DECEMBER 2009 ARTIST OF THE MONTHTen years ago, Molly Gill worked at the Smithsonian, cataloging collections in an anthropology lab. But the Tempe resident has shed life behind the scenes to fill the gallery walls in her first major exhibition.
“In a way, it was a whole different world,” Gill, 49, says of her past life at the National Museum of Natural History. But she feels her background has helped her bloom in the beautifully precise world of botanical art.
One of Gill’s most recent works, a pen-and-ink illustration of Mentzelia hualapaiensis, a new-to-science plant found near the Grand Canyon, is currently on display at the Phoenix Art Museum. The exhibit, titled “A Natural Perspective,” opened in October and runs through January 3. The show features botanical illustrations from 35 international artists, including Mesa resident Elaine Hultgren.
Hultgren, who moved to Arizona for a computer game animation job, says she has been interested in botanical art for more than 40 years but just now gained the opportunity to pursue it. Her contributions to the exhibit include two silverpoint works, a medium that precedes the pencil and uses thin silver wires to sketch on a textured surface.
“I never had the ability to express my interest in botanical art,” she says. “You go along thinking you want to pursue a career, and then you’re in your 60s and it’s finally here.”
Both women are enrolled at the Botanical Art and Illustration School at the Desert Botanical Garden. To find out more about their current exhibit, call (602) 257-1222 or visit
phxart.org