Membership
Membership is open to any Herons Glen resident, owner or renter. Active members are those whose current dues are paid. Dues are paid annually at the beginning of the fiscal year in January. Active members can participate in the Herons Glen Artists Group's exhibits.
Please contact Kathy Lynch at klynch30@gmail.com for more information.
Botanical Artist, Marta Nelson
Did you know that our own Herons Glen resident, Marta Nelson, is an award winning botanical artist? First of all, what is botanical art? It is art that is created from plant materials and is displayed at garden club events and flower show competitions. There are three categories. Botanical jewelry is created from dried plant materials that is painted or treated to resemble wearable jewelry. Botanical embellishment is using dried plant materials on a man-made object that is artificially treated. Finally there is a category of botanical couture where clothing or accessories are constructed from from fresh plant materials or dried materials. Marta Nelson demonstrates a high level of skill and artistry in creating pieces of art to enter in flower shows all along the east coast. This has earned her first place honors. Most recently, Marta received a first place finish in the jewelry category with her creation of a wearable charm bracelet. This is no easy task. The links of the bracelet were wrapped in strips of raffia. Each charm was created with dried plant materials such as seeds, bark, stems, leaves, pods, and petals. They were then painted to resemble a pea pod, garden shovel, a hot chili pepper or a gold chain. Technical rules dictate the theme of the jewelry. The artist will typically give a 25 word statement of intent and a list of all plant materials used, using common names and botanical names including plant samples! Marta entered her bracelet into the prestigious 2024 Philadelphia Flower Show this past March and won first place! Another piece that Marta created was a hand bag that would have been used in the 1920's or 30's for a night out at a Speakeasy. As pictured, she made a hand bag with a jeweled frog on the front with plant materials such as banana leaves, almond shells, and seeds. Another project, was a trinket box with a mosaic design on the lid. The mosaic was created with sesame and mustard seeds and the strand of pearls was made with soybeans strung with thin strips of raffia and painted. Marta completes these projects with the tiniest of micro tools and a great imagination in manipulating plant materials for her creations. Her latest project is to create wearable clothing such as a hat, collar or jacket, for a two foot concrete resin bulldog form. Her inspiration is "Sir Elton," after Elton John and his dynamic couture. Don’t be surprised if you see Marta walking around the Glen picking up and pocketing interesting plant materials for her next project.