NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Marianne Hazlewood: Fine Hair, Soft Nibs - Depictions from a Shady Bed

23/10/2020

Tomorrow is the last day of Marianne Hazlewood: Fine Hair, Soft Nibs - Depictions from a Shady Bed exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery, 34 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE.

It's just made the "hot list" Guide in The Times printed in Scotland - in the visual arts category.

This is a solo exhibition by Marianne Hazlewood of

one plant - Ariseamas - and
- 6 botanical watercolour paintings - a series which won an RHS Gold Medal in 2019.
- 12 Japanese ink paste drawings - botanically correct illustrations with a distinctly abstract and contemporary quality; and
- 5 screenprints - exploring a third medium for her passion for Arisaemas.

plus

6 watercolour paintings of ferns (Dryopterus, Asplenium, Phlebodium and Platycerium)

You need to book to gain access to the exhibition. The exhibition is open until 5pm tonight and then from 11am to 4pm tomorrow.

In addition the online exhibition is also comprehensive and provides excellent thumbnails and (if clicked) larger images of her artwork. It will also remain online under previous exhibitions after it closes in the Gallery.

READ Fine hair, Soft Nibs, depictions from a shady bed by mariannehazlewood to find out more about the exhibition. The link embedded in the title shows you the virtual exhibition - with details of titles, media, sizes and prices.

The exhibition arises out of having Marianne having won the VAS 2019 Open Eye Gallery award in 2019 - see Marianne Hazlewood wins award at Visual Arts Scotland - Alight 2019

Marianne Hazlewood with her series of six watercolour paintings of Arisaemas - at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019 when this exhibit won a Gold Medal.

More about Marianne Hazlewood

Website https://www.mariannehazlewood.co.uk/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mariannehazlewood/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Marianne.E.Hazlewood/
My blog posts
- RHS London Botanical Art Show 2019 - Awards and Medal Winners (July 2019) - when Marianne won her first Gold Medal (I'm sure there will be more)
- Marianne Hazlewood wins award at Visual Arts Scotland - Alight 2019 (February 2019)
- Marianne Hazlewood in Society of Scottish Artists Exhibition - opens TODAY! (December 2018) - one of a very few botanical artists who exhibits in the annual exhibitions of national art societies which show a range of fine artwork.
- Marianne Hazlewood - first solo exhibition (August 2018) - at the Pittenweem Festival on the coast of Fife in Scotland.
- RBGE Diploma Graduation Show 2017 - where Marianne won the the Eve Bennett Award for Botanical Illustration (September 2017)

PS With profuse apologies to Marianne for not posting this earlier!

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Call for Entries: Society of Botanical Artists' Annual Exhibition 2020

16/12/2019

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The Call for Entries for Plantae 2020 - the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists has been published. Below you will find a summary of:

what you need to know if you want to enter
the deadline for entries
how to enter
the exhibition - venue and dates

plus pics from last year's exhibition

Call for Entries

You can find the details of how to enter on the dedicated website https://soc-botanical-artists.oess1.uk/

The SBA invites you to submit your best work!

Exhibiting excellence in every botanical art form

In summary:

Eligible media (2D): paintings and drawings in watercolour, oils, gouache, graphite, colour pencil, pen & ink and hand-pulled fine art prints,
Eligible Media (3D): ceramics, metalwork and glass
Ineligible media: giclee reproductions; photography; digital art.
Eligible artists: botanical illustrator, fine art printmaker, sculptor, ceramic artist, glass artist and jeweller
Size: Maximum dimension is 120cm on the longest side.
Content Criteria: Wholly original artwork with strong "wall appeal" which must have predominantly botanical content which is accurately represented.
For Sale: all artwork must be for sale.

You can view my photos of previous Society of Botanical Art Exhibitions on this page

Submissions of work are invited from visual artists working in any two or three-dimensional artwork except for photography, digital artwork or giclee printing (or similar).

View of part of the 2019 Exhibition at the Mall Galleries

You need to consult the Entry Requirements and the timeline for entries. (Comments in italics inside brackets are my additions!)

Submission is by online entry only. You need to read the Entry requirements first.

Timeline

Deadline for Entries: 29 February 2020 Midnight
Notification of selection decision: 17 March 2020 by artist logging in to website
Delivery of artwork: 18 April 2020 from 10am to 5pm (to Carlton House Terrace in London)
Collection of unsold artwork: Thursday, 11 June 2020 from 11am to 5pm

Selection

All artwork is work is pre-selected based on a voting system
8 people on the selection panel voting independently of one another
No correspondence will be entered into in relation to feedback and the selection process decisions are final.

In essence the pre-selected artworks are those which achieved the highest number of votes from the panel members, who vote independently of one another and who cannot see the scores of the other panel members.

All pre-selected works are ALSO subject to physical selection on hand in day.
Work may be rejected at physical selection stage (after delivery) due to the quality of the work, presentation or if the work does not represent or match the digital image.

How to enter

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Exhibition: Hedgerow: Stories from a linear world by Yanny Petters

31/10/2019

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HEDGEROW, stories from a linear world is a new solo exhibition of new work by Yanny Petters. Yanny is a well known botanical artist in Ireland and also a Gallery Artist at The Olivier Cornet Gallery in Dublin

“Since childhood I have loved and observed hedgerows. Whenever we kids went rambling along the lanes of our neighbourhood, to pick flowers or blackberries or just wandering to each other’s houses, we wondered at the secrets within these linear worlds...”
Hedgerow, stories from a linear world by Yanny Petters

Her work raises awareness of the wild plants of Ireland - revealing them as an evolved species living in symbiotic harmony in ancient habitats rather just a bunch of weeds.

The exhibition comprises drawings and paintings of the Hedgerow, an iconic element of the Irish countryside. These are:

a series of Verre Eglomisé paintings of hedgerow silhouettes in Gold leaf and pigment
a series of seasonal paintings in watercolour on Arches Paper (see top image)
a series of black pencil drawings of the linear nature of the hedgerow

The Black pencil drawings and the 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter in a Hedgerow' series are also available as Archival pigment ink prints on watercolor paper, in a limited edition of 10 each only.

Gallery: Olivier Cornet Gallery, 3 Great Denmark Street, (beside Belvedere College, off Parnell Square) Dublin 1.
Dates: 13 October - 17th November 2019
Hours: Tuesday to Friday: 11am to 6pm (till 8pm on Thursdays); Saturday and Sunday: 12 noon to 5pm. Closed on Mondays (or viewing by appointment only)

Visit the exhibition's page the gallery website for images and more information

Below is what the gallery looked like as they got ready for the opening of the exhibition.

All is ready at the @OC_Gallery for the opening of Yanny Petters’ solo exhibition at 3 pm today. Do join us pic.twitter.com/dvf4blllbG
— OlivierCornetGallery (@OC_Gallery) October 13, 2019

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Yanny Petters, 'Elder, stile, gorse and the sheep gap', black pencil on conservation board (80x120cm). Available as an archival pigment ink print on w/c paper, in a limited edition of 10 each only (40x60cm), Unframed: 175 euro, Framed: 295 euro. @OC_Gallery is open till 5pm today pic.twitter.com/JEbnODfFVI
— OlivierCornetGallery (@OC_Gallery) October 28, 2019

About the hedgerow in Ireland

Increasing concerns about both a changing climate and the need to protect biodiversity means that hedgerows need to cherished for the health of our future generations.

The hedgerow goes back a long way in history. It both divides and holds together the rich habitat that remains after our forests were cleared. Land boundaries can be traced back to Neolithic times and the circa-12th-century Townland boundaries are the country’s longest standing land divisions.

Hedgerows also serve as windbreaks, to shelter our livestock, reduce soil erosion, aid drainage and provide homes for beneficial predators who protect our food crops from pests.

At a time when farming practices are changing in scale, many of these valuable hedgerow habitats are being removed and scrubbed out of existence. New hedges can be planted but ONLY the ancient hedgerows can support up to 3000 organisms from flowers and trees, birds and animals to insects and microscopic creatures.

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Plant Cure - in collaboration with Brooklyn Botanic Garden

8/10/2019

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from the catalogue for Plant Cloud Brooklyn

Margot Glass - one of the artists whose work is being exhibited in the 16th International at the Hunt - wrote to tell me about another exhibition, in New York, which also includes her work.

EXHIBITION: Plant Cure/Brooklyn
CENTRAL BOOKING in collaboration with Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Venue: Humanities Gallery, Long Island University Brooklyn,
1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dates: September 3 - December 13. 2019
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm
Catalogue (available on MagCloud): Plant Cure/Brooklyn Catalog

Plant Cure project continuing with group exhibit of medicinal plant-themed work. Five artists, who were artists in residence at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the spring of 2019 are joined by additional artists working with the them of medicinal plants. Exhibit includes four watercolors and two ceramic sculptures, which were inspired by research during the Brooklyn Botanic Garden residency. Additional exhibit/project-related events upcoming.
Central Booking

Margot Glass Dandelion Field Samples, 2019 12 drawings on panel, dimensions variable

One of Margot's small dandelion drawings is being exhibited. One of her drawings also appears on the cover of Plant Cure Brooklyn exhibition catalogue published by the New York Academy of Medicine and Central Booking. It is the cover image for the Plant Cure Brooklyn catalogue as well.

Another is currently being exhibited in the 16th International Exhibition of Botanical Art at the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh. I guess I'm probably going to be meeting Margaret next week at the Artists' Reception!

The Plant Cure project began in 2017 with a collaboration of CENTRAL BOOKING with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), a research library with extensive medical and science collections. Five artists were chosen by Maddy Rosenberg for Artists in Residence at NYAM to research their work for an exhibition in CENTRAL BOOKING’s space. Various documentation of their process was also displayed in vitrines in the NYAM library. Fourteen additional artists were curated into the CENTRAL BOOKING exhibition and were involved with programming as well.
News from Central Booking

The other artists participating in the exhibition are: Desiree Alvarez, Cynthia Beck, C Bangs, Marisa Benjamin, Tessa Grundon, James Martin, Agnes Murray, Maddy Rosenberg, Susan Rostow, Sarah Stengle, Kate Temple, Amanda Thackray, May Ting and James Walsh.

This is Tessa Grundon's exhibit about Medicinal Plants and creating tinctures of a place

Publicity for the Plant Cure Brooklyn Exhibition - with Margot Glass's drawing in the background

ABOUT MARGOT GLASS: Margot Glass grew up in New York City, and studied art at The Art Students' League, Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Fashion Institute of Technology. Her work explores the ephemeral through still life, nature and botany, text and communication. She has exhibited widely in New York and elsewhere in the USA. Her work is on the front cover of exhibition catalogue and the "Magic Plants" Summer 2019 edition of Orion Magazine. Glass works in graphite on paper and also adds gold, using a stylus to carefully apply gold particles to her prepared paper - making it impossible to erase any mistakes.

"Margot Glass focuses on drawing grasses, weeds, and other plants considered mundane or undesireable to illuminate the hidden beauty in overlooked natural subjects, elevating them through close examination. Her choise to work in gold point and graphite allows for the play of light on the line to enhance the ornamental delicacy and ephemeral quality of the natural forms she draws."
"Magic Plants," Orion Magazine, Summer 2019

ABOUT CENTRAL BOOKING: A place for artist's books and prints and their integration into the larger art world; group exhibitions on art & science; related programming.

ABOUT BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN: A 52 acre botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Founded in 1910 and located in Mount Prospect Park, next to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum

I'm visiting for the first time next Sunday!

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Illustrated College Herbal Exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians

21/8/2018

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I do like a botanical art exhibition which takes us back to the roots (and leaves, berries and flowers) of the original rationale for botanical illustration - within books about recipes for medicines.

A two week exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians comprises:

the ORIGINAL paintings from the recently published book The Illustrated College Herbal: Plants from the Pharmacopoea Londinensis of 1618 (see my Book Review: The Illustrated College Herbal. Plants from the Pharmacopoea Londinensis of 1618 for the history behind the project
treasures from the Herbarium of the Pharmaceutical Society.

The exhibitions are open from:

Tuesday 21 August – Friday 24 August, 10am–5pm
Tuesday 28 August – Thursday 30 August, 10am–5pm

Below you can find out more about

Illustrated College Herbal Exhibition - and pics of paintings and artists
the Artist in Residence project
The Herbarium Exhibition
The Pharmacopaeia Londinensis and the Medicinal Garden
Exhibitions & Medicinal Garden: Who's who
More about Physic & Medicinal Gardens in London

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TOP TIPS from RHS Gold Medal Winners 2017

14/8/2018

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When I interview the botanical artists who have just won an RHS Gold Medal at the RHS Botanical Art Show, I always ask them for tips for those aspiring to do the same.

In 2017 I was rewarded - more than I can say - by hearing from Mariko Ikeda who won the Best Exhibit prize at the RHS London Botanical Art Show 2017. She wanted to thank me profusely for everything I've written before as it really helped her with preparing her exhibit!

Pandanus by Mariko Ikeda at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017 (photo Katherine Tyrrell)

Pandanus by Mariko Ikeda - Gold Medal and Best Exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017 (photo Katherine Tyrrell)

Then Kate Barling, another exhibitor, found me to thank me for the tip about how to mount the work - and I collected another tip from her which you'll find below!

So the bottom line is what goes around comes around.

You can benefit from the tips I've identified to date and...
...in future I might be asking you what's your top tip!

Note: Unfortunately last year I started this post but forgot finish it. But it's never too late to pass on a few more tips!
READ ON for my very belated post about the top tips from the RHS Gold Medallists in 2017 - which is now complete!

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REVIEW: Botanical Painting by Margaret Stevens & the SBA

9/8/2018

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sThis is the third of my three book reviews this week. It contains:

my book review of "Botanical Painting"
Three Books and Three Reviews: A Conclusion
a new webpage about 'NEW books about botanical art instruction'

Botanical Painting is the latest in the series of books written by Margaret Stevens, past president of the Society of Botanical Artists.

When The Art of Botanical Painting by Margaret Stevens (with the SBA) was published in 2004 it became the standard text for the Distance Learning Diploma Course pioneered by the Society of Botanical Artists - and sold a LOT of copies - and not just to DLDC students!

I initially thought that Botanical Painting by Margaret Stevens (with the SBA) - published by Batsford on 2 August 2018 - was going to be a revamped and revised edition of the first book. That's because:

it is now an 'old' book. While still good it was certainly due for an overhaul to reflect the changes in botanical painting in the last 14 years - plus the competition from a lot of other books on the same topic which have been published in the last decade or more.
there have been times when it has been out of print and impossible to get hold of a copy - although the situation has eased of late with a new paperback publisher.
the publisher's description for the new book (see below) led me to believe it would not just be an appendix to the first book.

In this new book the Society of Botanical Artists provides a comprehensive guide to the different styles and methods of botanical painting, harvesting the talent of both Members and Distance Learning Diploma Course students around the world, past and present. Botanical Painting features techniques and materials for all levels and demonstrates how these skills can be used to develop your own expertise

However, I regret to say that, in my view, this book does NOT replace 'The Art of Botanical Painting' which in my opinion remains the better book for instruction.

If limited funds mean you have to choose between the two, I'd recommend you buy the first book rather than the latest publication. It'll also cost you less!

Let me explain why...

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