NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

RHS Botanical Art Show #3: Medals Awards and Feedback

26/6/2018

This is the final post in my short series of posts about the RHS Botanical Art Assessment Process. Today's post covers:

how Judges decide the colour of a medal at an RHS Botanical Art Show
how the Best Exhibit and Best Painting in the show are determined
how feedback is provided

The three posts are

Seeking approval to exhibit (24 June)
The Judges and the Judging Process (25 June)
How the colour of the medal and additional awards are decided + Feedback (today's post)

What follows are:

my questions (in green) followed by responses from the RHS Picture Panel
odd comments from me (in italics)
images of RHS Gold Medal Winners who have also won either a Best Painting or Best Exhibit award.

Bridget Gillespie who won a Gold Medal for "Root Vegetables: Lifecycle" and Best Painting in Show 2017 for "Beetroot Beta vulgaris". Next month she's back with another exhibit!

How does the RHS scale standards and criteria
- so they know whether they are looking at different levels of 'performance' and what colour of medal they are looking at in terms of the particular and overall?

When judging, the Panel will look at each exhibit at least twice, sometimes three times, to ensure there is parity between the medals being awarded. There is a lot of discussion and each member votes on the medal to be awarded.

A Gold medal exhibit has to be outstanding in all areas and really have the ‘wow’ factor.
A Silver-Gilt medal is a very high award and still an exceptional achievement. In many cases a Silver-gilt will have only been missing a couple of elements that meant it was not quite a Gold.
The Silver medal will usually have numerous areas for improvement.
A Bronze medal is rarely awarded as the standard is generally so high, but it may be awarded if the artist has really only achieved one or two elements from the criteria.

NOTE (my comment): You will recall from my post RHS Botanical Art Show #1 Approval to Submit that the Picture Panel are expecting those approved to exhibit to be capable of achieving a Silver Medal. Thus an artist achieving a Bronze Medal has either misunderstood what was required or fallen short of expectations in a significant way.

Julie Nettleton (Australia) with her "Best Painting in Show 2016" titled "Xanthorrhoea and marsupial mouse". She won her Gold Medal for "Xanthorroea (Grass Trees)"

Which are "the really important bits" of the criteria?

It is all important and contributes to make the RHS shows unique.

High quality artistic skill must be coupled with botanical and horticultural understanding, correct plant names and well-presented pictures.

If any one of these elements is compromised, it lets down the whole exhibit.

For our audience, botanical art is another way of appreciating and understanding plants, therefore the information that is presented should be as accurate as possible, both visually and in written form.

The best botanical artists serve as advocates for the art form as well as for the plants they paint.

Mariko Ikeda (Japan - Tochigi) won Best Exhibit in Show 2017 with her six watercolour paintings of Pandanus (screwpine) on vellum. Her watercolour paintings were mounted on a board (unframed and unmatted) and a clear perspex sheet was fixed in front of each

The crowds around the Best Exhibit 2017 of Pandanus by Mariko Ikeda (Japan)

In reaching decisions about "Best Painting" and "Best Exhibit" what is "the best"? Can it be described?

Both of these categories are selected from the exhibits that won a Gold medal.

They are ‘show specific’ and so mean the exhibits are judged comparative to those around them, as distinct from the Gold medal that serves as an absolute standard.
The Best Exhibit is given to the one that the judges agree was outstanding in all areas,
The Best Painting is for the individual painting that stands out as exemplary.
These are voted on as the last thing the judges look at.

What happens if somebody produces an outstanding exhibit in all but one respect?

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RHS Botanical Art Show #2: The Judges and Judging Process

25/6/2018

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This is the second three posts covering RHS Picture Panel responses to my questions about the assessment process relating to the RHS Botanical Art Shows.

The three posts are

Seeking approval to exhibit (24 June)
The Judges and the Judging Process (TODAY'S post)
How the colour of the medal and additional awards are decided + Feedback (Tuesday 26th June)

I asked an awful lot of questions and the answers run to five A4 pages - hence the three blog posts!

Exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017 - summarising the purpose of the show and the assessment process

The Judges and the Judging Process

Below you can find the questions I asked and the responses I got from the RHS Picture Panel Secretary. I've edited the format of the latter slightly (e.g. paragraphs/bullet points) to make it more readable online.

Who is involved with the judging? What experience and expertise do they bring to assessment?

The judging Panel currently includes experienced practising botanical artists and teachers, botanists, an art collector, horticultural experts and garden writing editors.
We are always looking to make sure we have the right combination of skills.

Gillian Barlow has been the Chair of the Panel for over 10 years and continues to be a respected botanical artist. She brings a wealth of experience as a practicing artist, a previous gold medal winner and a judge.

Along with other members of the judging panel, Gillian is supported by Deborah Lambkin and Helen Allen, both of whom are also practicing artists and teachers.

How are standards and criteria defined by the RHS Picture Committee - for the guidance of those assessing each year?

The judges take into account the following criteria, which is a summary of the guidance, rules and regulations detailed in the Botanical Illustration Exhibitor Factsheet (557kB pdf) :

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RHS Botanical Art Show #1 Approval to Submit

24/6/2018

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A little while ago I asked the RHS whether they could provide some detailed answers to questions about various aspects of assessment relating to the RHS Botanical Art Show which are of interest to

those wanting to submit to a future RHS Botanical Art Show
those exhibiting this year or in future - and
all those wanting to know how to win a Gold Medal AND maybe a Best Exhibit or Best Painting Award.

The RHS have very kindly responded with some very informative answers to my questions via Charlotte Brooks, the Secretary to the Picture Panel.

I asked an awful lot of questions and the answers run to five A4 pages!
So I'm going to post all the questions and answers over three days as follows:

Seeking approval to exhibit (today - see below)
The Judges and the Judging Process (tomorrow Monday 25th June)
How the colour of the medal and additional awards are decided + Feedback (Tuesday 26th June)

I'll also be including images from past Botanical Art Shows and the information will also be included on my website page about the RHS Botanical Art Shows.

Every artist must be able to present six artworks forming a high quality, unified and consistent exhibit of botanical art. This photo of the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2016 includes three Gold Medal winning exhibits.

Assessment: Approval to Submit

Before you can exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show you must be approved to exhibit.

How this works:

the next section provides the RHS response to my question about what those assessing your application to exhibit are looking for
followed by my summary explanation of how you can submit an application for approval to exhibit.
More information about the RHS Botanical Art Shows on the RHS and Botanical Art and Artists websites - for those who want to find out more.

How does assessment work at the initial "approval to submit" stage?
What are you looking for?

What follows is what the RHS told me (i.e. their words).

The Selection criteria are similar to the judging criteria, but at this stage the judges are principally looking at the artist’s technical skill and the quality of their botanical illustration. Although the judges will also offer feedback on other areas if there is something that stands out as being particularly well executed, or if there are things that should be avoided.

The criteria are summarised as follows:
• Quality of botanical illustration
• Quality of the presentation
• Overall impression

The pieces that are submitted should demonstrate good draughtsmanship and the artist’s ability to handle form, texture, colour, tonal range.

The horticultural and botanical content in the pictures is also important (e.g. life-cycle stages / magnifications / habit), as it distinguishes a work as being a piece of botanical illustration.

Although artists do not have to submit the work they intend to exhibit, the submission should be representative of the overall quality of their work.

Artists are encouraged to send in examples of their best and most recent work.

If an artist works in more than one medium, for example graphite and watercolour, but is unsure which to exhibit, the judges may offer feedback on which of the examples they consider to be stronger.
The exhibit should be consistent, not a mix of pictures executed in watercolour, graphite, coloured-pencil or gouache.
However, if an artist chooses to create their work in a combination of graphite and watercolour, this is permissible.
The overall exhibit must be unified.

RHS Botanical Art Show February 2015 - BEFORE the new white Exhibit Boards were introduced. The number and size of artwork exhibited remained the same!

The feedback given at Selection stage is intended to help guide artists with any further planning and work they may wish to undertake.

We see a range of artists submitting

some are already very experienced with a high level of skill;
other artists are very much at the beginning of their journey and may need more tuition before exhibiting with the RHS.
In some cases artists are self-taught and so may be seeking support in their work but are not ready yet to exhibit.

The judges are looking to see whether the works submitted would reach a minimum standard of a Silver Medal.

If you've not yet submitted an application for approval to exhibit, you should also read the next section - based on guidance from the RHS,

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Exhibiting artists at RHS Botanical Art Show 2018

28/2/2018

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These are the names of the exhibiting artists at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2018. This year the show has changed dates and instead of February is now one between 10th and 12th July 2018 - at the RHS London Plant and Art Fair at the RHS Lindley Hall, SW1P 2QW and the RHS Lawrence Hall SW1P 2QD

Tickets are on sale now - I've already got mine!

View of the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017

RHS Botanical Art Show Exhibitors July 2018

There are 44 exhibitors in total which (I think) is a lot more than in previous years. There is going to be some serious competition - there are a number of former Gold Medal Winners (former RHS Gold Medal Winners have GM after their name).

In addition, so far I've counted at least two former winners of Best Painting (Bridget Gillespie in 2017 and Hideo Hirokoshi in 2015) and one artist who has won best exhibit twice (Hye Woo shin in )

I'm listing the exhibiting artists by country of origin to demonstrate the worldwide appeal of this very prestigious exhibition. Nobody else requires exhibitors to produce six high quality artworks on a theme. I highly recommend that those wanting to exhibit with the RHS in future visit the exhibition if they can - and if they can't take a look at my blog posts about previous exhibitions. (see the end of this blog post for more information)

The number per country is as follows:

19 x UK + 1 group
7 x Japan
4 x Korea
2 x Italy
2 x New Zealand
2 x Turkey
1 x Australia
1 x Austria
1 x Brazil
1 x Hong Kong
1 x Thailand
1 x USA

UK (19 artists and 1 group)

Sarah Howard at the 2016 Show with three of her six Horn of Africa Aloes which won her a Gold Medal

Vanda Adamson - exhibited French hedgerow flowers and fruit in 2015 and won a Silver Bedal
Margaret Bickerton - Won a bronze medal in 2016 for Artichokes
Christina Hart-Davies GM - I have one of her paintings hanging in my home! She has three previous Gold Medals for paintings of mosses and lichens plus an RHS Gold Medal and a World Orchid Conference Bronze for paintings of European and Australian Terrestrial orchids
Bridget Gillespie GM (Best painting RHS 2017) - Bridget has been a botanical artist since 1992 Last year she won a Gold for her exhibit Root Vegetables Life Cycle and won the Best Painting in Show award for her beetroot. She has two previous Gold Medals for plums and pears. She's currently featured on the RHS page about this year's show. Bridget teaches botanical art at the Helmsley Walled Garden in Yorkshire
Maureen Hallahan - (Note: I'd ignore the reference to membership of the RHS on the first page. I'm a member of the RHS because I pay my subscription. I suspect she means working towards a place in the exhibition.)
Pam Hargreaves - Note: website seems to be dead
Sarah Howard GM (2017- Sarah was the illustrator for the Flora of Ethiopia & Eritrea 1997-2000. She completed the RBGE Diploma in botanical illustration in 2014. In 2015 she won a a Silver Gilt at BISCOT and in 2016, she won an RHS GM for her Horn of Africa Aloes. (see my interview with her)
Sarah Jane Humphrey - Has a degree in BA(Hons) Scientific and Natural History Illustration and success in translating her paintings in commercial products. Published her fist book age 21 and has a track record of a steady commissions. She's represented by the Wildlife Art Company. She won a Silver Gilt Medal in 2017
Catherine Kellie - Commended at BISCOT for an exhibit of Spring flowers
Michael Lakin - Has been teaching botanical art for over 12 years. Author of a number of "how to" botanical painting books
Christianne Lim - no website
Nicola Macartney - In 2012 Nicola graduated with distinction from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Diploma in Botanical Illustration
Maggie Niagassas - Graduated from the SBA Diploma in 20108. Awarded an RHS Silver Medal for six watercolours of Streliztia Reginae in 2016.
Janne Richardson - Graduating with a BA Honours Graphic Design in 1980, she specialised in Medical & Scientific Illustration. In 2014 she graduated with Distinction from the RBGE Diploma Course
Surjit Riyait - no website
Laura Silburn GM (2013, 2014) - Laura is a Fellow of the Eden Project Florilegium Society. She won a gold medal Varieties of Hardy Geranium that have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2013 and in Oct. 2014 won a Gold Medal and the Best in Show Exhibit for Aristolochia species from botanic gardens in England. Read her interview with me in 2014 which includes a link to her interview in The Plantsman about painting the hardy geraniums which he a Gold Medal in 2013.
Sylvia Sroka - member of the South West Society of Botanical Artists
Fran Thomas - Fran won a Gold Medal and the for best exhibit at BISCOT 2017
Simon Williams - Simon is the Director of the Society of Botanical Artists's Distance Learning Diploma Course
South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) - formed in 2006 to promote and encourage a high standard in botanical art throughout the South West of England. We had an excellent group exhibit that won a Gold Medal last year. Can SWSBA equal this performance?

Laura Silburn GM with three of her watercolour paintings of Aristolochias of British Botanic Gardens Laura is viewing her two paintings which were purchased by Dr Shirley Sherwood

Americas (2 artists)

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Botanical Art in the UK gets an overhaul

5/1/2018

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The page for Botanical Art Exhibitions in the UK has

a brand new look AND
it's now much easier to access the right page

New images for the UK Botanical Art Exhibitions Page for 2018!

This time of year is when I start to systematically go through pages on my website and give them a very thorough overhaul (as you do when it's cold and bad weather outside!)

This is what I've been doing:

change the emphasis from 2017 to 2018.
remove content (eg 2017 courses)
archive content (eg 2017 exhibitions) from the main page to an archive page.
change and update images where necessary
UPDATE pages with new course and exhibition information relevant to 2018

Plus I start checking to make sure I've got all relevant and up to date information - hence this post!

So this post is about

the new look. Above are the images relating to the new presentation of information about botanical exhibitions and collections in the UK. Do tell me if you find the new landing page for UK Exhibitions easier to use - or not.
plus a request for you to get in touch if you have information suitable for my website

You can contact me via the form at the bottom of the page.

PLUS a NEW page for UK Call for Entries

Content on the landing page for UK exhibitions still needed to be made simpler.

So I now have a brand new page for Calls for Entries for Open Botanical Art Exhibitions in the UK

That too has a new image, relating to the Best Exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show last year - the wonderful Pandanus exhibit by Dr Mariko Ikeda GM (2017) from Japan.

That's because one of the messages is that botanical art exhibitions in the UK are NOT exclusive to botanical artists in the UK.

There are LOTS of international botanical artists who exhibit in the UK - and it's absolutely wonderful to live here and to be able to see their work. I do so appreciate the effort people make to come and exhibit in the UK!

Next week I'm going to be doing posts about the two major exhibitions which will attract major international botanical artists in 2018

the RHS Botanical Art Show and
the Botanical Images Scotia (BISCOT) Show in Scotland.

I'm really looking forward to the exhibitions in 2018! :)

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Botanical Art Seminar at RHS Botanical Art Show 2018

14/12/2017

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Those visiting the RHS Botanical Art Show in July 2018 have the option of also attending the first Botanical Art Seminar to be held at the same time as the show.

The Botanical Art Seminar is being organised by the RHS Lindley Library Team.

What follows is an explanation of

how to plan attending the seminar in the context of the RHS Botanical Art Show.
how to book ticket(s)

First the context....

RHS Plant and Art Fair (10-12 July 2018)

From 11–12 July 2018 this London Show will celebrate the beautiful world of botanical art with an exhibition of paintings, illustration and photography from inspiring artists.

The brand new RHS Plant and Art Show 2018 - which now combines both RHS Botanical Art and RHS Botanical Photography - has changed dates. In 2018 it's being held on the following dates:

10th July 2018 (late 5pm - 9pm - no under 16s)
11th July 2018 (11am - 8pm)
12th July 2018 (11am - 6pm)

Tickets are available now via the RHS website - make sure you pick the right show as the link goes to all the RHS London Shows in 2018. The cost is

£5 for members (in advance or on the day) and it's
£8 in advance and £9 on the day at the door for everybody else.

But before you buy a ticket do check out the Botanical Art Seminar below!

I've had my show tickets booked for weeks - and I will be there on all three days so that I can get round everybody properly! (I will not forget in a hurry the year 13 Gold Medals were awarded and I had to try and interview them all for my blog posts about the RHS Botanical Art Shows!)

RHS Botanical Art Seminar (12 July 2017)

The RHS Botanical Art Seminar will explore the history and contemporary practice of Botanical Art - and is is limited to 72 places - and bookings have started!

I asked the RHS for more details this morning, so some of what is included below is not on the website

Key Features of the Seminar

The ticket price of £60 includes:

entrance to the RHS Plant and Art Fair throughout the day.
Sandwich Lunch - served in the Lawrence Hall Refectory at lunchtime
Evening Drinks reception - in the Lindley Library with invited artist demonstrators and exhibitors from the Botanical Art Show.
Tea and coffee - available during the afternoon in the Lawrence Hall Refectory.

The timetable is as follows:

10am - Registration starts
10.30am - Seminar starts
12.15-1.15pm - Lunch
5pm - Seminar finishes
6pm - RHS Plant and Art Fair closes at 6pm
6pm - 7.30pm - Drinks reception in the Lindley Library

Those attending the Seminar are asked to arrive between 10- 10.30am to register for the day and receive their wrist bands. These wrist bands will then allow them (but nobody else) access to ALL of the following:

A series of Talks in the morning - including ‘A History of Botanical Art’ by the RHS Lindley Library Art Curator. Speakers include RHS Art Curator Charlotte Brooks, Botanist Dr James Compton and RHS Gold medal-winning artist Masumi Yamanaka.
A tour of the RHS Lindley Library in the afternoon - which hopefully will include viewing some of the very special art in the RHS collection. NOTE: People need to register in the morning for a library tour in the afternoon. There will be four sessions of up to 18 people each, lasting approx. 30 mins - and no 'drop-in' access to the tours. Every ticket must be pre-booked.
visit the RHS Plant and Art Fair - see the RHS Botanical Art Show - each of the 40+ artists from around the world will be displaying a minimum of six works that will have been assessed by the Picture Panel for RHS Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze Medals. A very educational experience for those hoping to submit in future!
View master-class demonstrations by four botanical artists including RHS Gold-medal winners, demonstrating various techniques in watercolour, pen and ink, pencil and painting on vellum. Visitors will be able to speak to the artists as well as watch them work. The artist demonstrations will take place in one of the rooms in the Conference Centre (i.e. not in the Botanical Art Show).

Location of activities: Activities will be held in the Lindley Conference Centre, the Lindley Library and the two Horticultural Halls - the Lawrence Hall and the Lindley Hall. Those with their seminar wristbands will be able to pass through the set of double doors - manned by security - between the entrance to the RHS and the Lindley Library (in Vincent Square) and the Lindley Hall where the Botanical Art Show is held (entrance in Elverton Street).

It's certainly possible to see both the Botanical Art Show and attend the Seminar - but to my mind it's a little bit of a tight squeeze.

However if you want to visit with a view to a future submission to the show and/or are a really serious botanical art fan you might want to think about very seriously about having a BOTANICAL ART BINGE and attend on two days not just one (Botanical Art Show on the 11th and Seminar on the 12th). i.e. most fans typically spend at least 3-4 hours seeing the show and the trade stands (which will include most if not all those offering botanical art courses). It's very easy to spend all day there! I never ever regret going back the next day!

That might bump the price up for those not living in London. However, in my opinion, this is an absolutely unequalled opportunity to see an abundance of top quality world class botanical art by both contemporary botanical artists from all over the world - and past masters.

If artists can fly in from all over the world to exhibit at this show, why not think about the benefit to you of investing some time visiting it for yourself - and getting some education at the same time?

View of the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2017

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Exhibiting Artists: 20th Annual International Exhibition by ASBA & HSNY

7/11/2017

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The 20th Annual International exhibition of contemporary botanical art, organised by the American Society of Botanical Artists in liaison with the Horticultural Society of New York, features artists from the US, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Slovenia, and the UK

Venue: New York Design Center, 200 Lexington Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Dates / Hours: November 09 – December 21, 2017; Monday - Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

46 artworks are in the exhibition - selected from submissions from around the world.

Below is a list of the names of the artists in the show - organised by country they live in and listing where they live. Most of the artists are naturally from the USA, but there are also artists from: Australia, France, Germany, Russia and the UK. (Note: Locations are derived from information provided on websites or social media).

If you click on the artists name on below - you can see their website and more of their artwork. (Note: I'll add in the exhibition page with links to the artwork and the story behind it once that's ready)

Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Lennei’ (2017) by Anna Suprunenko (Watercolor on paper, 37 cm H X 55,5 cm W (14,5 x 21,8 inches) Year: 2017

USA

Milly Acharya (Ithaca, New York) - She is inspired by local flora as well as tropical plants of India where she grew up. Won the 2011 Diane Bouchier Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in botanical art. Previously won Best Painting (2005) and Best of Show, 2008 and Award of Excellence in 2011.
Bobbi Angell (Marlboro, Vermont) - a professional botanical illustrator for 40 years. Her botanical illustrations have appeared in a wide variety of scholarly and commercial publicationsShe draws constantly, exhibits frequently, teaches occasionally, and gardens whenever she can.
Christina Baltayian (Sierra Madre, California) - Teaches botanical art at teaching Botanical Art at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens and Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills
Susan Benjamin (Florida) - President of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists
Monika deVries Gohlke (Brooklyn, New York) - a painter printmaker who exhibits internationally
Carrie Di Costanzo (New Jersey) - won the Jurors’ Award for Distinction of Botanical Art Presentation at the 14th show
Lee DZmura (Maryland) - member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region. Contributed to American Botanical Paintings: Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic
Ingrid Finnan (Riverdale, New York) Born in Poland. Consistent exhibitor at this exhibition (9th through 19th). Recipient of the Horticultural Society of New York Best in Show Award, 2013

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