ASBA 2025 - Lara Call Gastinger and Tara Perron - Holistic Nature Sketching at a Bog/Fen

Holistic Nature Sketching at a Bog/Fen with Lara Call Gastinger and Tara Perron

Saturday, October 18, 2025
8am – 11:30am

Learn to relate with plants on a different level. Connect your head and heart space with the plants around you to approach our art from a different angle. This session pairs widely respected field sketcher and botanical artist, Lara Call Gastinger, with Dakota and Anishinaabe plant medicine healer and storyteller, Tara Perron. It will provide participants with an immersive experience among fall woodland and wetland plants in a rich fen/floating bog nature preserve (www.tamaracknaturepreserve.org) about 15 minutes from the conference hotel, by bus. Tara will share indigenous teachings about our plant relatives, including how to greet them before considering them as artistic subjects. Lara will center us as we sketch our chosen plants, providing inspiration and artistic guidance. The site features boardwalks through the wetland, as well as woodland trails. Dress for the weather, though an indoor plan is in place in case of rain.

Supplies:

• portable sketchbook
• micron pen (size 005)
• HB pencil
• portable watercolor set (optional)
• waterbrush (optional)