SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Aspiring artists and nature lovers alike can soon combine their pastimes during a tranquil afternoon at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center.

Local artist Val Webb will offer “Catch of the Day: Mobile Bay Marine Life in Pen and Ink” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., March 12, at the environmental education center overlooking the banks of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

The class will be limited to the first 20 to register and Webb said five slots had already been taken as of press time.

“5 Rivers is simply a fantastic place to teach, not just because of its direct access to the marine life and natural settings that make these workshops really come to life, but because the staff is so knowledgeable it adds an entirely different layer of expertise you can’t find in any other setting,” said Webb, who recently conducted a bird-sketching course in the same location that filled up one full month in advance.

“Catch of the Day” will focus primarily on fish and crab, and Webb was adamant that proven artistic ability is not a prerequisite for participation.

“We’re going to be using classical drawing skills, so it really is meant for anybody to walk in sit down and walk away at the end of the afternoon with a result they can be proud of,” she said.

In fact, the class will focus more keenly on illustrative technique than artistic discipline, meaning participants shouldn’t worry about having to make aesthetic decisions.

“You’ll be amazed what you can do when you’re given the proper tools, and this workshop is designed to help people create faithful images of what exists right in front of them in nature,” she said.

Webb said teaching workshops affords her the chance to share “tricks of the trade” she’s accumulated as an illustrator and commercial artist during the past 35 years, and it also gives her the opportunity to shed a technology dependent professional life that can be isolated and mechanical for cherished one-on-one interaction with those who share her passions.

5 Rivers Assistant Manager Shonda Borden said the facility is thrilled to offer a venue for Webb’s workshops, which have become some of the center’s most sought-after events.

“She’s simply an amazing teacher, and I’m proof that her techniques can teach anyone to draw, Borden said.

Webb, however, said Borden’s biological expertise has become instrumental to both the popularity and success of her courses, and she actually credits that level of collaboration for helping fuel locally a renaissance in natural drawing that is taking place nationally.

The importance of botanical drawings, the artist said, dates to Medieval times when plant illustrations were required to inventory available ingredients for medications because misidentification could lead to lethal combinations.

Those scientific and practical uses gave way to creative outlets centuries later when Queen Victoria began wandering her estate painting watercolors of the bountiful plant life. The queen’s passion was quickly imitated by other young society ladies who had very few creative outlets available to them at that time, and the art form was transformed from clinical to expressive and therapeutic.

Webb said she also believes the recent resurgence is being fueled by the mounting acceptance for green, or environmentally friendly, consciousness.

The cost for “Catch of the Day” is $45 per person and includes all art supplies and morning refreshments.

Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and enjoy the 5 Rivers grounds during a break.

For more information, or to register, call 251-510-9615, or visit www.valwebb.com.