My name is Katherine Tyrrell and I created 'Botanical Art and Artists'
The top compendium of botanical art past and present
for botanical artists & illustrators of today & tomorrow
The top compendium of botanical art past and present
for botanical artists & illustrators of today & tomorrow
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I'm a writer who writes about art for artists and art lovers on my art blog Making A Mark. It has a very large readership around the world with more than 12 million page views in the last 10 years.
Botanical Art and Artists is now catching up fast! It now regularly gets
Botanical Art and Artists is now the TOP compendium website about botanical art and artists in the world (according to Alexa). I've been a huge fan of botanical art and illustration for very many years. This dates back to my childhood and my love of my mother's RHS Annual Desk Diary which every year was filled by reproductions of artwork by famous botanical artists. I used to pore over every single illustration noting the differences in approach and admiring all those who were excellent. I'm also an artist. I won a national painting competition age 6, studied art at school and then did nothing for many years while being 'academic'!. I now draw and sketch in dry media and exhibit my work as and when my arthritis allows. (see below) I also have an interest and a degree in education. My past life involved a degree in Education from Cambridge University, an MBA from the London Business School; and two professional qualifications as both a teacher and an accountant. I worked at a very senior level in management consultancy/inspection and public services in government before I retired. I've also examined and moderated for my areas of professional expertise in the past. Currently I am a Visiting Lecturer at an Art School in London. Reasons for developing this website include:
My current activities involve
Publications:
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You can find Botanical Art and Artists on Twitter - @botanicartists - although I'm most active on Facebook
A little out of date but my fringe is not misbehaving!
I wrote an article for the Occasional Papers of the Lindley Library Volume 16 June 2018
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In the past I've exhibited my own artwork at the Annual Exhibitions of the Society of Botanical Artists and Florum.
A combination of arthritis and cataracts (now fixed but my near vision is still not at all good) and tenosynovitis in my drawing hand has limited my ability to follow the strict technical version of botanical illustration - much though I love it. However I continue to explore other ways of working. I love structures within plants, at a macro level, and in recent times have majored on drawing cacti and succulents. I'm told that my drawings has prompted those familiar with these plants to start looking at them more closely! |
The exhibition page on my portfolio website
See Flowers and Plants on my portfolio website
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For those interested in the business side of art, arising out of past business experience, I've also developed a second website which also continues to develop.
You can take a look at Art Business Info. for Artists I spent many years working as a management consultant advising organisations large and small including government! You may like me to provide some help e.g.
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Arising out of the Business side of Art I'm also
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I'm in some very good company!
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My other big love is sketching and I'm the author of a book about drawing and sketching published in the UK, USA and Asia in January 2015.
My book Sketching 365 (published by Quarto) includes a four page section on drawing and sketching plants and flowers.
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The Facebook Page for the book is Katherine Tyrrell: 365 Tips for Drawing and Sketching
The exhibition page on my portfolio website
Sketching 365: Build your confidence and skills with a tip a day
 - from Amazon.co.uk
The book is also published (with a different cover) in the USA as Drawing 365: Tips and Techniques to Build Your Confidence and Skills
 from Amazon.com
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I started writing about art on Making A Mark which went public for the first time at the beginning of January 2006.
Since then I've written nearly 3,500 blog posts and it's had well over 4 million visitors and nearly 12 million pageviews. A super comprehensive affair, Katherine Tyrrell’s blog is a go-to for punters and artists alike. Making a Mark includes useful annual itineraries of major UK art exhibitions (though the bulk are London-based) as well as a meticulous calendar of competitions for artists to enter. Expect in-depth news, analysis and a focus on fostering new talent Read more about me and my blog in this interview post Blogger Spotlight: Making A Mark and Katherine Tyrrell
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Making A Mark - My 10th anniversary blog post in January 2016
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