- Deb Shaw
- Arctostaphylos manzanita subsp. laevigata, Contra Costa Manzanita
- Watercolor on paper
- 17 x 17 in
- Framed: 26 x 26 in
- Signature: Signed Deborah B Shaw © 2021
Arctostaphylos manzanita subsp. laevigata is designated as1B.2 in the California Rare Plant Rank. This specimen is from the Marsh Creek 4 hill area, growing on the slopes of Mt. Diablo in Northern California.
Manzanitas are fire-adaptive, propagating from seed following typical fire patterns. The fires that swept through in 2019, however, were anything but typical. They burned hot and intense, destroying the Manzanitas growing in the area and (potentially) their seed banks. This was painted from one of the few remaining mature trees, which had been protected by fire retardant air drops.
- Subject Matter: Botanical illustration
- Collections: Botanical Art
About the Artist: Deb Shaw (United States) x
Deborah Shaw has a degree in fine art from Pomona College, The Claremont Colleges, and while there had the good fortune to study botany and native California flora.
She is the principal of dbShaw Studios, an award-winning, multi-disciplinary illustration and design company, specializing in fine art and illustration, scientific illustration, print, data visualization, and web design.
Ms. Shaw is an active member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, Northern California Society of Botanical Artists, the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists.
She has taught botanical art at The J. Paul Getty Museum and Virginia Robinson Gardens, among other US and international venues. She taught illustration, digital design and information design at the University of California, Irvine, Extension where she was the recipient of the “Distinguished Instructor” award.
Deborah’s work has been displayed internationally in juried and non-juried exhibitions, is in the permanent collection at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, is part of the Botanical Collections at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, and is in private collections. She has received numerous awards for art, illustration, and design.
She is the recipient of the 2020 ASBA James White Service Award for Dedication to Botanical Art and is a contributor to the ASBA publication, "Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Watercolor, Graphite, Colored Pencil, Vellum, Pen and Ink, Egg Tempera, Oils, Printmaking, and More,” by ASBA, Carol Woodin, and Robin Jess. ().
Her favorite media include graphite, carbon dust, watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, scratchboard, Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as other digital drawing and painting apps.