NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Ask an expert: botanical art surgery - with Deborah Lambkin

11/2/2019

Don't forget - next Sunday is the third and final botanical art surgery with an expert in botanical illustration at Kew Gardens.

Expert: Deborah Lambkin
Venue: Main Gallery of the Shirley Sherwood Art Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Date: Sunday 17th February 2019
Time: 11am - 3pm

It's a great way of being able to ask questions about your own work and also about life as a professional botanical illustrator.

About Deborah Lambkin

Come and see me paint in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery @kewgardens on 17 Feb. I will be there to answer questions and to chat about my favourite subject- botanical illustration! #botanicalillustration #botanicaldrawing #art pic.twitter.com/3bZfzQD48j
— Deborah Lambkin (@DeborahLambkin) February 7, 2019

Some facts about Deborah Lambkin:

born in Ireland but now lives in London
trained at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin
official orchid artist for the RHS Orchid Committee since 2005 - and has painted over 200 different orchids
an artist member of the RHS Picture Panel which judges exhibits at the RHS Botanical Art Shows
One of only two Irish artists (to date) to win a gold medal at the RHS exhibition, the other being Wendy F. Walsh. She won an RHS Gold Medal for her collection of eight paintings of nerines in 1999.
Contributes paintings to Curtis's Botanical Magazine regularly.
This is an article she wrote about Dealing with plant specimens – Deborah Lambkin

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RHS Botanical Art: NEW archive for past shows and exhibit titles

6/2/2019

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RHS Botanical Art Shows can now be found in four different places on my website:

RHS Botanical Art Shows - all about how to enter
ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows (2007-2018)
ARCHIVE: Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows

I had a reorganisation of content material at the weekend followed by creating TWO NEW PAGES for

the archive material relating to past shows
the titles chosen by botanical artists for their Gold Medal winning exhibits at RHS Botanical Art Show.

What's now where is summarised below.

RHS Botanical Art Shows

RHS Botanical Art Shows - How to Exhibit

I took the opportunity of moving content around to edit and reposition some of the content on this page. It's now better organised, less repetitive but still works through the process of how to win an RHS Medal - from submitting work for approval to exhibit to the practicalities of getting

It covers:

an overview of the page
RHS Botanical Art and Photography Shows 2019 - in London and Malvern
RHS Botanical Art Shows 2020-2025 - applying to exhibit

"How to Exhibit" is then analysed in terms of

#1. Selection for new exhibitors - submission to be "approved to exhibit"
#2 The Selection Meeting - the approval process by the RHS
#3 How to apply for a space at a SPECIFIC RHS Exhibition of Botanical Art
#4 What to exhibit
#5 How botanical artwork is judged at the RHS Show
#6 How to win an RHS Gold Medal

MOVED
ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows (2007-2018)

ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2018

The content relating to past RHS Botanical Art Shows is now on an entirely NEW DEDICATED PAGE.

This

provides an overview of the RHS Botanical Art Shows in recent years (2007-2018).
Lists Best Painting and Best Exhibit winners and the names of all RHS Gold Medal winners + the titles of their exhibits
Includes images of the shows and the botanical art and illustration which won prestigious awards.

In future I plan to add in all those botanical artists (and the names of their exhibits) who won Gold Medals in previous years. I plan a visit to the Lindley Library!

I'm aware I've only included the shows I've visited in London. However I'm very happy to start including all those GM winners that I know already - with exhibit title and year. Please either comment below with the data or expect to receive an email nudge in the future!

Tap pic to check out my recommendations

The Best Books about Botanical Art History, Artists & Illustrators

The Best Botanical Art Instruction Books

NEW! Exhibit Titles

Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows

The aim of this page is to demonstrate the range of exhibits which have been seen in the Lindley Hall in the last few years.

All the exhibit titles listed relate to the exhibits awarded an RHS Gold Medal at either London or Malvern.

I first listed all the titles and then tried to work out some categories for them - and came up with the list you see below. Exhibit titles are listed under one of the following categories:

Family or Genus Names
Exhibits related to specific locations/habitats
Habit / Lifecycle / Growth
Common and Generic Names
Medicinal Plants
Theme names related to botanical history
Unspecific Theme names
Unspecific / media related names
Mixed plant names

All the artists winning a Gold Medal are also identified by year and name.

I'm very happy to receive suggestions for how the categories might be improved. (Please comment below)

I intend to develop the page and also list the titles which were awarded different grades of medal. Speaking personally, I find it interesting to identify correlations between the exhibit title and the colour of the medal - and I've commented on this on this page.

The correlations will become more evident as I add in more exhibit titles.

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Marianne Hazlewood wins award at Visual Arts Scotland - Alight 2019

4/2/2019

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Marianne Hazlewood has two botanical artworks in the current Visual Arts Scotland open exhibition ALIGHT 2019 at the Royal Scottish Academy Edinburgh - and has won herself a solo exhibition.

Arisaema tortuosum (crop) by Marianne Hazlewood | Japanese ink paste on Lambeth Cartridge | 75 x 55 cm

The two pieces are part of her new ink Arisaema series, continuing her series of ink shoots which were inspired by Sarah Simblet teaching for a day during her RBGE Diploma Course. (See my Book review:Botany for the Artist: An Inspirational Guide to Drawing Plants by Sarah Simblet)

Marianne has been awarded the Open Eye Gallery Exhibition Award at the show. Her prize is a Solo Exhibition in their contemporary private gallery in a former Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town.

Visual Arts Scotland

provides an opportunity to showcase national and international contemporary fine and applied artists from graduates to those with a long established practice.
has an annual open exhibition in the RSA Edinburgh building where members and non members can show alongside invited artists and new graduates.
features a variety of paintings, drawings and print work alongside artists working in wood in association with Craft Scotland and jewellery makers and silversmiths working in innovative, ethical and sustainable practise

VAS ALIGHT 2019

Venue: Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Dates: 26 Jan – 22 Feb 2019
Time: Mon-Sat: 10am – 5pm, Sun: 12pm – 5pm

Arisaema griffithii 1:1.3 and Arisaema tortuosum 1:1.3 by Marianne Hazlewood | Japanese ink paste on Lambeth Cartridge | 75 x 55 cm | float mounted (by Detail Framing Studio, Edinburgh)

Marianne Hazlewood also recently had two of her fern paintings in the Society of Scottish Artists Annual Open Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy Edinburgh.

It's very rewarding to see yet another contemporary botanical artist who

feels her artwork should NOT be limited to exhibitions of botanical art.
produces contemporary botanical art which meets the standards of and is selected for major open exhibitions by prominent arts organisations.

Having grown the number of botanical artists, we now need to grow the number of botanical art collectors! Having work selected for mainstream and prestigious / reputable open art exhibitions is an excellent way of exposing art collectors to botanical art - and increasing the number of botanical art collectors beyond those who are already committed to visiting existing botanical art exhibitions.

I'm always very happy to highlight the success of botanical artists who get their botanical artwork selected for mainstream art exhibitions - especially those held in prestigious open exhibitions in impressive art galleries! If this is you, you just need to contact me with the details.

Botanical art exhibitions in Scotland

You can view more details about botanical art exhibitions in Scotland on my dedicated page Botanical Art Exhibitions in Scotland which I updated this morning.

Current exhibitions include the following

Scottish Society of Botanical Artists Spring Exhibition 2019

Venue: Scottish Ornithological Centre, Donald Watson Art Gallery, Waterston House, Aberlady, East Lothian EH32 0PY
Dates: January 19th – Wednesday February 27th 2019
Hours: open daily from 10am to 4pm
Admission: FREE

The exhibition will include between 40 and 50 original paintings from our growing membership, almost all of which will be for sale.

Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile

Venue: Dawyck Studio @ Dawyck Botanic Garden
Dates: Monday 4th February 2019 - Monday 29th July 2019

The page also includes of exhibitions being held later in 2019.

At the bottom of the page is a form which can be used to provide updates about current and future exhibitions.

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BISCOT 2019: a change to the call for assessment

3/2/2019

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The deadline to apply to be assessed to exhibit at BISCOT 2019 in 2019 is the 14th February 2019

This year the formal Call for Assessment for BISCOT 2019 includes a major change which I've only recently become aware of - assessment can now be in the same year as the exhibition.

This post focuses on:

What is BISCOT - for the uninitiated
What the change is about - and why it's an important one
The deadline for applications for assessment - and how to download the regulations and assessment form
The TWO Exhibitions - with venues and dates

What is BISCOT?

BISCOT is an acronym for "Botanical Images Scotia". It's annual exhibition of contemporary botanical illustration which

promotes excellence in botanical painting and illustration.
gives both national and international artists an opportunity to exhibit in Edinburgh and presents new and original botanical work.

It is held annually at

Gardening Scotland (sponsored by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society) and
the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

In effect, it's the Scottish version of the RHS Botanical Art Show insomuch as exhibitors have to exhibit a number of artworks on a theme.

This is the BISCOT webpage on the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society website

Call for Assessment and a change to assessment

2019 sees a change to the process of approving botanical artists to exhibit at BISCOT.

Like the RHS, BISCOT has always operated on the basis of a two stage entry
Stage 1 - approval to exhibit
Stage 2 - (for those approved/eligible to exhibit) application for a space

In 2019, BISCOT has started to allow a year round assessment to allow artists to exhibit the same year. In future calls for assessment will be periodic. As a result, there are 2 weeks left for anyone wanting to be assessed AND exhibit this year (i.e. in June 2019)
Otherwise artists need to wait for the next call for assessment to exhibit in a subsequent year.

The deadline to apply to be assessed to exhibit in 2019 is the 14th February 2019
Eligible artists in Scotland have already been encouraged to enter.
Below you can download the assessment form

biscot_ass_form.docx
File Size:	245 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Here's an outline of the rules for those want to be approved as eligible to exhibit

SUBMISSIONS - subject matter / media / size

UK residents are required to submit 4 original works.
The subject must be a botanical species.
Entries are to be two-dimensional, original botanical artwork. Watercolour is the preferred medium however coloured pencil, gouache, graphite and ink are also accepted.
The maximum size is 36” x 30” h x w (91.5cm x 76cm) when mounted. Larger formats will be rejected.
Non UK residents are required to send 4 jpeg images, via CD or USB (minimum 300dpi resolution).
All files must be labelled with the title, artist’s name, size of the artwork when mounted and have an arrow pointing to the top right hand corner of the work and a scale indicator if necessary.
The application form and work is to be sent to: BISCOT ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION c/o The Education Department, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Artists must send their original works in reusable packaging. Carriage / postage for the return of works is to be arranged and paid by the artist.
CDs / USBs are only returned if return postage and a self addressed envelope is supplied with the entry form.
Notes regarding insurance, packaging and labelling for exhibition can be downloaded from the BISCOT website.

JURORS are chosen from suitably experienced artists and botanists.

The BISCOT Regulations

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Rosie Sanders at Connect Art Fair at Mall Galleries

1/2/2019

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Paintings by Rosie Sanders are currently exhibited by Coombe Gallery at Connect – The Independent Art Fair - a new Art Fair at the Mall Galleries in London this week.

Coombe Gallery - who represent Rosie and exhibit her artwork in South West England have brought some delightful examples of her paintings to London for the fair.

Below you can see a slideshow of her paintings.

the first one is the one Rosie is painting in photo used for the Foreword of her latest book (see below)
I thought Summer's Story was absolutely delightful and a "wow" addition to any collection
all always Rosie is an expert at capturing rich coloured darks - such as the rich dark purples of the purple Iris on display elsewhere in the Fair
To get a sense of size and scale of these paintings take a look at the last pic of Mark Riley, Gallery Manager of Coombe Gallery and his mum on the stand.

The Fair is open until 70om tonight and again tomorrow from 11am –5pm.

Coombe Gallery

If you visit the south west, you can find examples of Rosie's paintings at the Coombe Gallery in Dartmouth.

website: https://www.coombegallery.com/
Rosie Sanders - available paintings at the Gallery
Address: 20 Foss Street, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9DR

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Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art

Rosie Sanders's latest book is Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art published by Batsford in late 2016 (UK) and early 2017 (USA). It's a large format book with over 80 colour illustrations of her flower paintings and Rosie at work. If you're a fan of her work or her very large botanical paintings it's definitely a book to buy.

It's also got an average rating of:

4.9 out of 5 stars by 19 customer reviews (UK)
4.7 out of 5 stars by 18 customer reviews (USA)

BUY THIS BOOK

Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art from Amazon UK
Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art from Amazon.com

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Where can you find a botanical art course in England, Scotland and Wales in 2019?

21/1/2019

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My directory of short courses, classes and workshops in botanical art and/or illustration in England, Scotland and Wales has been updated to include all those being held in 2019 that have been:

notified to me and/or
are being venues which had courses last year.

The Miller's House at Flatford Mill - now a Field Centre offering workshops and short courses

Where can you find a botanical art course in 2019?

The list is organised geographically.
Each area is prefaced by a list of botanical art tutors listed in that section.
Each course is delisted after it has been held - hence now is the best time of year to get an insight into the short courses on offer.

Places with courses, classes or workshops in 2019 include include:

England

London
East Anglia - Cambridge, Essex, Suffolk
Midlands - Birmingham
North - Cheshire, Derbyshire, North Yorkshire
South and SE England - Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex
South West England - Bath, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire

Scotland - Edinburgh

Wales

Cardiff,
Gwynedd,
Powys,
Vale of Glamorgan,
West Glamorgan

Hassop Hall Hotel in Bakewell, Derbyshire

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For your information

I can only list what I'm told about or find about - hence I don't pretend that this list is comprehensive.

This page ONLY lists Botanical Art & Illustration workshops, classes and courses

by Organisations
and/or at Educational Centres in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
and NOT in a private home.

(i.e. it's a reasonably safe bet that they comply with all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements for having third parties on their premises). I'm much less sure of compliance by domestic premises - hence why they are typically excluded.

Tutors and tuition providers can tell me about their course (if it has not been included) by providing the information requested at the bottom of the page and using the dedicated form for UK Course Information.

Reputable UK-based tutors are listed in the International Directory: Botanical Art Tutors (along with tutors around the world)

West Dean College in West Sussex

For Tuition in Other Countries

I'm also updating the courses in other countries and would appreciate updates.
See separate pages for Botanical Art Tuition offered in:

North America - USA, Canada and Caribbean
Australasia - Australia
Europe and North Africa - Austria, France, Ireland, Italy, Morocco Netherlands, Romania and Spain

These also have a form at the bottom of the page for tuition updates.
Courses in Africa, Asia and South and Central America will be added on separate pages in due course

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Call for Entries: Society of Botanical Artists Annual Exhibition 2019

10/1/2019

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This is a guide to the OPEN Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in 2019 and

who can enter,
what you enter
how to enter

In 2019, this exhibition is moving to a new time of year at a new venue

Venue: the Mall Galleries in The Mall in Central London. (Location) - the exhibition will be held in the Main Gallery, North Galleries and Threadneedle Space (i.e. the whole gallery)
Dates: 5 June 2019 to 9 June 2019 | Hours: 10am to 5pm (closes 1pm on final day).

Plantae is the exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists; exhibiting excellence in all art that is plant related. The Society brings together artists of national and international repute. As the forerunner of all other botanical societies its mission is to promote the skills of artists using a varied range of media who all excel in their ability to portray botanical forms in an accurate, unique or interesting way. (Mall Galleries)

READ my blog posts about the Society of Botanical Art: Exhibitions 2006-2016
previously held at Central Hall, Westminster if you're unfamiliar with the exhibition and the standard of work it attracts

Who can enter?

THIS IS AN OPEN EXHIBITION - Any visual artist, anywhere in the world, can enter if they produce botanical artwork in two or three dimensions - which meets the eligibility criteria (see below).

Botanical artists from other countries around the world frequently submit entries to this exhibition - and get selected for exhibition.

You do not have to be a member of the Society of Botanical Artists to submit an entry.
However, under its new rules, you can however apply to be an Open Member of the Society of Botanical Artists (at a cost of £65p.a.) if you want to reduce the level of commission paid on sales by 10%. The cost of membership pays for itself if you sell one artwork priced at £650 - and if you make more sales you can make even more savings on your expenses i.e. 10% of £100 = £10.

The new type of membership - the Open Member - will be available from mid-January so if you expect to sell and want to reduce commission, I'd advise waiting to submit your entry until after you have applied to be an Open Member.

What can you enter?

Eligible artwork will be work you are proud of AND

Predominantly of botanical content.
Botanically accurate.
Visually pleasing - with strong wall appeal.
Up to five artworks
For sale

In terms of type of artwork and size, artwork will be

Original Paintings - in any media
or Original Drawings - in any media
or Original Fine Art Prints (all prints must be hand pulled and NOT giclee)
or Original Ceramics
or Original Jewellery - in any media
Maximum dimension of all 2D and 3D arworks: 120cm on the longest side. (although they don't say framed or unframed re 2D art - and when they don't it's always safest to assume this means "framed")

Presented in:

simple plain mounts and wooden frames (which can accommodate mirror plate fixings)

Work that is NOT eligible for entry includes:

photography
other digital art forms
work using acrylic glass
work framed with clips

How do I price my artwork?

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