The Naturalist's Notebook

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Sarah Stone Art

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The NaturalistThe Naturalist’’s Notebooks NotebookThe NaturalistThe Naturalist’’s Notebooks Notebook An Exploration of the Art of Discovery.

They seem like different things, but they have They seem like different things, but they have more in common than you might imagine.more in common than you might imagine.

They seem like different things, but they have They seem like different things, but they have more in common than you might imagine.more in common than you might imagine.

Art and Science

The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and

experiment.

science |ˈsīəns| noun

Which could also be a really good definition for observational art.

Drawing and painting are ways that we interpret what we observe. Nomadic prehistoric people drew images of the

animals they observed in their surroundings.

When human tribes began developing settled communities during the Neolithic era (9000-

3000 bce)

This is one of the oldest maps ever found.

Dating from 6200 BCE it depicts the

Neolithic village, “CATAL HOYUK”, in what is now Turkey.

...it became necessary for people to know where they were in relationship to their surroundings. This way traveling traders

and visitors could find them. People had to put themselves “on the map”.

Perhaps the earliest natural history book ever written was the Naturalis Historiae written in 77 AD. by a Roman officer and author named Pliny the Elder.

Pliny (pronounced Plin-ee) lived during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius, Nero and Vespasian.

Perhaps the earliest natural history book ever written was the Naturalis Historiae written in 77 AD. by a Roman officer and author named Pliny the Elder.

Pliny (pronounced Plin-ee) lived during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius, Nero and Vespasian.

Pliny

Pliny documented strange and interesting animals and people from far away lands, gathering his information from the travels of sailors and soldiers. Some descriptions were

very accurate, and others... not so much:

“It is reported that, on (the shores of Ethiopia), four or five Dragons wrap together… and travel thus across

the seas to (search for food) in Arabia, cutting the waves and bearing their heads aloft like sails.”

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Pliny’s descriptive entries about exotic and mythical animals were used by

artists to created medieval picture books called “Bestiaries”.

Dragon attacking an Elephant Basilisk

Around this same time period, (1254-

1324) a famous explorer named

Marco Polo

traveled from Italy to Asia. He

returned with detailed

descriptions of the people, animals,

artifacts, resources and geography of

the Far East.

The Travels of Marco Polo

This illustrated document of his journeysbecame the most popular book of it’s time.

In addition to information and illustrations,Marco Polo returned to Europe with exotic spices. This ignited

a flurry of exploration to find a profitable sea route to Asia.

This era of exploration, sparked by spice, is known as the

“Age of Discovery” (15th – 17th centuries)

Amerigo Vespucci1454-1512

Christopher Columbus1451-1506

Vasco Da Gama1469-1524

With it came a new age of mapping, illustrating and documenting.

California Poppy1815

Pallas’s Cormorant, extinct1741

Explorers traveled around the world in search of new lands and resources, bringing botanists and naturalists to

record their discoveries.

Georg Wilhelm Stellar’s drawings of Giant Manatee, now extinct.

Sydney Parkinson drawing of a Marmoset 1767

Hammock-1535

Uruguayan Indians-1603

They brought back information from newly discovered territories in the Americas about plants, geography,

animals and cultures with which Europeans were completely unfamiliar.

Arawak Indians-1492

This voyage, and two more that came after it, are among the most famous in history, due in large part to their

artists.

In 1768, the English sent an expedition to chart a mysterious continent. Artists were sent to compile impressions of this continent

that was known only as “Terra Australis Incognita”,

meaning: Unknown Southern Land.

These expeditions are known as:The Voyages

of Captain Cook

A humble coal boat named “The Endeavor”

was chosen to carry ahand-picked group ofnaval officers andscientists to the

farthestreaches of the Pacific

toa continent we now

know

as: Australia

Sydney Parkinson was one of the

Endeavor’s two artists. He made

the first sketches of the plants, animals and people

the Endeavor encountered. The expedition’s other artist,

Alexander Buchan, documented the landscapes.

Sydney Parkinson was one of the

Endeavor’s two artists. He made

the first sketches of the plants, animals and people

the Endeavor encountered. The expedition’s other artist,

Alexander Buchan, documented the landscapes.

Sydney Parkinson

These are some of the journal drawings Sydney Parkinson made on the Endeavor expedition in 1769

In 1778 he published his drawings, maps, geological observations and discoveries in a personal account of his

journeys titled: Travels through the Interior Parts of North America.

It was an instant best seller.

On the other side of the world on the mostly unknown continent ofNorth America, Jonathan Carver, a man from the English colony of

Massachusetts, was exploring the territories west of the

Mississippi River.

His detailed drawings of North America’s tribes and their cultural artifacts, the native plants, and his maps of rivers and lakes excited the

imaginations and desires of Europeans curious about the available resources of this new land.

His detailed drawings of North America’s tribes and their cultural artifacts, the native plants, and his maps of rivers and lakes excited the

imaginations and desires of Europeans curious about the available resources of this new land.

“A Man and Womanof the Naudowessie”

1767

Illustration of Peace Pipe

Tobacco Plant

In 1802 France was at war with England. Thomas Jefferson, then president of the United States, was aware of the costs of this war on France and

saw an opportunity to buy a French owned territory in North America for the United States. He deftly negotiated a treaty with Napoleon

Bonaparte to purchase this land from France.

This historic real-estate deal became known as

The Louisiana Purchase.

In 1802 France was at war with England. Thomas Jefferson, then president of the United States, was aware of the costs of this war on France and

saw an opportunity to buy a French owned territory in North America for the United States. He deftly negotiated a treaty with Napoleon

Bonaparte to purchase this land from France.

This historic real-estate deal became known as

The Louisiana Purchase.

35 years after Carver cut his path through North America’s wilderness, world events were aligning to set the stage for another epic journey

of adventure and discovery.

President Jefferson enlisted the services of William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to head up a team of “intelligent officers with ten or twelve men to explore (these lands) even to the Western

Ocean”. This group of men became known as

The Corps Of Discovery

President Jefferson enlisted the services of William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to head up a team of “intelligent officers with ten or twelve men to explore (these lands) even to the Western

Ocean”. This group of men became known as

The Corps Of Discovery

The acquisition of this land increased the territory of the United States considerably. Thomas Jefferson wanted to send a team into this wild,

uncharted land to find out what it held.

Drawing of a Northwest Coast canoe, William Clark, 1806

Head of Vulture, William Clark, 1806

Engraved Expedition Map, from drawing by William Clark, 1814

The Corps of Discovery did not

include any designated artists.

Each person on the mission was required to perform

several duties. Clark and Lewis each had a

hand in creating the naturalist

drawings and detailed maps that

made up the bulk of visual information compiled from

their expedition.

Lewis and Clark’s expedition set a precedent for exploration of the American West.

In 1819, Major Stephen H. Long began a scientific expedition with attention focused on the central and southern Great Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.

Recognizing the importance of scientific and artistic observation, this exploring party included a botanist, a zoologist, and two skilled artists to

document the discoveries of the journey.

These included Thomas Say, a skilled artist and naturalist...

…and his assistant, Titian Ramsay Peale, artist/naturalist and son of the famous

Revolutionary war era painter, Charles Willson Peale.

Mark Catesby, 1754 Titian Peale, 1819

Leonardo Da Vinciwater study-1508

The subjects that Naturalist Artists choose to describe

can vary widely. The unifying theme is: what looks interesting?

In this workshop we are going to try to describe the nature we see.What things might interest you as a naturalist?

What things might you as a discoverer/artist want to document?

We will create our own Naturalist

Notebooks using artifacts, objects, living things, and

anything from nature that you would like to

include.

First, lets start with the notebook.

Notebooks can be purchased or created. One example of a purchased book is this one from Jerry’s Art-a-

Rama.

It costs under $4.

But you might prefer to make your own.

To make a DIY sketch book, take about 20 sheets of 8.5 x 11 printer paper and

1 sheet of 8.5 x 11 card stock.

Fold in half with card stock on outside,as cover, for a 40 page booklet that measures 8.5 x 5.5.

“Saddle Staple” the middle fold. These staplers are available for use at popular print stores.

If you are doing this in a classroom and cannot go outside, gather as many naturalist items as you can for your students

to draw.

These might include:

FeathersSeashells

TwigsLeavesBonesRocks

MineralsFlowers

Eggs

Obviously going outside is preferable. If you can do this, challenge your students to

really experience their environment:

Smell the air:

how many things can you smell?Shut your eyes:

what different sounds do you hear?

Lie on the ground:

what do you feel?

Look at the world from ground level:

What do you see?

Walk around and explore:

what can you find?

Try this Thought Experiment:

Imagine you are new to this continent, or this planet.

Using only words and pictures (created by you)

it is your Mission

to document all of the details you can of this new world so that people at home

who have never seen this placecan share your experience.

How can you best describe your observations to them?

If you are not in a state park, take samples of the things you are drawing, like a leaf, flower or feather, to add to

your notebook.

This will make your documentation even richer for the viewer.

(Note: State Parks do not allow removing items from their property.)

Most importantly: look at details.

We spend much of our time rushing without stopping to observe and experience the many beautiful things that are

right in front of us.

This project is about slow looking and observation:

take time to smell the flowers!

www.sarahstoneart.com

Thank you for participating,

I hope you had fun!