Learning Plants Through Drawing

Description

Inspired by the hand-drawn card artwork Justin Berthiaume, WHG’s horticultural manager created, this two-hour class invites participants to slow down and explore drawing as a way of noticing, learning, and remembering the plants around us.

Justin uses sketching as part of his own studies—drawing leaves, flowers, branching patterns, bark textures, and growth habits "in the field" to better understand and remember the living collection. Over time, this kind of close observation builds familiarity and confidence with plants, both in the garden and beyond. And the results can be not just informative, but artful.

The class is open to plant enthusiasts and artists of all levels. No prior drawing experience is required.

Through Justin's simple step-by-step method, participants will practice observing plant form, structure, and pattern, and come away with an artful, creative, and relaxing way to learn about the plants all around us.

Justin will share botanical context alongside drawing prompts, showing how sketching can support visual memory, deepen plant recognition, and become a meaningful part of a personal field journaling practice.

Come to draw, to notice, and to spend time learning plants in a slower, more attentive way.

Details
Sunday, March 29
10:00–12:00pm
$40, limited to 15 people.

Instructor Bio:

Justin Berthiaume is the Horticultural Manager at Western Hills Garden, where he stewards the living collection with an emphasis on observation, seasonal change, and long-term plant health. Earlier in his career, he worked in landscape planning and design with the National Park Service, an experience that shaped his appreciation for plant communities, land use, and place-based stewardship.

Before joining Western Hills Garden, Justin spent twelve years as a high school environmental education teacher in San Francisco, helping students learn ecology and systems thinking through hands-on, outdoor learning. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture, a background that informs his attention to form, structure, and pattern in both plants and landscapes.

A practicing musician as well, Justin brings a multidisciplinary sensibility to his work. Sketching and field journaling are central to his horticultural practice, supporting plant recognition, visual memory, and a slower, more attentive way of learning the garden.