July 19, 2025

T.M. Glass is featured in the Globe and Mail article How three Canadian women helped save the rare Tibetan blue poppy.

Click here to view the article as a PDF.

Visit the article at the Globe and Mail website below:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-canadian-women-helped-save-rare-tibetan-blue-poppy/

May 26, 2025

 Les Jardins de Métis/ Reford Gardens, Quebec presents a centennial celebration exhibition in its main building, Estevan House, June 15 to October 5, 2025, to honor the people who worked for 100 years, saving a rare flower from extinction. The exhibition features seven 58" x 58” portraits of the Himalayan blue poppy by artist T.M. Glass, curated by Alexander Reford and Marjelaine Sylvestre

THE BACK STORY

A century ago, the rare, stunningly beautiful Himalayan blue poppy flower was near extinction.  That is, until it was saved by the British plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward—a man on an extraordinary mission: to save the blue poppy from medicinal hunters digging up its roots.  Kingdon-Ward took 26 Himalayan Mountain expeditions to find blue poppy seeds, found a few in a small patch, and when he couldn’t get them to germinate, he returned to look for more. At last, he could display blue poppy flowers at the 1926 Chelsea Flower Show, which caused a sensation.  Kingdon-Ward went on to distribute blue poppy seeds to botanical gardens around the world and taught blue poppy enthusiasts how to grow the delicate flowers.

 THE CURRENT STORY

Now, 100 years later, efforts to save the blue poppy continue in Quebec at Les Jardins de Métis/ Reford Gardens, Quebec, in Scotland at Royal Botanic Garden and in Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens, where the plants receive the special care, climate and soil they need to survive.  What makes this centennial celebration important is that earthly concerns and distress over industrial environmental issues have sidelined concerns for declining treasures of the botanical world. This exhibition shines a light on how people in different parts of the world are working to save one small, endangered flower that is difficult to grow: the Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BLUE POPPY EXHIBITION PRESS KIT

 CONTACT FOR INFORMATION AND  IMAGE REQUESTS

 Marjelaine Sylvestre, Curator, Director of Museum Department, Les Jardins de Métis/ Reford Gardens, Quebec, PHONE: 418-775-2222 # 226, EMAIL: marjelaine@jardinsdemetis.com

Tyler McDermott, Studio Manager, T.M. Glass, PHONE 647-609-8087, EMAIL: tyler@tmglass.com

Digital Art News

I don't call my pictures photographs because they are now known  in the digital art world as 'digital photo collage'. That category is separate from digital art that is made with the latest AI software.  The difference is not widely understood, but important to note. Here is what you need to know: 

*  The first wave of digital art software required human physical participation drawing and painting. 

*  The next wave of digital art software does not require human physical participation apart from typing commands called 'prompts'.  Then the  computer creates the art. 

*  Art market participants are thrilled by the record sales of AI art. Three thousand artists protested when Sotheby's started a division selling  AI art. Other artists argued that AI democratised art for people who don't have the ability to draw and paint. 

*  My work is created with software requiring physical drawing and painting. Each piece in the exhibition took months to create. 

*  My understanding is that the art market is developing genre silos, something like the music market has silo bins for jazz, country, classical, etc.  The latest art silo is robot art.  Sotheby's sold a piece by a robot for $1 million.