7 June 2024, AUSTRALIAN FLORA SPECIES: CASUARINACEAE with Dr Tanya Scharaschkin.

Explore the science of the Australian plant family Casuarinaceae in detail with botanist and artist Dr Tanya Scharaschkin!

• Dates: 7 June 2024
  
• Times: Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm
  
• Venue: NatureArt Lab Studio, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith

About the Course

This one-day workshop provides botanical science insights to gain a comprehensive understanding of the family Casuarinaceae with expert botanist Dr Tanya Scharaschkin.

The Casuarina family are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species^[2] of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacific Islands.

We will examine all aspects of Casuarinaceae from structure and function to the ecology of the unique Australian members of this family. Learn how to use keys for identification. Individual parts will be drawn and labelled with botanical terms. During the second half of the workshop, participants will create beautiful drawings inspired by locally available Casuarina or Allocasuarina specimens. 

We will be looking at a wide range of plant parts including flowering structures, stems and leaves. 

Materials List 

A list of required materials will be emailed to you prior to the start of the course, but please bring along:

• Sketch book or note book, pencil, sharpener and eraser • fine tip pens, colour pencils or watercolours . Transparent plastic ruler with clearly marked measurements  • Reading glasses if you need to use them!
• Our studio will provide for use in this workshop: Dissecting kits with forceps, scalpel, dissecting needles; magnifying lenses with lights. 

Learning Outcomes

• A greater understanding of plant structure
• Techniques for dissecting and examining flowers and other plant parts
• Steps involved in observing and documenting botanical specimens
• An understanding of botanical terminology commonly used for plant identification
• An appreciation for the beauty and complexity of plants around us
• A series of labelled drawings of plant parts
• Ink drawing inspired by parts of a plant

About the Tutor

Dr Tanya Scharaschkin is a botanist, artist and teacher. Tanya is intrigued by patterns in nature and is keen to share the beauty of plants that she sees at different scales as a botanist. Her artwork combines traditional botanical art with photography and digital art using a variety of media. She hopes her art will inspire others to not only admire plants but also develop an understanding and appreciation for the biology of plants.  

Tanya is an enthusiastic and well-organised instructor. Her lectures, talks and workshops enable the general public to understand scientific concepts. Tanya conducts a variety of workshops as a way of sharing her enthusiasm for plants and bringing art and science together. 

Tanya was born and brought up in Pakistan. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and Zoology and a Master’s in Science degree in Zoology from Pakistan, followed by a Master’s degree in Vertebrate Paleontology and a PhD in Plant Systematics from the US. Much of her academic career was spent at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. She is now a free-lance botanist and artist, living and working in Collinsvale, Tasmania. Most of Tanya’s projects incorporate a botanical theme, although she has designed, made and exhibited mathematically-motivated quilts. Her artwork is held in private collections, in Australia and overseas.

 Images: Julia