NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

NEWS for botanical artists wanting to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2021 and 2022

13/5/2021

This post is for TWO groups of botanical artists and illustrators and covers THREE topics:

Approved Botanical Artists & Illustrators - What's happening about:
- the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2021
- those botanical artists and illustrators whose approval to exhibit runs out in 2021 - but they have not yet exhibited.
New Botanical Artists & Illustrators - applying for selection to exhibit at the RHS Show in 2022 and beyond.

This is a top down view of the RHS Botanical Art Shown the Lindley Hall three years ago.

RHS London Botanical Art & Photography Show 2021

In 2020, the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show in London was cancelled.

There is still no definite news or dates about this show and whether it will run in 2021. The very big and very airy Lindley Hall is currently being used for vaccinations.

However, every effort is being made to try and hold a Show and there are some updates from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

Following my last post on this topic - The next RHS Botanical Art Show (19 April 2021) -here's what's been confirmed by the RHS to date:

The RHS hopes to relocate the Botanical Art Show in 2021 to a well-known gallery in central London.
Any exhibitors that were due to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show in 2020 will be contacted in due course regarding exhibiting in 2021.
Artists who were eligible to exhibit up until 2021 and have not had the opportunity to do so (due to cancellation of 2020 and uncertainty re 2021), will have a year added to the period they are "approved to Exhibit".
the Show now has a dedicated page on the RHS website - which says "Show Dates - to be confirmed" (see below). Personally I see this page as good news....

Nice to see it in writing!

Show dates to be confirmed

How to get selected for an RHS Botanical Art Show

The RHS Botanical Art Show is unique in that selection for the Show:

relates to the botanical artist - and whether they meet the required standard
does NOT require the submission of proposed artwork for the show.

In effect, it's an "In Principle" application - which provides the impetus for many botanical artists and illustrators to develop a unique project and a stunning exhibit in the hope of winning one of the coveted and extremely prestigious RHS Gold Medals.

This part of my post is therefore directed at all those Botanical Artists who want to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show - but have NOT YET been approved to exhibit.

The Selection Panel, which meets to decide which artists are invited to exhibit (between 2022 - 2027), has its next meeting on Thursday 8 July 2021.

That means now is the time to submit an application!

Artists, either individuals or groups, that have not previously exhibited at an RHS Show, must first submit a sample of four pieces of work the RHS Botanical Art Judging Panel for assessment and approval at the Selection Meeting, to be able eligible to apply for space to display work at an RHS Show.

SUMMARY: what you need to do to be selected to exhibit between 2022 and 2027.

0 Comments

NEW PAGE: Talks, Lectures and Tours about Botanical Art & Illustration

25/3/2021

1 Comment

Today, I've published a new page about Talks, Lectures and Tours about Botanical Art and Illustration.

You can find it in the menu of the EDUCATION section of my Botanical Art and Artists website

The New Page has two halves

Online Talks and Lectures
In Person Talks, Lectures and Tours

This is content which does NOT form part of an educational course or workshop.

I've created the new page for two reasons

First, I think not everybody is aware of the free and paid opportunities to access experts talking about botanical art and illustration. Hence I aim for this page to be a place where all alks, lectures and tours can be listed.
Second, we've seen an increase in the number of people and organisations which are now routinely delivering online content as videos by Zoom.

Online Talks and Lectures

Find out more about the online talks, lectures and demos being delivered by:

The Shirley Sherwood Collection (FREE)
Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library Talks (FREE)
Linnean Society Talks and Tours (modest PAID)
Julia Trickey Talks (PAID)
ASBA Annual Conference (PAID)

In Person Talks, Lectures and Tours

I will be including the following in this section and provide indications of what has been provided to date

Kew Gardens "Ask the Expert" (FREE)
Kew Gardens Tours
Lectures in The Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens
Lectures at the Lindley Library, RHS HQ, London

NOTE: Most of the in person events are suspended at the moment due to the Pandemic (and lockdown in the UK). Some are limited to members of Kew or the RHS or other specific groups.

1 Comment

Spring 2021 Banner: Citrus limon from the Gottorfer Codex

1/3/2021

2 Comments

Citrus limon (gouache on vellum) published by Johannes Simon Holtzbecker in the Gottorfer Codex (4 volumes published 1649-1659)

A Citrus lemon painted in gouache on vellum is the Spring 2021 banner image for Botanical Art and Artists on this website's home page and Facebook Page. The image is cropped to create the banner image as per the image below.

This post is about that painting and the Gottorfer Codex which it is part of.

Spring 2021 Banner Image - for the website and facebook page

The Gottorfer Codex

The Gottorfer Codex can be summarised as follows:

It is a florilegium i.e. a record of the very wide assortment of plants that grew in the ducal gardens at Schloss Gottorf (Gottorp) in the duchy of Schleswig. (See the engraving of the castle and garden below)
It comprises four volumes of botanical paintings
It contains images of 1,180 plants over 350 pages of vellum
by Johannes (Hans) Simon Holtzbecker (1610-1671) - a German artist and flower painter who lived in Hamburg. He was responsible for
- the Gottorfer Codex and
- the Moller Florilegium
- the Green Florilegium
Commissioned by Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Published between between 1649 and 1659
The Gottorfer Codex is now the property of Denmark
- It is part of the Royal Collection of Graphic Art, a part of the National Gallery of Denmark.
- ownership of the Codex transferred after the Great Northern War (1700-1721) when Gottorf Castle and the duke's portion of the duchy of Schleswig were annexed to the Danish crown.
It's been restored in recent years - so that all the vellum is flat and all the paint is securely attached - and can be photographed more easily.

In 2009, a digital version of the codex was created by the National Gallery of Denmark.
VIEW a digitised version of the Gottorfer Codex on Issuu

In 2014, there was an exhibition Der Gottorfer Codex. Flowers and worldview at Gottorf Castle between 25th May and 26th October 26, 2014.

The image is of a lemon tree in blossom. The treatment of the leaves and variety of greens is sophisticated.

An engraving (1745) of the Castle and Garden in 1745 - some 75 years after the publication of the Gottorfer Codex

Neither the Gottorfer Codex nor Holtzbecker are referenced in any of the standard reference books about botanical illustration - which is interesting. It occurs to me that the fact that the only books which do reference it are in German might account for this. It's also very early. However, the current theory is that most of his work was largely unrecognised because - until relatively recently - most of it was attributed to Maria Sibylla Merian.

Holtzbecker is now regarded as one of the finest German botanical artists of the 17th century.

The Gottorfer Codex is also very definitely a real book of splendid botanical illustrations. Below are two videos about the restoration of the Gottorfer Codex by the National Archives in Denmark - in which you can see the book and original paintings and the methods used to restore the paintings, pages, binder and book covers.

2 Comments

Margaret Flockton Award 2021: Call for Entries

16/2/2021

1 Comment

Last year, the Margaret Flockton Award had the most entries ever for this prestigious award for contemporary scientific botanical illustration.

This year, the organisers are expecting a repeat - and lots and lots of entries. So you need to make sure you enter your very best work!

46 artists from 21 countries submitted works in a time before the world paused.

Astoundingly, the total number of entries in 2020 reflected as a 50% increase on previous averages, with countries Bulgaria, Switzerland and Norway represented for the first time. Ink was far and away the most favoured medium for illustrating, with pencil a distant second of the traditional forms, while digital and mixed media continue their slow rise in the ranks.
Round Up of the entries received for the 2020 Award

Who can enter the Margaret Flockton Award?

Entries are welcomed from all those who generate scientific illustrations of plants.

All previous winners of the Margaret Flockton Award are eligible to enter, excluding the 2018, 2019 and 2020 first prize winning artists.

Typically, the people who submit illustrations for this award - and win awards - are professional botanical illustrators / people who produce scientific botanical illustrations for botanical gardens and botanists on a regular basis. However they' are NOT the only people who enter.

Enthusiastic botanical illustrators make up at least half the entries and this competition is NOT limited to those who generate income producing scientific botanical illustrations - and scientific illustration entries from a wider group are always welcomed.

Some of the illustrations from the Margaret Flockton Award 2020 - Flickr Gallery - click the pic to see more

What can you submit?

The page relating to the Award includes a Guide to Scientific Botanical Illustrations - which I recommend you read before processing any further.

Each artist may submit up to two illustrations. If you'd like to see the standard of work submitted you can view the 2020 Flickr Gallery for the Margaret Flockton Award 2020
Only full plate illustrations will be accepted (inclusive of habit study and diagnostic features of the species).
- Inclusion of scale bars, whilst not compulsory, is highly recommended.
Illustrations MUST be MONOCHROMATIC (i.e. not coloured - see above)
- EITHER black and white illustrations (for example created using pen and ink, graphite or scraperboard)
- AND/OR monochromatic, digitally rendered illustrations
- either published or unpublished
All illustrations MUST have been have been produced in the last two years i.e. after February 2019
There are very precise dimensions for the images you can submit
ONLY high resolution digital tiff or psd scans of the illustrations being entered will be considered. (Original artworks and paperwork sent via the postal system will no longer be accepted.)
There are no entry fees for the Margaret Flockton Award and Exhibition.
NOTE: Jpg or coloured file formats will not be accepted.

How to submit an entry

ALL the specific details regarding submission of artwork and paperwork can be found at https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Science/Botanical-Illustration/The-Margaret-Flockton-Award - scroll down to ‘Entry Requirements’.

All illustrations and paperwork must be submitted digitally. One high resolution digital image per illustration. The file size should not exceed 200MB

High resolution for judging and exhibiting:
- No photos of artworks will be accepted - scanned original works or digitally created images only.
- Ink line and stipple - Bitmap tiff @ 1200dpi
- Pencil or Continuous tone - Greyscale tiff or psd (NOT jpg)
(Colour files will NOT be accepted, please convert to greyscale) @ 600dpi (minimum).

You also need to submit a
- entry form
- labels
- biography
DEADLINE for submission of images: 12 March 2021 EST. (I think maybe the organisers need to identify a precise time and the time zone. If you want to be safe assume the day before as your deadline!)
How to submit your digital image(s) and entry form / labels / biography:
- via Dropbox (use Dropbox Basic for free access)
- upload your tiff or psd files to a shared folder
- label your folder YOURSURNAME MFA 2021
- make it shared by inviting botanical.illustration@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au to View AND Edit files in the shared folder where you have uploaded your image files.
The Margaret Flockton Award Committee will contact you to confirm your image files have been received.

Note: Those who have already submitted images need to note that these will be processed along with all of the other entries after the deadline of March 12.

Judging

All entries will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Accurate interpretation and portrayal of plant characters and diagnostic features noted in the botanical description
Technical merit
Reproducibility
Composition
Artistic merit

Margaret Flockton Award 2021 Exhibition

NEW Venue: The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Exhibition Dates: Monday 7 June - 20 June 2021
Admission: Free

The exhibition will also be seen - on dates to be advised - at two additional venues within the Royal Botanic Gardens i.e.

Australian PlantBank, The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.
Dates TBC 2021, Visitor Centre at The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah

For all those who cannot get to Australia, the entries will also be available to view online in the Margaret Flockton Flickr Gallery which will be published on Friday 11 June, 2021

Ready, set & away we go. An operation in the heart of beautiful Sydney. The Calyx at the Botanic Garden is truely a site to check out. pic.twitter.com/ggT8EF7VA8
— Helivision Solutions (@DronesInOz) November 14, 2016

1 Comment

Nigel Pickering GM (1957 - 2021)

30/1/2021

3 Comments

I met Dr. Nigel Pickering at the Private View of the last RHS Botanical Art Show in July 2019 and was very impressed with his exhibit. I came back the next morning and much as I had expected his exhibit - it had been awarded a Gold Medal

Dr Nigel John Pickering with his RHS Exhibit Treasures of the Richtersveld. This drawing is of a Pachypodium namaquanum, the iconic plant of the Richtersveld

Nigel John Pickering came to botanical illustration late in life. He was a qualified doctor who had worked as a General Practitioner, latterly at the of Malmesbury Primary Care Centre. On retirement he studied botanical illustration with Julia Trickey and subsequently joined the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society and Cirencester Botanical Artists.

I met Nigel when he showed for the first time at the RHS Botanical Flower Show in July 2019. I found out that he was very interested interested in botany, plants and conservation particularly in rare and unusual plants 'living on the edge'. (plants of mountains and desert regions). He'd travelled to South Africa for his exhibit of Treasures of the Richtersveld (in graphite and watercolour - in the tradition of Auriol Batten). The exhibit was both very unusual and very striking. He was awarded a well deserved RHS Gold Medal. I had every expectation he's be back with another exhibit as he had very obviously enjoyed the show and I was certainly looking forward to seeing his next exhibit.

He died on 14th January 2021 at home.

REFERENCE:

Gold Medal Succulent Art | British Cactus and Succulent Society - a thread by a member who was very impressed by the exhibit - it includes images of Nigel's work.

Treasures of the Richtersveld - RHS Gold Medal winning exhibit by Dr Nigel Pickering

The end of the show and time to pack up...

This is my third obituary for a botanical artist in the last two months - all relating to people who had been ill for some time - and two relate to artists who exhibited at that 2019 RHS Show.....

At this time of a pandemic, we must always remember that any death for any reason is always so very sad for those who are family and friends of the deceased. I send my condolences to Nigel's family and friends. By all accounts, he was somebody who was very much liked and appreciated by all those who knew him.

The funeral service is private and will be followed by a Memorial Service. Donations welcome for The Brain Tumour Charity or Dorothy House Hospice (see Death Notice)

3 Comments

About Nirupa Rao - a contemporary botanical illustrator in India

9/12/2020

1 Comment

Nirupa Rao is a very impressive botanical illustrator based in Bangalore, India. She has generated more press for her activities as a botanical illustrator - and for the importance of plants and tackling 'plant blindness' - than most of her peers around the world.

Her aim is to work toward promoting the cause of science communication, as well as deepening the intersections between art and science. Her work is inspired by regular field visits into the wild, and informed by close collaboration with natural scientists to achieve accuracy.

I highly recommend you watch her TED Talk (see video below) about her work - and how she tackled the illustration of

30 native species of extremely tall rainforest trees of the Western Ghats, in southern India - including the whole tree, its leaves, fruit, flowers and seeds. (Published in Pillars of Life—Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats (2018). This debut project was undertaken in collaboration with naturalists Divya Mudappa and TR Shankar Raman of the Nature Conservation Foundation.
the fantastical plants of the Western Ghats - through the support of a National Geographic Grant and the Hidden Kingdom Project

A National Geographic Young Explorer, Nirupa received a grant to create her book Hidden Kingdom—Fantastical Plants of the Western Ghats (published in 2019).

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Other activities

In 2019, she participated in a Plant Humanities program at Harvard University's Dumbarton Oaks Research Centre, and was due to participate in a show at their museum in 2020, which has been postponed due to COVID-19.

She recently collaborated with the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India on Wild Shaale ('Wild School' in Kannada), an environmental and conservation-education program designed for rural school-going children, aimed at nurturing interest and empathy toward India’s wildlife and wild places.

one to watch out for in Forbes India - annual 30 under 30 issue

She has also been

During the COVID-19 lockdown, she

recorded art classes to be televised on the national channel Doordarshan, as part of a program coordinated by the Going to School Foundation, and
conducted a workshop for Science Gallery Bangalore's PHYTOPIA exhibition.

In addition, she has illustrated

the cover of Amitav Ghosh's latest novel, Gun Island, and
re-jacketed four of his older novels for Penguin-Random House.

You can find Nirupa Rao as follows:

website: https://www.nirupa-rao.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niruparao/

I'm also adding her into the section about Contemporary Botanical Artists and Illustrators in India (on the page about "Botanical Artists in Asia" Page)

1 Comment

40th Anniversary of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

9/11/2020

0 Comments

This is a lovely video about the activities of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens. It was made to celebrate:

its 40th anniversary
the 30th anniversary of its certificate program.

I think it must be the oldest botanical art school in the world. I'm hard put to think of one which is older. (Any suggestions?)

Below is the video on the (public) Facebook Page for the SBAI but if you prefer to view on YouTube this is the link

The video highlights how the School is only the third group to win an RHS Gold Medal (in 2017) in the history of the Royal Horticultural Society - and I was extremely pleased to be able to photograph Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. at the time. Mervi led the School as Manager for the last 13 years until her retirement earlier this year. Much of what I have admired about the School has been down to initiatives by Mervi.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with her again when Covid lets her husband and her embark on their retirement tour of Europe!

Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. with the RHS Gold Medal winning exhibit

Subscribe to this news blog to find out more
about botanical art and illustration and associated instruction
Blog posts are emailed to you when you
Subscribe to Botanical Art & Artists - News by Email
You can also follow Botanical Art and Artists on Twitter

Find out more about Botanical Art Education and Diplomas & Certificates

REFERENCE LINKS: The School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

If you'd like to know more about the School these links tell you a lot.

WEBSITE: https://www.botanicgardens.org/education/school-botanical-art-illustration
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/SchoolOfBotanicalArtAndIllustration/
BLOG: Botanical Illustration - which has always been open access in the past but now seems to be open to invited people only. (I'm rather surprised as I always thought his blog did the most amazing job of marketing both the school and its Diploma in Botanical Illustration and Foundation Certificate.

For educational organisations interested in submitting an exhibit to the RHS Botanical Art Show as a Group, can I refer you to:

0 Comments

<<Previous