Botanical beauty of the cannabis plant on display in rare exhibit

By Christy Fantz, Daily Camera

By studying and sketching what nature is brewing, botanical artists have been helping scientists identify various plant species over centuries — for medicinal purposes, to study and maintain healthy ecosystems and to document rare and extinct species for publications.

And it doesn’t look so bad hanging on a wall, either.

This blend of art and science will come together in a rare exhibit at the University of Colorado’s Museum of Natural History with “Cannabis: A Visual Perspective,” opening in the BioLounge on Sept. 8.

With Colorado’s legalization of cannabis and the surging interest in its medicinal properties, the juried selection of 20 illustrations, presented by the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists, will hang in the form of watercolor, acrylic, oil, colored pencil, pastel, print and mixed media.

“This is the first exhibit of its kind that we know of in the United States,” said Suzanne Balog, the museum’s event and communications specialist. “We…