NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Deadline for ABBA Online Exhibition is 1st September

27/8/2021

The deadline for entries for ‘ReflectionS’, no plants-no planet’ - the Online Exhibition by the Association of British Botanical Artists is Wednesday 1st September

BELOW is a summary of the key "need to know" points

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The aim of the exhibition is to stimulate discussion about biodiversity and the impact of climate change using the medium of botanical art to tell a story through imagery which is visually appealing and immediately accessible to a wide audience.

This exhibition was inspired by COP26 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference due to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. COP26 has six major themes and the theme that is relevant to this exhibition is:

“ Nature - to safeguard and restore natural habitats and ecosystems to preserve the planet’s biodiversity “

The exhibition will comprise a juried and digital collection of botanical art by ABBA members that reflects the pivotal role that plants play in preserving the planet's biodiversity.

This digital exhibition will be displayed as follows:

Dates: 16th October 2021 and 27th March 2022
Viewing:
- On a large screen at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens, between - for viewing by visitors to the Gallery
- AND simultaneously exhibited in the ABBA Online Gallery on its website - for an international audience.

ABOUT THE CALL TO ENTRIES

Who can enter: Members of the Association of British Botanical Artists.

Despite the name this means entries can come from artists based anywhere in the world.
ABBA have a very reasonable subscription fee.

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EXHIBITION: Chelsea Physic Garden - A Year in the Life

26/8/2021

At the start of 2020, Chelsea Physic Garden invited selected artists of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) to immerse themselves in the garden and then respond to the surroundings by recording a year in the life of this very important garden.

'A Magical Garden' by Suzy Fasht ARWS

The resulting artworks would then be exhibited at Bankside Gallery - on the South Bank in central London.

Over the course of the last 18 months, the artists have researched, visited (when possible) and recorded the Garden throughout changing seasons and varying restrictions, documenting perhaps one of the most extraordinary years of the Garden’s life. The result is a compelling and vibrant display of creativity and a wonderful example of what can be achieved in the face of adversity. The exhibition is truly refreshing and uplifting; a reminder of the joys and healing powers of both art and nature

I've only just found out about this - and the exhibition is now on and finishes on 30th August - so not long to see it!

You can also see all the artworks online if you're unable to visit the Gallery.

Click an image to see more details and
then click the image again to see a larger version.

These are not botanical artworks (in the conventional sense) - but they are paintings (in various media) and fine art prints which relate to the plants and features of the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Some of those which I think will appeal to botanical artists and fans of the garden include those by:

PLANTS:

Emiko Aida RE - her etchings of white flowers on a very vivid orange background both echo conventional botanic art and provide a counterpoint to ideas of how flowers should be portayed
Mychael Barratt PPRE, RWS - who's produced a wonderful annotated map of the Garden as a hand coloured silkscreen/etching. He's an artist I would collect if I had more wall space!
Meg Dutton RE RBA has drawn several ink and watercolour artworks of the profusion of plants in the glasshouses. Some of you may be familiar with similar drawings she did of the plants in the glasshouses at Kew Gardens.

Part of the Glasshouse (ink and watercolour) by Meg Dutton RE

GARDEN:

Liz Butler RWS - several small paintings in her inimitable style demonstrating an expert watercolourist's grasp of the full tonal range
Claire Denny ARWS - five paintings in watercolour and acrylic ink of various very familiar views of the Chelsea Physic Garden
Wendy Jacob RWS - views of the garden and accurate but stylised portrayals of plants, bushes and trees
Annie Williams RWS - Annie normally paints very carefully constructed and beautiful still lifes so it's fascinating to see how she approaches painting a garden.

Watercolour paintings of Chelsea Physic Garden by Liz Butler

REFERENCE:

Bankside Gallery: 48 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH (next to Tate Modern)
Exhibition Dates: 12-30th August 2021
Hours: 11am - 6pm
Admission: Free
Enquiries about acquiring an artwork can be made online.

Having now inspected the websites of the RWS, RE and the Chelsea Physic Garden I'm not surprised I didn't see it as it only gets a page on the Bankside Gallery website!

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Botanical Artists Group on Facebook is 10 years old!

8/8/2021

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Banner for the Botanical Artists Group of Facebook

The Botanical Artists Group on Facebook celebrates its 10th Birthday this month.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND membership to all practising botanical artists on Facebook. It's very informative and helpful plus well regarded group.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Botanical Artists group, which was created by Sigrid. Although we did have a small group prior to that date as some of you will recall. Now we are all much older and wiser? (of course) and it's a huge group with over 12k members, which is testament to the continued popularity of botanical art and illustration.

I'm posting to say thanks to Sigrid and all who have contributed to the group over the years. The group kind of runs itself due to the input from you all. It has been a great way of making contact with other artists around the globe and for sharing the love for botanical art.
Dianne Sutherland Ball

Here's a few facts about it:

founded by Dutch artist Sigrid de Vries (Facebook Page)
run by Sigrid and UK artist and tutor Dianne Sutherland Ball (Facebook Page)
it now has 12,200+ members
- most of whom are practising botanical artists
- they include numerous professional and semi-professional botanical artists - including many who are leading artists who are known internationally.

PURPOSE

GROUP DESCRIPTION: This group is about Botanical Art and illustration. It was established to bring together botanical artists to support and inspire each other by providing a forum for discussion, sharing work, practice and for the appreciation of the art form. A botanical artist combines scientific accuracy with aesthetically pleasing depictions of plants, so, it's not just about painting flowers but about botanical art in the wider context as an art form.

The comments by existing members are a tribute to the help and support that members have had from fellow members in their quest to develop their botanical art.

WHO CAN BE A MEMBER

WHO IS THIS GROUP FOR: Botanical Artists are welcome here and also people who have an appreciation for botanical art. Artists of all levels are welcome. Note: There is a Botanical Art for Beginners Group so if you are just starting out and this might be appropriate for you too.

Everybody is welcome - who sticks to the rules.

WHAT CAN BE POSTED - and what should NOT be posted

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