Book Talk & Farm-to-Table Dinner with Lara Call Gastinger

Join us for an evening with Lara Call Gastinger, botanical artist and author of A Perpetual Journal Practice, for a seated dinner and book talk celebrating the mindful practice of nature journaling.

A Perpetual Journal Practice, with a foreword by ecologist Doug Tallamy, invites readers to connect with nature and themselves by keeping a nature-focused art journal. The book offers practical guidance—from numbering the pages of a fresh journal to bringing blank spreads to life—alongside an up-close look into 52 of Gastinger's own full-page journal spreads, built over many years.

"Exquisite. This little book is a life changer. Break free from screens into something wild, something slow, something alive." — Lulu Miller, author of Why Fish Don't Exist

Guests will enjoy a seated farm-to-table dinner, with a book talk over dessert followed by time for Q&A with Lara. (Menu to be shared closer to the event.)

Lara Call Gastinger is an artist and botanical illustrator from Charlottesville, Virginia, and served as chief illustrator of the Flora of Virginia. She has been awarded two gold medals at the Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art shows in London, and her work is held in the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon. She is widely known on Instagram for her weekly live sessions teaching her perpetual journal process.

Farm to Table Dinner & Talk: $100
(Two glasses of wine included or non-alcoholic alternative)
Book Add On: $25

We highly encourage you to support the author by purchasing a copy of the book with your dinner during the checkout process.

Add On: Drawing & Journaling Demo with Lara — 3:30–5:30 PM: $50
15 slots available

Join Lara for a 2-hour demo and drawing session before the main event. Learn basic skills for drawing outside and keeping a field sketching journal, such as a perpetual journal! We'll explore and draw in the gardens after learning how to break down the complexity of a specimen, compose a page, use a pen, add watercolor, and make important observations. Workshop ticket includes a drawing board, Sakura Pigma Micron pen, Fabriano Artistico Watercolor paper, & time instruction from Lara.

If the ticket price constitutes financial hardship, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Info: Limited space, additional add on ticket required.

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600 Morven Dr, 600 Morven Drive, Charlottesville, United States

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