Callaway Gardens® Announces 2008 Summer Workshops And Hikes

Get creative at one of Callaway Gardens® workshops or hikes. Callaway Gardens’ summer educational programming includes activities such as digital photography, gardening, painting and more:

2008 Art and Garden Summer Workshops

Trough Gardening
Saturday, June 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
If you have always thought troughs were only for watering horses in the field, think again. Louise and Warren Aldrich have been building troughs and gardening in them for several years with great success. Herbs, cacti, ferns and bonsai all work well in troughs both indoors and outdoors. Join the Aldrichs in this hands-on art and gardening adventure to make your own trough garden to take home.
Instructors: Louise and Warren Aldrich
Fee: $40

Kids Workshop: Make an Italian Herb Garden Trough!
Saturday, June 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Learn how to make your own trough garden filled with herbs you need to make a tasty pizza! We’ll discover the herbs that we use in our everyday meals and send you home with all the ingredients to make your own pizza herb trough, minus the dough, of course!
Ages 7 to 18 years. Parents or adults are welcome, but activity is only for kids.
Instructors: Callaway Gardens’ Education Department
Fee: $20

Savage Plants – How to Grow Carnivorous Plants
Saturday, June 14, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Ever pick up a Venus flytrap at the checkout counter of a hardware store and wonder how to grow it? We’ll explore the wonders of carnivorous plants – sundews, Venus flytraps and pitcher plants - and learn the techniques for growing them in containers.
Meet at the Backyard Wildlife Habitat behind the Discovery Center.
Free with Gardens admission

Azalea Trails Watercolor Landscapes
Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days
Join artist Ralph Taylor as he shares the secrets of using more pigment and color in your paintings. In this two-day workshop, you will focus on completing one masterpiece using the “wet on wet” and “dry brush” method. Bring watercolors, brushes, tape, and Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper. We will be working in the classroom replicating images from photographs of Callaway Gardens’ renowned azalea trails. Recommended for advanced students.
Minimum: 6, Maximum: 16
Instructor: Ralph Taylor, Phenix City, AL http://www.ralphtaylorstudio.com
Fee: $150

Oriental Watercolor Workshop
June 28, Session 1: Lilies 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Session 2: Peony 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Oriental Watercolor, also known as Chinese brush painting, with its emphasis on the beauty of simplicity, flowing brush strokes and graceful designs, reflects time-honored principles of Chinese philosophy and culture. Practicing Chinese brush painting helps one quiet the mind and expand creative self-expression and discipline. Work with bamboo brushes, using water color on rice paper, and develop confidence in your painting through demonstrations, individual instruction and practice. These classes are ideal for all ages with or without previous art training.
Instructor: Tehwan Tso, long-time student, now artist, has been teaching Chinese brush painting for the past 20 years.
Fee: $60 plus materials
Minimum: 7; Maximum: 16

Mastering the Butterfly: A Limited Enrollment Workshop in Digital Macrophotography
Friday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 12, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
OR
Friday, July 25, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 26, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This workshop is designed for the experienced digital photographer with an interest in macro photography and with a camera capable of taking close-up/macro photographs. The workshop focuses on learning the fundamentals of macro photography using the butterfly as our primary subject in the setting of Callaway Gardens’ Day Butterfly Center. The course begins on Friday night in the classroom, followed by an exclusive, closed-to-the-public, early morning photo shoot at the Day Butterfly Center. The instructor will provide individual coaching. Tripods are permitted. Following the photo shoot, enjoy a working lunch for uploading images into the computer, then a favorite-images session for instructor/group critique. The course ends with classroom instruction in advanced post-processing techniques of our butterfly images using PhotoShop PSCS2.
Limit: 20 pre-registered participants (no refunds unless participant’s slot can be filled).
Instructor: Jim Henderson, award-winning “serious amateur” digital photographer of LaGrange, GA http://www.pbase.com/sandman3
Fee: $110; includes lunch and course syllabus.
Bring your digital camera, flash, owner’s manual, plenty of charged batteries, and storage media. Those with laptop computers are asked to bring them on Saturday. Dress casually in layers for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Victorian Santa in Summer! Gourd Art Workshop
Saturday, August 2, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Create an Old World, traditional painted Victorian Santa on a gourd. Learn about growing, drying and preparing nature’s pottery and creating your unique design.
All materials included.
Instructor: Billie Strickland
Fee: $50 includes all materials

Creative Botanical Journal
Saturday, August 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
In this fun, fast-paced botanical journal workshop, participants will create and take home an original, bound journal of their own design; hand-carved rubber stamps; supplies for image transfer and instructions. Techniques include botanical drawings, paper photo transfers, carving rubber stamps, collage techniques in combination with watercolor and ink, innovative design ideas for recording information about plants. Open to all skill levels.
Instructor: Val Webb, an award-winning illustrator and author of The Illustrated Garden of Mobile, AL.
Fee: $175 includes all materials
Minimum: 10 Maximum: 25

A Fun and Easy Introduction to Digital Photography: How to Take Great Pictures
Saturday, August 23, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A true basic digital photography workshop – a fun and easy introduction to digital photography! Learn to get the most from your camera’s automatic mode, how to use flash effectively, and master the macro feature – all in a fun and non-technical manner. The workshop includes classroom instruction, outdoor photo shoot, working lunch, and then a discussion about equipment readiness, including useful information about camera batteries, digital media cards, and care for your digital camera. Plenty of time for questions and answers, concluding with an introduction to artistic composition – how to take great photos of any subject.
Instructor: Jim Henderson, award winning “serious amateur” photographer of LaGrange, GA.
Fee: $70; includes lunch and course syllabus.
Bring your digital camera, owner’s manual, plenty of charged batteries, and storage media. Dress casually in layers for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Oriental Watercolor (Chinese Brush Painting) Workshop
Saturday, September 27, Session 1: Sunflowers; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Session 2: Irises 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Oriental Watercolor, also known as Chinese brush painting, with its emphasis on the beauty of simplicity, flowing brush strokes and graceful designs, reflects time-honored principles of Chinese philosophy and culture. Practicing Chinese brush painting helps one quiet the mind and expand creative self-expression and discipline. Work with bamboo brushes, using watercolor on rice paper, and develop confidence in your painting through demonstrations, individual instruction and practice. These classes are ideal for all ages with or without previous art training.
Instructor: Tehwan Tso, long-time student, now artist, has been teaching Chinese brush painting for the past 20 years.
Fee: $60 plus materials
Minimum: 7; Maximum: 16

Take a Hike!
Join us for a hike in The Preserve at Callaway Gardens, an area accessible to visitors only on guided programs. Trails have a natural, uneven surface and require sturdy walking shoes. In case of inclement weather, hikes and walks may be canceled.

Plumleaf Azalea Hike
Saturday, July 26, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Age limit: 10 years and older
Length 2.5 miles; moderately strenuous
Fee: $5 for members; $6 for nonmembers
Registration required; directions sent with confirmation letter.

Special Gardening Events
Smaller Gardens: Real Solutions: A Horticulture Magazine Symposium with Nan Sinton
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Learn how to design and plant in limited space with a host of experts presenting “Successful Planting in Shade & Sun,” brought to you by Horticulture magazine and Callaway Gardens. Speakers include Helen Dillon “Down to Earth Gardening Working with the Reality of Your Site;” John Elsley “Hostas, Hellebores & Hydrangeas;” C.Colston Burrell “Natural Design for the Shaded Garden;” and Stephanie Cohen “Light Fantastic – Transitioning from Sun to the Edge of Shade.” For details and to register, visit hortprograms.com or request a brochure by calling toll-free at 877-GDN-PROG (877-436-7764).

Enrollment is limited and preregistration is required for all programs. Programs fill quickly, so register soon. Workshop fees include admission to Callaway Gardens. To register call the Education Department at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) ext. 5153, 706-663-5153 or email education@callawaygardens.org or check out education event listings at www.callawaygardens.org and click on “Education.”

For overnight accommodations for any of these workshops or hikes, ask for the special workshop rate starting at $109 in the Mountain Creek® Inn at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292).

Callaway Gardens®, a premier travel and meeting destination in the South, is owned by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation™ (ICCF). Within the 13,000 acres of Callaway Gardens is a resort, preserve, residential community, almost 100,000 square feet of meeting space, 931 guest rooms, restaurants, shops, golf, tennis, fishing, shooting club, gardens, butterfly conservatory, horticultural center, chapel, inland beach, nature trails, and additional attractions. For more than 50 years Callaway Gardens has provided “a place of relaxation, inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of visitors. Callaway Gardens is committed to its mission of environmental education and land stewardship for the benefit of future generations.

Callaway Gardens®, is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. To experience Mother Nature at its finest, call 1-800-CALLAWAY or visit www.callawaygardens.com.