top of page

Teaching

Botanical Art as Intimate Storytelling

Workshops for beginners and professional artists exploring color, presence,
and the quiet language of flowers.

Onna-Bug-eisha and her Leaf Cutting Factory .jpg

Where Flowers Become Collaborators

The Language of the Flowers is a Botanical Art workshop series inviting artists into conversation with their specimens. Through color, gesture, and storytelling, artists move beyond observation into relationship — creating floral portraiture that feels personal, expressive, and alive.

The Language of the Flowers

This workshop series is grounded in intimacy, curiosity, and visual dialogue. Instead of striving for perfection, artists are guided by joy, freedom, and focused attention—inviting a relationship with their specimen through mark-making and color rather than control.

Drawing and painting shift beyond documentation into portraiture. The flower becomes a collaborator, and each line and wash responds to its character, rhythm, and mood. The work begins to feel like a private exchange — something the viewer is gently allowed to overhear.

Upcoming Workshops & Classes

  • 🎨 The Language of the Flowers with a Splash of Pan Pastels & Watercolor
    🎨 The Language of the Flowers with a Splash of Pan Pastels & Watercolor
    Multiple Dates
    Jun 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
    Michelle Dolan Studio, Chatham, NY 12037, USA
    Jun 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
    Michelle Dolan Studio, Chatham, NY 12037, USA
    Discover the luminous beauty of watercolor combined with the velvety glow of Pan Pastels in this inspiring floral workshop experience designed for both the complete beginner and the most experienced artist.
    Share
  • 🍂The Language of Flowers - A Fall Harvest in Watercolor & Colored Pencil
    🍂The Language of Flowers - A Fall Harvest in Watercolor & Colored Pencil
    Multiple Dates
    Nov 02, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
    Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 W Stockbridge Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01262, USA
    Nov 02, 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
    Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 W Stockbridge Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01262, USA
    Step into the quiet poetry of autumn, where seeds scatter, pods open, and bark tells its slow, textured story. In this class, we’ll explore the delicate dialogue between watercolor and colored pencil—a technique that blends fluid spontaneity with fine, intentional detail.
    Share
  • 🌸 The Language of the Flowers Finds Endings
    🌸 The Language of the Flowers Finds Endings
    Sold Out
    May 25, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT – May 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT
    📍 Michelle Dolan’s Studio, 22 10 Broeck Rd, Chatham, NY 12037, USA
    May 25, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT – May 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT
    📍 Michelle Dolan’s Studio, 22 10 Broeck Rd, Chatham, NY 12037, USA
    A Two-Part Workshop Experience. I’m so excited to invite you into a very special few days of drawing, observation, and quiet discovery this May. This session is about learning to truly see — how light wraps, how color moves across form, and how something so simple can reveal so much.
    Share

Teaching History & Experience

I am a practicing botanical artist with over ten years of experience creating and teaching botanical art. I graduated with honors from the New York Botanical Garden Certificate Program in Botanical Art & Illustration in 2019, a rigorous professional program that blends technical skill with deep observation.

I am a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, Tri‑State Botanical Artists, and the Society of Botanical Artists, and my work has been exhibited in galleries and botanical institutions, including a solo exhibition, Alchemy and Innocents, at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Present

Alongside my studio practice, I teach botanical art workshops both online and in person. My ongoing series, The Language of the Flowers, grew from the curriculum I developed while teaching at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and continues to bring artists together to explore observation, color, and storytelling through botanical art.

I teach in a variety of settings, including professional workshops, community art centers, botanical gardens, and online classes for artists at every level.

My teaching blends technical guidance with a deeper way of seeing—where observation, intuition, and color become tools for visual storytelling.

How and Why I Teach

My teaching is rooted in the belief that art is a conversation rather than a performance. I create spaces where artists feel supported to observe closely, experiment freely, and develop their own visual voice. Through a balance of technique, reflection, and curiosity, students build skills while discovering new ways of seeing and responding to the natural world.

Read My Biography

Curiosity over perfection

Relationship with the subject over replication

Intuition alongside technique

Inclusivity and respect for all levels

Experimentation as a form of learning

bottom of page