Respect for place
Observation comes before collecting, and permission matters.
OUR FIELDNOTES
A studio built around attention.
Our story
ExactHerbarium began as a small table practice: preserving local plant forms and writing down the conditions that made each encounter memorable. The school grew by sharing methods that are useful, patient, and honest about the time craft requires.
Today we create structured courses for curious makers who want botanical work to feel both beautiful and responsible.
2018
First herbarium sheets shared in a single studio.
2021
Fieldnote curriculum launched for remote students.
2024
ExactHerbarium becomes a registered craft school.
Our mission
We help people notice plants more carefully and translate that attention into durable paper records, without promising shortcuts or making claims beyond the craft itself.
What we value
Useful beauty
Every visual choice should support clarity, care, or memory.
Honest instruction
We explain materials, limitations, and maintenance plainly.
The people at the table
Mara Ellison — Founder and tutor
Mara develops practical pressing and composition lessons from years of paper craft and natural history study.
Jon Bell — Materials editor
Jon tests papers, enclosures, and binding approaches for accessible home studios.
Priya Shah — Fieldnote curator
Priya guides students toward precise observation and thoughtful written records.