The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden (SLOBG) is extending viewing for local artist Sabrina Rouse’s “Circle of Life,” a photographic collection of the life cycle of flowers. The floral art exhibition, held in SLOBG’s Oak Glen Pavilion, opens Thursday and goes until Jan. 31.
“’Circle of Life’ is a stunning photographic collection capturing intimate glimpses into the life of flowers, from the glory of their full bloom to their inevitable fading,” Frame Works gallery director and member of SLOBG Art Committee Sara Egerer said.
Rouse said she has found a plant’s life cycle fascinating since she was a child, calling it a big, interdependent circle.
“So many things draw me to plants and flowers,” Rouse said. “The variety of colors, shapes and textures to start.”
With a family involved in ranching, agriculture is something Rouse has always been around. Rouse said she had a tendency to “over love” her plants. When she moved to college, she was determined to learn to grow plants properly, so she got a job at her local florist and nursery.
Rouse, who attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., said that in every photography class she took, she was drawn to shooting pictures of trees and flowers. Her professors encouraged her work, and plants and flowers became her personal project and test.
“I think it is very important to learn how to grow, in order to survive on many levels,” Rouse said. “So, I try to learn everyday in my garden and life.”
Rouse said her Circle of Life project only contains plants she grew. The project has since received 27 honorable mentions from the 2011 International Photography Awards. Her photographs also won third place from PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2011, a prestigious photography competition in Europe. Rouse’s works have been shown in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Paris.
Frame Works hosted one of Rouse’s solo shows this past summer as part of the “Art After Dark” program of ARTS Obispo, the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council. Frame Works was just one of more than 20 galleries.
Frame Works, a custom picture framing studio and art gallery, is a business partner and Redwood Member of SLOBG. The gallery began sponsoring art shows at SLOBG two years ago when they used to venue to host their sixth annual Art Eco event, an event that showcases art made from reclaimed or natural materials. The gallery showed an extended collection of Rouse’s work at its own facility in July.
“Rouse’s personal project and artistic obsession of growing unique flowers and photographically documenting the beauty of their growth is a natural fit to show at a botanical garden,” Egerer said.
Rouse agreed that the garden was a perfect fit. Rouse, whose work has mostly been shown in award shows and juried photo exhibitions for American Photographic Artists, the International Photography Awards, PX3, Photoplace and Polaroid, said she was very excited about the opportunity.
“I travel the United States and world photographing botanical gardens, horticultural expos and flower shows,” Rouse said. “I am always looking for new and different subjects.”
According to director of volunteers Kristina Van Wert, SLOBG’s mission is to present the diverse plant life of the Mediterranean climate zones of the world and provide opportunities for education, research, recreation and conservation. Van Wert said the idea for the garden started in 1989 and was initiated by Eve Vigil, who was a returning Cal Poly student. Cal Poly students helped construct a preview garden in 1997 and the buildings were completed ten years later.
“Through its programs and facilities, the garden will foster an appreciation and understanding of the relationship between people and nature and will encourage a sense of stewardship toward the natural environment,” Van Wert said.
Jeanne Miller, SLOBG volunteer and oil painter of contemporary landscapes, has been in San Luis Obispo only a few months and is volunteering to get the word out about the garden’s events.
“I am volunteering because I think (the garden) does a great job and has an important mission in the community,” Miller said.
The “Circle of Life” exhibition starts Thursday with its opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Of all the artwork sold at the event, 30 percent will go to SLOBG. The garden sits on 150 acres in El Chorro Regional Park.