report pleasant, amusing and still substantive. He referred to himself in his reports as a “Botanical Accountant.” In addition to his work as Treasurer, he and Trudy were very active in the Silent Auction, setting up the display for bidding, donating wonderful items and buying lots of botanical art.

On the occasion of his retirement from ASBA, there were many words spoken in his honor throughout the conference, when he was named an Honorary Director of the ASBA. An Artists and Education Grant was initiated by Trudy and his daughters, named the Julius Brown Grant in the amount of $3000, which recurred for several years. Due to an unexpected illness, Julie wasn’t able to attend the conference where he was honored. Later, back at ASBA headquarters, he was presented with gifts and shown a video of the events that evening. Here is his response:

Trudy and I spent a recent day at the ASBA offices in The New York Botanical Garden. There, we were showered with so many beautiful gifts and letters that we were truly overwhelmed by your generosity and your ability to make us laugh and cry at the same time.

I came to the ASBA after a long career in the lithography business. Our company had a lofty mission statement, complete with all the usual references to ethics, loyalty, and excellence. But the real mission was to make lots of profits, often using any means available. While much of these profits were plowed back into the business, enabling us to buy state-of-the-art equipment and to expand the product line, there was always enough left over to take care of the owners and the executives. We had all the perks you’ve read about in articles about corporate excess, including fancy cars and credit cards, which could be used for anything even remotely related to the business. Truly, we received more from the business than we gave back to it.

So you can imagine my surprise when I joined the ASBA. Fifteen years ago, we were a small, unorganized group. But you artists are a very special, wonderful group. Not only did you build this organization from scratch, but you did it with hard work, enthusiasm, and more importantly, with love. When money was needed, you supplied it. When expertise was needed, you gave lessons, wrote articles, and articulated policy. You donated your work so that we collectors could experience the joys of botanical art. In every room of our home, including the kitchen and bathrooms, we can see art created by our friends in the ASBA and be awed by your talent.

I feel privileged to have made a contribution to this organization and I thank you for introducing Trudy and me to the wonderful, beautiful world that you create.

As with so many great people, Julius said he doesn’t feel he “did anything special.” This was one time, Julie, when you were very wrong.

Julius and Trudy Brown

Carol Elizabeth Hamilton

1951 - 2024

Carol was a world-class botanical artist “seeking perennial relationships” for over thirty years:

I am fascinated by endless botanical possibilities – beauty, danger, nourishment, healing – providing shade and solace in equal parts. I am driven by lyrical subjects and compositions. My expression and satisfaction are often in large paintings or sometimes in a series of paintings that have a story to tell. The beauty, composition, color and concept, as well as the science of plant and flowers are endlessly fascinating and renewing.

Her paintings have been widely exhibited (and are in a number of permanent collections): including twice at Kew Gardens, London; New York Botanical Gardens; Brooklyn Botanic Gardens; Longwood Gardens; US Botanical Garden; Arizona Sonora Desert Garden; NY Horticultural Society; and Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon. She presented large one-artist shows in 2015 and 2019. She taught art education and drawing at several institutions, and her works appear in numerous books and exhibition catalogues, most recently in Today’s Botanical Artists. She was a Fellow of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium Society.

She also cultivated her passion for the community of botanical artists with an open and firm personal style, wielding an MBA. These skills contributed, for instance, to her successes as President of the American Society of Botanical Artists (2001-2003), and of the Greater New York Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.

What Carol became so strikingly through her paintings, music, and just “being herself”, are but a shadow of the life and generosity of spirit she brought to us all. Her presence will always surround so many of us. Carol lived faithfully and fully with a kindness that cannot be forgotten.

Dick Rauh

1925-2023

Larger than Life

In looking at the artwork of Dick Rauh, it is impossible to separate the art from the man. As was Dick Rauh’s preference to scale up small specimens, his persona was similarly larger than life by dint of his enthusiasm, knowledge, and geniality. It would be hard-pressed to identify any contemporary botanical artist/illustrator who has left a more lasting impression on more people.

Dick Rauh amassed a huge body of award-winning art during his career as a botanical artist and illustrator. While a retrospective would show a variety of subjects and styles, all are tied together by his deep reverence and respect for the world of plants and how they work.

Any painting of Dick’s would be fascinating because he was enthralled by whatever plant he was drawing—and he was compelled to show it to us. For example, his Hamamelis (witch hazel) seedpods. The witch hazel itself has an explosive habit, as the seeds are shot forth from the capsules. Dick’s exuberant love for plants and art burst forth like fireworks when he spoke, waxing poetic on minute details and particular features of even the most common weed. Witch hazel flowers, showy and interesting, are the shrub’s main attraction, but Dick chose to focus on the aspects less observed—the spent fruits. Dick makes sure we see into the depths of these capsules, revealing structures we might not otherwise notice. And, in a genre dominated by color, Dick revealed the beauty of the thousand browns he achieved in his major works.

The ASBA community was honored by his leadership as President of the Board of Directors for two years, as well as his instruction at conferences and his motivational talks. Dick was at first surprised at being asked to take on the presidency, replying to Linda Crawford, then chair of the nominating committee: “Do they know how old I am?” Linda reassured him and he assumed the role of a wise and involved leader and age was never a factor.

Dick was a Renaissance man who not only eagerly pursued the study of botany and the practice of art, but relished teaching both. Becoming a botanical artist and earning a doctorate in botany after retirement was obviously a labor of love that satisfied both his creative soul and intellectual mind. I think it was vitally important to Dick that he imparted to his students not only the scientific and morphological aspects of flora but the wonder of their structure and function. He made reality magical.

In the end, at heart, Dick was a teacher in the best sense of the word. He taught us how to see and to observe, to ask questions, and to be endlessly curious. He truly loved to share his enthusiasm and excitement, and his greatest joy was to inspire his students. None of us feels we had enough time with him. We wish we could go on forever enjoying his humor, sincerity, and authentic personality. Instead, we will continue to be inspired by a man who has made a lasting impression on us all and consider ourselves fortunate to have known him, for we will not come upon his like again.

Lizzie Sanders

1950-2020

“She could turn her hand to anything she chose, but she chose beauty: her garden, her plants, her flowers, her painting.” - Lizzie’s sister, Jane Perondini

The botanical art world has lost an irreplaceable talent and friend in the passing of Lizzie Sanders. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Lizzie spent many years in graphic art and advertising in Italy and New York, before returning to Scotland and turning to botanical subjects. She had been producing botanical artworks for about 30 years and developed a close relationship with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, which was a 20-minute walk from her home. Over the years she sourced many plants there, and always delighted in learning about the scientific and ecological stories behind them, working in tandem with botanists on staff.

Her paintings were executed with a meticulous drybrush technique and each presented a unique sense of design. Lizzie’s creativity in composition expanded the very idea of what was possible for those who followed. Lizzie was courageous in her choice of subjects as well as in the way she presented them. Alongside that creativity and courage, she was highly disciplined and directed. According to her daughter Robin, Lizzie’s forward motion was founded in her philosophy of “getting on with it.”

It’s true Lizzie’s art was central to her life, but anyone who knew her quickly learned of her energy, humor, and gift for making adoring friends. Her dry wit was infectious. She was a great companion wherever you happened to be, but especially at an exhibition.

Lizzie also gave of herself, gaining many admiring students over the years including ASBA members attending her workshops during the many ASBA conferences at which she taught. She served as a juror for the Botanical Images Scotia (BISCOT) Awards, on the steering committee of Botanical Art Worldwide, and as a juror for the inaugural Botanical Artists in Residency at Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Her awards include three Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medals (2000, 2002, and 2004), the 2004 ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award, and the Mary Mendum Memorial Medal for Excellence in 2006.

Lizzie regularly exhibited in ASBA’s exhibition and left behind an important body of work that will be studied and appreciated for generations to come. Her art is found in many collections including those of Dr. Shirley Sherwood, RHS Lindley Library, Highgrove Florilegium, and Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.

Marguerite Buck

October 29, 1936 - January 4, 2021

Marguerite "Meg" Buck was an early member of ASBA's Board of Directors. Her support was instrumental in moving ASBA's office to New York City. Meg's clear-eyed advice was always appreciated and for that and her commitment to ASBA's projects, she was awarded the ASBA James J. White Service to Botanical Art Award in 2008. A gracious and graceful woman who loved beauty and nature in many ways, Meg will be remembered fondly.

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/19546588/Marguerite-Doubleday-Buck/Charlottesville/Virginia/Hill-and-Wood-Funeral-Service

Rosane Quintella

February 25, 1959 - September 11, 2020

Rosane Quintella graduated in art from the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná, and in biology at Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. The combination of art and science was perfect for a botanical artist. She began her career in 2002 after attending a two-year course in botanical illustration at the Botanical Illustration Center of Paraná (CIBP), receiving a Margaret Mee Fellowship to study at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. From 2006, she was an active member of CIBP, being one of the directors and teaching courses in botanical illustration. Rosane also belonged to the National Union of Scientific Illustrators in Brazil. Her work included both watercolor paintings and pen and ink scientific illustrations. Her work is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Shirley Sherwood collection. Rosane will be much missed - she was a dear friend and colleague who led CIPB's artists with energy and determination.

Elizabeth Scholtz

1922 - 2020

June 2020. Elizabeth Scholtz was one of the most distinguished women in the history of American horticulture and a founding board member of the ASBA. A native of South Africa, "Betty" was the first woman to head a major US botanical garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a major New York City cultural institution. Her awards included the Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal from the American Horticultural Society, the gold Veitch Memorial Medal of The Royal Horticultural Society, and the Honorary Life Member Award from the American Public Gardens Association.

ASBA founder, Diane Barthel-Bouchier, remembers her in the beginning of the organization. "I feel privileged to have met her, and am still grateful for her ACTIVE support of the ASBA in the early years. Among other forms of support, she participated in our annual meetings and in important decision-making processes."

Betty was always a sunny figure, and although she retired as the Garden's Director in 1980, she could still be found at her office there until quite recently. She had friends and admirers worldwide, and over the years she led more than 100 international tours, visiting 46 countries. Betty always used to say that her best friends were botanical artists. She had so many. Her passing is a great loss to so many of her best friends in the ASBA. Her full obituary appeared in the New York Times, and can be found here.

Dorothy Gardner McCauley

May 2020. Dorothy Gardner McCauley of Rockland passed away peacefully on April 27, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. She was 72 years old.

A life-long artist, Dottie explored oils early in her painting career before settling on watercolor, and her favorite substrate, vellum. She earned a BFA in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art, and completed the diploma program through the Society of Botanical Artists in London. She completed further study under Sarah Roche at Wellesley.

An obsession for detail and a love of nature blossomed into a true passion. Her favorite subjects were the fruits, flowers, and even insects found in her glorious gardens at her home in Rockland, Massachusetts. She was fearless in her approach to painting, rarely sketching before starting painting.

Her paintings have been displayed by the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Filoli Museum, Newport Flower Show, New England Spring Flower Show, NESBA Traveling Show, and Small Works Denver, among others.

Dottie shared her passion for botanical art and gardening with her sisters Mary Gardner and Regina Gardner Milan, both botanical artists. Dottie's love of art, nature and gardening was unbounded. Her infectious smile and mentorship will be sorely missed.

Celastris scandens

Jeannetta vanRaalte

December 2019. Jeannetta vanRaalte of Brooklyn, New York, passed away on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. A graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art, Jeannetta had brief careers in advertising, and in book design and illustration, before working many years as a textile designer in Manhattan for home furnishings, where she painted florals, birds, paisleys and fanciful patterns – always while listening to her cherished classical music. She began painting botanical subjects in 2000 having been inspired by an exhibition of the Shirley Sherwood collection at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park neighborhood of New York. Her botanical paintings have been included in over 40 juried exhibitions, including all three New York Botanical Garden Triennial exhibitions. Recently Jeannetta was made especially happy when her painting of a Chinese elm bonsai, which appeared in Out of the Woods, the Third NYBG Triennial, was added to Dr. Sherwood’s collection. Jeannetta’s work was distinctive in its compositional strength and the impact she created by combining gouache and watercolor. She found inspiration in visiting farmers’ markets and the nearby Brooklyn Botanic Garden in acquiring unique subjects. The United States Botanic Garden featured her painting Three Sunflowers on its exterior banner (left) for Botanical Art Worldwide: America’s Flora.

Twice honored with Filoli’s Bourn Award for Distinction with an Emphasis on Horticulture, her paintings are in the permanent collections of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, and the New York State Museum. A children’s book for which she designed both the calligraphy and illustrations is in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York. Images of many of Jeannetta’s botanical and decorative paintings may be seen at jvrart.net/enter.html. Jeannetta knew that she was a good artist, but was always quick to praise the work of those she considered her betters. Her friends will miss the encouragement she gave to others, and the illuminating conversations about art and botanical art shared with her over the years. A memorial service will be held in spring when many of the flowers she adored, and beautifully painted, will be in bloom. - submitted by Carol Woodin

Nancy Rainville

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of a truly fine and compassionate soul. Nancy Rainville has danced her last dance, leaving her mark in countless friends’ memories. She was a woman of grace and comfort to all she touched, she saw the best in everyone, and will forever be remembered for her kindness, elegance, and understanding. She was an artist who valued others' creativity as much as her own. She encouraged and acknowledged their work, with her softness and grace always taking the time to compliment their talents. Nancy will be deeply missed by all those who had the great fortune of meeting and loving her. -submitted by Dick Rainville

To learn more about Nancy and her work, please see Conversations with Our Artists in the June 2019 issue of The Botanical Artist (page 34).

Jenny Jowett

March 2019. Jenny Jowett died from cancer on March 6, 2019, a few days short of her 83rd birthday. It is hard to believe she wasn’t ten years younger, as she was such a vibrant person with seemingly boundless energy. She painted professionally for over 40 years, specializing in botanical illustration, but also enjoying the freedom of landscape. Above all, she was a passionate devotee of the art of watercolor. A founder member of the Society of Botanical Artists, Jenny won four gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society and designed the RHS Chelsea Plate in 1992. Her work was published in several books and she painted Paeonia for a Kew monograph and recorded unknown plant species found in Sichuan, an unexplored region of China. A memorial is published in the June 2019 issue of The Botanical Artist.

milly acharya

March 2019. We are saddened to learn of the recent passing of long-time artist member milly acharya. Those who have attended ASBA exhibitions are familiar with her ebullient watercolor paintings, gracing nearly every Annual International. Her most recent was a beautiful painting of Acanthus spinosus included in the 21st Annual International in New York. She was the recipient of the 2011 ASBA Diane Bouchier Founder's Award. A memorial is published in the June 2019 issue of The Botanical Artist. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her and her artwork.

Prunus cerasus

Cherry

Watercolor on paper

Jessica Tcherepnine

1938 - 2018

February 2019. Jessica Tcherepnine, an exceptional botanical artist, a pioneer of the field in the United States, and one of the four original ASBA board members, passed away at the age of 80 on December 31, 2018. Her warmth, generosity, and wise counsel made her a dear friend to many of us. She supported the field of botanical art in many ways, one of which was to originate the fruitful 20-year collaboration between the Horticultural Society of New York and ASBA. A more extensive memorial to Jessica’s life and work is published in the March 2019 issue of The Botanical Artist and in the New York Times. She will be greatly missed.

Cocus nucifera

Watercolor on paper

Joan Lavigueur Geyer

April 2018. Joan Lavigueur Geyer, 88, a resident of Milledgeville, Georgia, passed away on Sunday, March 25, 2018. Joan had a long career as an artist, primarily in fine art watercolor and commercial pen and ink. Her artwork was exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably at the MOMA in New York City, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, UK, and the Salmagundi Club in New York City. She was a long-time member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. As a botanical artist, Joan received a Silver Medal Award from the Royal Horticultural Society in London in 2000 and 2003. Her work was included in the “Losing Paradise?” exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History in Washington, D.C. in 2011. She specialized in species of plants native to central Georgia’s Piedmont region of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In her words, “My heart lies in these foothills. For over twenty years, one tiny acre has been my life-blood, my passion. My land speaks to me of love, of dependency. This fragile environment needs me as much as I need its wild places, where unexpected beauty grows, inspires me, and feeds my soul”. Joan is dearly missed by her large family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Dr. Betty Lou Marchant

September 16, 2016. Betty was a physician, a medical illustrator and a devoted botanical artist from Old Bridge, New Jersey. Betty was an active member of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. She was planning to attend the ASBA conference, as she usually did annually, when a car accident took her life. Betty was a kind and thoughtful woman who will be missed by all who knew her.

Susan Lefkowitz

February 2016. Susan derived great pleasure and satisfaction from her study of botanical art. She had just received her Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration in 2015 from The New York Botanical Garden. Susan loved her beautiful garden and its special plantings in Piscataway, NJ. Her husband Arthur hopes that her grandchildren will someday display Susan's lovely artwork in their homes.

Geraldine Dell

October 9, 2013, Cockeysville, Maryland. A fine botanical artist and longtime supporter of ASBA, Geraldine was an extraordinary woman who was actively involved with Stevenson University, Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, and Music in the Valley Concert Series among many others. Her husband Sam said that during her suffering from cancer, Geraldine was buoyed up by her love of botanical art and painted until the end. This always smiling, positive and amazing person will be remembered fondly and sorely missed by all who knew her.

Barbara Papamarcos

of Barrington, IL was an avid gardener and botanical artist. She was a member of the Nature Artist’s Guild at Morton Arboretum and the Reed Turner Art Group. Barbara was a member of the 2012 Chicago Annual Meeting committee. December 28, 2013.

Dr. Lucylee Chiles

of New York, NY was an artist with a doctorate in art education. Her multifaceted career included designing for Hallmark Cards and teaching art around the world. She was a member of the International House community in Manhattan. December 23, 2013.

Roy Lewis Taylor, Ph.D.

1932-2013

A Native of Alberta, Canada, Roy Taylor was a gifted leader, visionary botanist and horticulturalist – and was a collector of botanical art. Roy Taylor received his Ph.D. in Botany at UC/Berkeley. From 1968 – 1985, Roy served as Director of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. From 1985-1994, Roy held the positions of CEO and President of the Chicago Horticultural Society and Director of the Chicago Botanic Garden. In 1994, he returned to California to direct the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden from whence he retired in 1999. Roy served on the ASBA Board of Directors 1997 - 2003.

Kazunori Kurokawa

1936-2012

ASBA Honorary Director

ASBA was saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Kazunori Kurakawa after a long illness. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Kurokawa, while on business trips as director of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings visited museums and galleries in Europe and US viewing and collecting botanical art. In 1983, Mr. Kurokawa attended the 5th International Exhibition at Hunt Institute and every one until the 11th, forming a collegial relationship with Mr. James White, late Curator of Art at Hunt. He attended the first through 10th ASBA conferences, introducing members to Japanese botanical art through lectures such as “Historic and Cultural Background of Development of Botanical Art in Japan” and “Contemporary Botanical Artists of Japan.” Mrs. Sumiko Kurokawa shared these personal goals of her husband: To introduce great botanical art from Japan to the world, to create a map of botanical art and artists in Japan and to discuss with botanical art lovers what superior art is, and motivate instructors to develop themselves to a higher level of art.

Wendy Alexandra Page

of Horsham, West Sussex, UK passed away August 22, 2012. We extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends.

Sally Papoulas

Sally Papoulas passed away on July 10, 2012 in Hackettstown, NJ. Sally is described as a true renaissance woman, who loved family, people, piano and travel - and botanical art. An ASBA member since 1999, Sally's work was included in the 6th Annual International in 2003.

Christina Davis

1942-2012

Christina Davis passed away on May 8, 2012 after a three-year long battle with ovarian cancer. Chris was one of the first members of ASBA, serving as its secretary in its early years. Born and raised in Long Island, she graduated from CW Post College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. A member of the Art Students League of New York, graduate of the NYBG botanical illustration program, fellow of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium Society, and member of the National Association of Women Artists, she was a recent recipient of their prestigious Artists Bell Crammer Award. Her artworks are found in personal and public collections around the world. Recently, Christina Davis Art Works, a Generational Legacy, was published. Chris was a talented and enthusiastic artist, producing almost 100 paintings in the last three years. We will miss her wonderful smile, delicious sense of humor and great ideas. She was a woman of many gifts who has been taken away from us much too soon. (TBA - June 2012 Issue)

Mary Grierson

Mary Grierson, Society of Botanical Artists, England, has died at age 99. For many years she was the Official Artist at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and has a worldwide reputation for her art.

(TBA - March 2012 Issue)

Ann Bennett

We have received word from the family of Ann Bennett that she passed away in early September. Ann was a member of ASBA since 2005 and lived in South Portland, ME. (TBA - March 2012 Issue)