Rosalie Haizlett, artist
By Emma Castleberry
Author and illustrator Rosalie Haizlett will present an artist talk at The North Carolina Arboretum on Saturday, May 24, at 6 p.m., as part of a gallery opening for the traveling art exhibit centered around her most recent book, Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains: An Artist’s Journey. Haizlett has been an artist-in-residence at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the National Audubon Society at Hog Island and at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. In 2022, she was awarded the Eckelberry Fellowship for distinguished wildlife illustrators. Tiny Worlds includes more than 150 watercolor paintings and illustrated maps created as part of Haizlett’s six-month journey from Alabama to Newfoundland.
Rosalie Haizlett, artist
Initially, Haizlett envisioned the Tiny Worlds book as almost entirely artwork, mainly because she wasn’t confident in her skills as a writer. “This changed a few months into the trip, when I looked back through the paintings that I’d created so far and realized that two things were missing,” she says. “One, the art was disjointed without a strong written narrative to provide context, and two, the book would be more meaningful if I infused more of myself into it.” Using her journal from the trip, she put together a series of short essays that use her nature observations as a jumping-off point to talk about childhood, relationships, aging, chronic pain and her own relationship to nature.
Rosalie Haizlett, artist
The exhibition, which will be on display through September 7, features 40 of the 150 original paintings that Haizlett created for the book, including illustrated maps, specimen paintings, nature journal pages and landscapes. “The art is organized in the gallery from south to north, so guests can ‘hike’ alongside me through the exhibit to experience each piece in the order in which I created it,” says Haizlett. “In the age of artificial intelligence and digital art, I enjoy showing viewers—especially young people—that art can still be created by hand with real paint and paper and inspired by real-world observations.”
Before her talk on Saturday, at 10 a.m., Haizlett will teach Botanical Watercolor for Beginners, a two-hour class that will guide students through her complete ink-and-watercolor illustration process. All materials are provided and the class will begin with a 15-minute walk to collect inspiration. “Nature art really is accessible to everyone—a few tips and tricks can go a long way,” she says. “Students often leave my classes saying, ‘I can’t believe I made that!’ and that makes these sessions incredibly worthwhile for me.”
The artist talk will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing. “When I first had the idea for Tiny Worlds, it felt like I was falling in love,” she says. “It was a true passion project and a coalescence of my three main interests: painting, the hidden worlds of nature and the Appalachian Mountain region. I hope that my enthusiasm translates to the viewer and that every reader and guest to the traveling exhibit comes away feeling encouraged to take a closer look at these mountains that we’re so fortunate to call home.”
Register for the watercolor class ($48.30, 10 percent discount for Arboretum members) and the artist talk (free) at NCArboretum.org. Learn more at RosalieHaizlett.com.
