Esther Klahne
b. 1960, Ridgewood, NJ
Esther Klahne is a botanical artist from New England who specializes in painting on vellum. Inspired by the natural world, she utilizes the unique colors and textures of calf, deer and goatskin as a backdrop for all manner of flower and fauna, using watercolor and graphite to tell a story unique to the subject matter.
Esther graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1984 with a Bachelors Degree in Apparel Design. She continues to work full time for a Massachusetts-based apparel company while making time to paint. She is currently working on a collection of paintings inspired by trips taken to central California, where the dryer, warmer climate is home to plant and animal life quite different from that found on the East coast.
Esther is a member of the New England Society of Botanical Artists and the American Society of Botanical Artists. She presently has work in an exhibit entitled "Mountains to the Sea," which focuses on native New England plant life. The exhibit will be shown in all five New England states during the next eighteen months. Esther's painting of Hibiscus Moscheutos will be shown at The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation's 14th annual show in Pittsburgh, PA, opening in September of 2013.