Past Exhibit Closed on January 4, 2024
Drawn to the Desert
Botanical Illustrations by Joan McGann
As far back as 50 and 70 CE, and prior to photography, botanical illustration was the only way to capture nature. Illustrations of plant life were used by pharmacists, scientists, researchers, doctors, and gardeners for identification and classification. Today, the art of botanical illustration continues, and we believe there is no better way to appreciate the beauty of a plant than to look deep into the pen, pencil, or paint stroke executed by artist, Joan McGann.
Joan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wichita State University and a Certificate of Excellence from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, Nature Illustration Program. A member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, Joan’s current works in botanical illustration have an emphasis on plants native to the Sonoran Desert, several being protected and endangered species. Her works on paper with graphite pencils, colored pencil, watercolor, and ink. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, the Shirley Sherwood Collection of Botanical Art, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
