Around this time, Christiane embarked on a 100-day drawing challenge hoping to hone her latent skills and make the practice a habit. She focused on plants and quickly realized she had no idea what she was drawing. She came across Wendy Hollender’s work online and signed up for a workshop, where she acquired her first proper colored pencil instruction. She enrolled in Drawing 1 at NYBG immediately afterward, taking back-to-back classes until March 2020. Her first instructor, Rose Marie James, suggested she join ASBA, the Journal being the deciding factor. Working on her own during the Covid-19 lockdown, her skills caught up with her eye. Christiane completed the certificate with honors in 2022, focusing on lichens of Texas Hill Country. She is now an instructor in the NYBG program and also teaches at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

Christiane received the Lizzie Sanders Award for her beautiful lichen pieces featured in the 25th and 26th Annual International Exhibitions. After finding suitable specimens, she enlarges and captures details with microscopy and macrophotography, and scales up to allow viewers to see the wondrous and peculiar characteristics of different species. She uses an orthogonal grid for accuracy, building a palette and color notes for each lichen in a cluster. She renders in colored pencil, working one section or species at a time, to tone underlays, layer, and blend to completion, allowing room for error and experimentation. 

Christiane is also very proud of her yearlong work for the 2022 Esther Plotnick Artist Grant, in which she taught children about lichens and botanical art in an accessible way that changed the way she conveys information as an instructor and how she experiences art.

Bravo, Christiane, on your wonderful accomplishments!