Alana Van Rensselaer is a botanical watercolor artist who enjoys portraying nature from live material.  Her subjects range from the tiniest moss on the forest floor to the pollinators of her perennials in her garden.  Her unique style comes from a simple translucent palette.  She “sculpts” her painting by building up fairly wet washes concentrating on tonal gradation.  The final details are added in dry brush.

Alana’s passion has given her a zest for learning.  She has a Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the New York Botanical Garden and has studied at the International Studio of Chinese Art in Hong Kong where she learned the graceful technique of single-stroke watercolor.  In addition, she completed the certificate program in Ikebana at the Sogetsu School.

Alana is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Mid Atlantic Society of Botanical Artists, the New York Botanical Garden, the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, and the Somerset Art Association.  She is an exhibiting member of Studio 7 in Bernardsville and enjoys giving private lessons in her studio in Mendham, New Jersey.

Her work has been exhibited at the prestigious International Exhibition of the American Society of Botanical Artists and Horticultural Society of New York, Pfizer’s Corporate Center, National Starch and Chemical Corporation, the India Fine Arts Society in New Delhi, the Madison Gallery at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Fiddlers Elbow Country Club, and the Clinton Falls Gallery. Her awards include a merit award from The Botanical Artist and the Nebraska poster contest.