Jo Ann Biagini:Botanical Imaginary
July 28th – September 2nd, 2023
Jo Ann Biagini continues her poetic exploration of the natural world in Botanical Imaginary.Her combination of text and image in layered, improvisational imagery enfolds the scholarship of the botanical sciences in the chaotic, unpredictable forces of nature. The exhibition is anchored by two large works in Biagini’s signature mixed media style. Full Bloom starts with a grid of pages from a vintage textbook classifying tree flowers. Then, graphic imagery including botanical illustrations and woodblock prints are transferred on transparent overlays. Next, atmospheric watercolor washes and her own drawings are overlapped. Finally, she integrates the layers by sanding back into the accrued materials. This additive and subtractive process is repeated in Wild Palms, a piece inspired by fallen palm fronds the artist collected during last winter’s series of atmospheric river storms. The base grid is again comprised of book pages, this time a compendium of palm species. Biagini’s unique process creates singular moments within an immersive experience.
Jo Ann Biagini
Jo Ann Biagini was born in Oakland, CA and earned a BA in Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She has shown her work at numerous venues including NIAD Gallery, Richmond; Gray Loft Gallery, Oakland; and at the SFMOMA Artists’ Gallery, San Francisco. Her work is included in the collections of Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto; Kaiser Hospital, Hayward; the Alameda County Art Collection; the California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco; and the US Embassy in Djibouti.