Frances Stilwell: Oregon’s Botanical Landscape

Wetland scene of former Buchanan Family Farm, which sits at the confluence of Beaver and Muddy Creeks. OHS Museum, 2019-35.79.1.

  • Family-friendly
  • Teachers
  • Researchers
  • Handicap Accessible Friendly

Oregon artist Frances Stilwell (1940–) left a successful career in science to devote herself to art. Working mainly in pastels, she documented Oregon’s native plants in their natural habitats. A selection of reproduced artwork created for her book, Oregon’s Botanical Landscape: An Opportunity to Imagine Oregon Before 1800, is on view in this breathtaking traveling exhibition, accompanied by Stilwell’s “grace notes” — her thoughts on the experience of creating the artwork, along with scientific information about the plants depicted. The artwork is organized into eight ecoregions (areas with similar environmental resources, such as geology, organisms, soil types). This traveling exhibition includes four reproduced artworks from each ecoregion.

Stilwell believes there is a strong connection between a sense of place and native plant imagery. “When we see these native plants in their native environments, we are assured that we are home in Oregon.”

Book Oregon’s Botanical Landscape Today!

Thanks to generous donations, all OHS traveling exhibits are free to rent through 2024 (usually $250 per month plus shipping).

Other rental details include:

Insurance: Coverage of $4,000 is required.

Shipping: Exhibit may be picked up and dropped off at the Oregon Historical Society or shipped by courier.

Size: 32 reproductions and labels, eight ecoregion panels, two introduction panels, and one video interview with Frances Stilwell. The exhibit is approximately 1,210 linear feet if single hung, or 1,020 linear feet if double hung.

Weight: The exhibit includes two Pelican cases, which measure 37.50" (L) x 27.13" (W) x 14.37" (H). Total weight for both cases is approximately 100 lbs.

Download the one sheet for rental information.

Interested in booking Oregon’s Botanical Landscape? Please contact Tara Cole, Museum Services Coordinator, at 503.306.5223 or tara.cole@ohs.org for rental inquiries.

1_Falling Star 2019-35.1.1

Falling Stars by Frances Stilwell

The petals of yellow fritillary change colors as they age from a buttery yellow to a brick-red color or “the color of bacon,” according to Stilwell. Yellow fritillary is also known as yellow bells because of its bell-shaped flowers.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.1.1

2_Wild Rye 2019-35.50.1

Wild Rye, Higher than a Man’s Stirrups by Frances Stilwell

This pastel and watercolor painting of wild rye in the Great Basin was painted in Shaniko, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.50.1

Under the Rimrock by Frances Stilwell. This pastel painting of Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) and sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) was painted in Maupin, Oregon. OHS Museum, 2019-35.6.1,.2.

Under the Rimrock by Frances Stilwell.

This pastel painting of Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) and sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) was painted in Maupin, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.6.1,.2.

4_Seawatch 2019-35.30.1

Seawatch by Frances Stilwell

Seawatch, or Angelica lucida, commonly found along beaches, coastal bluffs, and estuaries, is painted here among lush coastal vegetation. Stilwell painted this on location in Bandon, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.30.1

Great Aunt of Modern-Day Strawberries by Frances Stilwell. This pastel painting of coastal strawberries, Fragaria chiloensis, was painted in Tillamook, Oregon. OHS Museum, 2019-35.11.1,.2.

Great Aunt of Modern-Day Strawberries by Frances Stilwell.

This pastel painting of coastal strawberries, Fragaria chiloensis, was painted in Tillamook, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.11.1,.2.

6_The Red Devil 2019-35.4.1,.2

The Red Devil: Oak on Oak, by Frances Stilwell

While the red berries look tempting, Rhus diversiloba, or poison oak, can be hazardous to handle. The climbing poison oak vines along with the lichen-draped branches show a common scene in oak forests in the Willamette Valley. Painted in Corvallis, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.4.1,.2

7_Large Spring Beauty 2019-35.8.1

Large Spring Beauty by Frances Stilwell

The soft, warm colors of the blooming Cardamine nuttallii, or large spring beauty, is striking against the muted browns and greens of the forest floor. Painted in Philomath, Oregon.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.8.1

8_Jewels found on scabland 2019-35.39.1

Jewels Found on Scabland by Frances Stilwell

The purple “jewels” painted by Stilwell are the flowers of the Lowly Penstemon or Penstemon humilis. These flowers can survive in the rocky, thin soil of the scabland along with sagebrush and juniper, as depicted here.

OHS Museum, 2019-35.39.1