Live Events
Join us for creative courses, workshops, retreats, festivals, and crafting sessions.
September 2025
A Botanical Journey through a Beloved Landscape. Five local artists, once students of Wendy Hollender and Draw Botanical, come together in this exhibition of native plants from the Mohonk Preserve. Rooted in friendship, shared study, and a deep love of place, their work reflects the quiet beauty of local flora—and the growth that blooms through time, care, and community.
Vern’s original botanical drawings will be on display at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center in September 2025.
Join us for the Artist Reception Saturday, September 6 from 3 - 5pm at the Mohonk Visitor Center!
Botanicals of Mohonk Preserve
September 12-14, 2025
Draw Botanical Presents:
Drawing Late Summer Bounty at Hollengold Farm
Join artists and instructors Vern Fannin, Pam Thompson, and Wendy Hollender for a three-day journey into the joyful art of nature journaling, where no detail is too small to sketch, paint, or celebrate. Nestled between an apple orchard and a local brewery, Hollengold Farm offers a dreamy environment to slow down, look closely, and turn your weekend into a book of art.
Draw Botanical Presents:
Botanical Art & Nature Sketching Retreat at the Ashokan Center
October 31-November 3, 2025
Join us at the beautiful Ashokan Center for a weekend of immersive nature drawing.
Vern will teach botanical drawing: Basic Watercolor and Colored Pencil Techniques, Color Theory.
Welcome to the whimsical world of mushrooms! Learn to draw fascinating fungi and craft a creative composition of your favorite fungus in its humble home. Designed for artists and mycologists of all skill levels, this workshop is sure to spark your imagination as we befriend these “fun guys” and illustrate them in their natural environment.
Draw Botanical Presents:
Fun Guys at Home: Fungi in their Habitat
October 5 & 9, 2025
Revel in the beauty of autumn leaves! Learn how to realistically render their fleeting fiery colors and crisp textures onto paper. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting to explore botanical drawing, this class offers a joyful, step-by-step approach to capturing fall’s magic.
Explore the graceful curves, unique silhouettes, and intricate vein patterns that make each leaf a tiny work of art. With watercolor washes to lay down luminous seasonal hues and colored pencil techniques to add texture and depth, you’ll learn how to make your leaves leap off the page with lifelike detail.