Lynne K. Railsback, Botanical Artist
About the Artist
Lynne grew up in an environment where art was always part of her life. Her mother saved items that she created as a child that she enjoys looking through, but her favorite is a portrait that she did of her grandfather when she was only seven years old. She has it framed and hanging in her Florida home. Later, she earned a major in graphic design at the University of Illinois in Champaign but pursued a career in commercial interiors. When she retired, she just wanted to paint for pleasure and not be concerned about the financial rewards.
So that is a little about her background. How about learning how she works. She selected watercolor as her medium and has not been tempted to change. She limited her palette to 5 pigments: viridian, permanent rose, burnt umber, Hansa yellow light, and French ultramarine. Her brushes are Jack Richeson 9000, size 000 and Windsor Newton Sceptre Gold II #101 also 000. The paper she was using was discontinued, which has happened to her several times. Fortunately, she discovered Legion Paper, Stonehenge Aqua 140 lb. hot press. Unlike most botanical artists she does not do preliminary sketches and transfers them on to paper. In most cases she mounts dried specimens on foam core to establish the composition. Sometimes a vase is required if she is working on a fresh specimen. She will then mix her pigments to suit the piece she is working on. Her brush then becomes the pencil as she begins.
Lynne is President of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists, member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, Past President of the Reed-Turner Woodland Botanical Artist Circle, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Florilegium, and the Geneva Lake Arts Foundation. Anything botanical and watercolor suits her interest.
Selected Group Exhibitions
Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, WI
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute, Tucson, AZ
Center for the Visual Arts, Wausau, WI
Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI
Filoli Botanical Gardens, Woodside, CA
Hartell Gallery at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Haggerty Museum of Art, Milwaukee, WI.
Horticultural Society of New York, NY
Hunt Institute for Botanical Illustration, Pittsburgh, PA
Jacob’s Gallery, Eugene, OR
John Michael Kohler ArtSpace, Kohler, WI
Lloyd Library, Cincinnati, OH
Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, WI.
Kenan Center Gallery, Lockport, NY.
Kenosha Public Museum, Kenosha, WI.
New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI.
New York Botanic Garden, Bronx NY
New York State Museum, Albany, NY
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Pacific Science Center, Seattle WA
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
Plymouth Arts Center, Plymouth, WI
Royal Caledonian Hort. Society Exhibition, Edinburgh, UK
Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL
Springfield Museum of Art, MO
U.S. Botanic Garden, Washington DC
Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI
Bibliography
"Today's Botanical Artists",
Schiffer Publishing Company, Atglen, PN. 2008.
"11th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration." Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation,
Hoechstetter Printing Company, Pittsburgh, PN. 2004.
Images are also included in many Exhibition Catalogues
Current Art Affiliations
American Society of Botanical Artists: Member
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, NY: Florilegium Member
Florida Society of Botanical Artists, President
Geneva Lake Art Association: Member
Reed-Turner Artists Circle of the ASBA: Member
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2016 Ploch Gallery, Brookfield Wi.
2013 Wasco Nursery & Garden Center, Wasco, IL
2012 Raue Center for the Arts, Crystal Lake, IL
2010 Steinhauer Trust Gallery, Madison WI
2007 Wisconsin Arts Board Lobby, Madison, WI
2005 Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, WI
2004 Raue Center for the Arts, Crystal Lake, IL
2002 Fermi National Accelerator Lab, Batavia, IL
Exhibit Invitational’s
Alexian Village of Milwaukee
Anderson Art Center, Kenosha, WI
Art Space, Kohler, WI
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn, NY
Guenzel Gallery, Fish Creek, WI
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, PN.
Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI.
Nature Artist's Guild of the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
St. Johns on the Lake Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
The Art Center, Highland Park, IL
Woodson Art Center, Wausau, WI
Collections
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn, NY
Chipstone Foundation, Milwaukee, WI.
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, PN
Janesville Rotary Gardens, Janesville, WI
New York State Museum, Albany, NY
Private Collectors
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, MO
Zurich, USA, Schaumberg, IL
Awards
2018 Merit Award Venice Art Center, “Earth, Wind, Fire & Water”
2014 Cash Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2014 Second Place Museum of Wisconsin Art “Members Show” West Bend, WI
2013 Merit Award Racine Art Museum’s, “Watercolor Wisconsin Exhibition”, Racine, WI
2013 Patron Purchase Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2013 Excellence in Arts Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2012 Honorable Mention American Society of Botanical Artists “Small Works Exhibition”, Chicago Botanic Garden
2011 Honorable Mention Blossom II, Susan Kathleen Black Foundation, Naples, FL
2011 Award of Honor Center for the Visual Arts, “Midwest Seasons”, Wausau, WI
2010 Purchase Prize The Racine Art Museum’s, “Watercolor Wisconsin Exhibition”, Racine, WI
2010 Artist’s Magazine Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2009 Best in Show New York Horticultural Society “12th International Juried Exhibition”, NY, NY
2009 Cash Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2008 Purchase Award New York State Museum "Focus on Nature X", Albany, NY
2007 Patron Purchase Award Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2007 Elsie Petersen Memorial Springfield Art Museum “Watercolor USA” Springfield, MO
2007 Peoples State Bank Award Center for the Visual Arts, Wausau, WI. “Midwest Winter Exhibition”
2006 Silver Medal in Botany Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Exhibition, Edinburgh, UK
2004 Curator’s Award in Botany Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, “Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Exhibition”, Tucson, AZ
2004 Solo Exhibition Award Anderson Art Center’s “Winter Exhibition, Kenosha, WI
2004 Purchase Award Rotary Gardens “Art at the Gardens”, Janesville, WI
2003 Purchase Prize Racine Art Museum’s, “Watercolor Wisconsin Exhibition”, Racine, WI