Renowned artist to teach class at Brincka Cross Gardens



Brincka Cross Gardens will be the site of a Botanical Art Workshop June 18

When Porter County Parks and Recreation acquired Brincka Cross Gardens, two major goals were to offer art instruction and promote nature appreciation.

The property, located at 427 East Furness Road in Pine Township, was owned and developed by an artist with a passion for gardening, and an emphasis was placed on continuing his legacy.

William Brincka, a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago for more than 30 years, purchased the land in the late 1960s. He and his longtime companion, Basil Cross, nurtured the 25 acres for more than 40 years. Brincka passed away in 2001, and Cross died in 2006. They left behind 400 types of hostas and 450 varieties of daffodils, and a host of other plant varieties.

Porter County Parks and Recreation is now working to make Brincka Cross Gardens a place for artists to study and develop their craft in a setting that supports creativity. The Lubeznik Center for the Arts, a gallery and education center in Michigan City, has joined in this cause as well.

The first program these organizations will collaborate on at Brincka Cross Gardens will take place on Saturday, June 18, when artist and illustrator Olivia Petrides visits the gardens to lead a Botanical Art Workshop.

Petrides is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Painting and Drawing Department and the Visual Communications Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her art has been exhibited at museums and shows throughout the country, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

The one-day intensive Botanical Art Workshop offers the unique opportunity to work with Petrides, who has illustrated two guides to trees in the classic Peterson Field Guide Series. She has also traveled around the world to depict caves, volcanoes, lava flows, geysers, icebergs, glaciers and the aurora borealis in her art.

“A leaf is a small thing, but taking the time to study its minute structures is a meditation on how profoundly complex the natural world is,” Petrides said. “The objective of this workshop is to observe, compare and contrast the details of the botanical world:  to learn how to portray a botanical specimen on paper in pencil and paint, to recognize what the elements of good composition are, and to become familiar with the basics of watercolor.”

The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is designed for students of all skill levels. Students will be instructed on how to capture the details and defining characteristics of plants in pencil and watercolor. The cost is $125. To register, contact the Lubeznik Center for the Arts at 219-874-4900, or e-mail jbloch@lubeznikcenter.org.

The Lubeznik Center for the Arts will also offer a Writing Workshop at Brincka Cross Gardens during the first four Mondays of August. For more information on this and other programs, visit the Porter County Parks and Recreation Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pcparksandrec, call 219-465-3586, or e-mail pcparks@porterco.org.