This post is all about some of the KEY THEMES of this year's exhibits in the RHS Botanical Art Show - particularly those which, relative to the judging criteria, displayed:
It should be emphasised that all those who get to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show have already met a high bar in being "approved to exhibit". So this post, to the extent that it considers weaknesses and aspects capable of improvement is very much focused on the tweaking and refining which is always a focus for those seeking to exhibit at the top level of this international exhibition. The only artists I name are those who won Gold Medals and the only images I show are those by Gold Medal winners. It's another of my VERY LONG posts and it's intended for all those artists who:
I'm bound to have forgotten something I meant to say, so this may well be revised and updated over the next couple of days. It will be added to my archive of posts about RHS Exhibits for the benefit of those who I'll be reviewing in future years. Why write this post?One of the HUGE benefits of the RHS Botanical Art Show is that each Judge provides detailed feedback to artists individually. So each artist has already had the "official view" on why they got the colour of medal that they did. So why write this post? After all I'm not a Judge - but
As a result I've learned, over time, how to recognise a Gold Medal winner. Indeed I'm proud to say I used to be able to identify most of them before the medal certificates went up. I also like to work out
When we had the RHS Botanical Art Show for just two days in the Lindley Horticultural Hall in Victoria, lots of artists from all over the world were able to attend for the entire 2.5 days involved with the hang, private view, open to the public and take down. As a result I always made a point of interviewing all the Gold Medallists who were there and able to converse in English. In doing so, I identified what were their top tips for the benefit of future exhibitors. (See various posts in my Archive of my posts about the RHS Show) However I cannot do that any more given the very limited time to access those artists who do attend the opening of the exhibition. So, I decided to find another way of passing on what I think may well be useful tips for others who want to exhibit - or exhibit again. Hence this post! I'm happy for others to comment (below) on their views or what they've learned - but please be respectful of artists. I'd prefer you to highlight what you liked most! Judging Criteria
1 Comment
This is about who was awarded what - in terms of awards and medals - at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2024 - which opened to the public at the Saatchi Gallery in London on Friday 14th July 2023. The exhibition continues until 7th July 2024 and I highly recommend you pay it a visit if you have any aspirations to being a better botanical artist. This is a VERY, VERY LONG post - with lots of images and lots of useful information and tips. Below is a list of all the 22 botanical artists and illustrators whose exhibits were
At the end, I highlight
My next post (this week) will focus on key themes around
Both will hopefully be helpful.
Awards for Outstanding Botanical ArtworkThere are three awards which, in the context of the show, are all of relatively recent origin. However as the numbers of exhibitors have grown and the standard of art exhibited has improved significantly, it was felt that there was a need to recognise all those who had particularly impressed the Judges. (More about the Judges at the end!) It's notable that all three Gold Medal winners - who also won an Award - are ALL First Time Exhibitors. This is VERY impressive - but it must be acknowledged that it is actually becoming more normal. That's because very many artists, after becoming approved to exhibit, do not apply to exhibit at a specific exhibition UNTIL they have an excellent exhibit to submit. Best Botanical Art Exhibit LYNNE UPTIN The Genus Richea: A Relic of Gondwana. This is a classic example of an artist who chose to do a very unusual and highly scientific project - and then produced paintings which are very complex and yet explain everything and are also very attractive. A number of them were painted from herbaria specimens - and we see examples of these in the slideshow in the gallery. Lynne has been painting the Genus Richea since 2020. Richea is a genus of 11 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. Nine of the species are endemic to Tasmania - where she lives - and the other two are endemic to the south-east of the Australian mainland. It's also associated with the split up of the supercontinent of Gondwana as Tasmania was the last region of the continental plates to split from Antartica. I think we can expect a second exhibit of Genus Richea from Lynne! In 2023/24 Lynne has focussed on developing a body of works for this exhibition which is a study of 6 of the species of the genus Richea, a plant with ancient and fascinating origins. The majority of the species are endemic to Tasmania’s World Heritage temperate rainforests. Lynne Uptin was the Director of Arts Tasmania for 20 years. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2010 for her services to arts administration. Prior to that she worked as an illustrator and owned two art galleries. What's really interesting is that Lynne is relatively new to botanical art. However she has started exhibiting, became a Fellow of SBA and has won awards for her artwork.
Judge’s Special Award There's a second award for an entire exhibit called the Judges Special Award which was introduced in 2018. This was after Dr. Hye Woo Shin GM (2013,2014,2018,2022) came back for the third time to win another Gold Medal, after she had also previously won the Best Exhibit (2013 and 2014). It's not an award which automatically goes to a Gold Medal Winner. However it is an award which is often more related to new ideas or subjects for botanical art and/or the scale of the endeavour - and exhibits which the Judges really like! SUNANDA VERMA WIDEL Ornamental Bananas from Southeast Asia. Ornamental bananas are very much associated with South East Asia and these particular bananas grow in Singapore Botanical Gardens which is a UNESCO Heritage Site. Her exhibit demonstrates the morphological diversity found in the Musaceae genus in Singapore. This was a project which clearly exemplified the scale of her endeavour to record this genus. Her aim was to demonstrate their upright habit and the variety of the flower forms, the fruit and the amazing array of colours of different species. Her artwork also includes a neat row of dissections to illustrate parts of the plant. Overall she has more than succeeded, as her exhibit has great impact within the Gallery. Her fieldwork, over several years, involved making accurate measurements, detailed drawings and colour swatches throughout the year - all while sat in the tropical heat of Singapore - and there are photographs of her doing this in the slideshow opposite her exhibit in the gallery. Sunanda, who lives in Singapore, only took up botanical art after she retired from her teaching career in international schools around the world. She has a background in art and a degree in Printmaking. On retirement from teaching, she began to study botanical art with the Society of Botanical Art's 2-year Distance Learning Diploma Course (DLDC). In 2018, she graduated with distinction. Sunanda is a Fellow of the SBA and a member of the ASBA and a founder member of the Botanical Art Society of Singapore (BASS). She has exhibited internationally and her artwork is held in the archive collections at both the RBG Edinburgh and the SBG. She will also be exhibiting in the 17th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration at the Hunt Institute in Pittsburgh this autumn. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of Sunada's artwork in future! Best Botanical Artwork
DALEEN ROODT Eulophia horsfallii & Dissotis princeps with carpenter bees (Xylocopa flavorufa).
This post is about:
Facts about the RHS Botanical Art Show 2024
This is how to see the exhibition.
Some of you may be aware I've been interviewing Gold Medal Winners for years and years.
RHS Botanical Art Show 2024: List of Exhibiting Botanical Artists & Illustrators
Charlotte Brooks and the RHS have gone to a lot of trouble this year to improve the scope and quality of the information about the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show and the exhibitors on the RHS Website.
Every artist has their work featured with a profile and links to their websites and social media. The exhibition will showcase exquisite botanical art and photography, featuring a rich variety of subjects from medicinal desert flowers to ornamental bananas, and from images of forest slime moulds to urban street plants. It will showcase the new work of leading botanical artists and photographers representing the UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, USA, South Africa, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Japan. Saatchi Gallery
As usual, the two countries dominating the show are the UK and Japan - with four artists each.
Unusually, the majority of the artists are first time exhibitors - and only two artists (Linda Pitkin and Toni Dade) are previous RHS Gold Medal Winners. It's been apparent in recent years, how much the calibre of entrant has improved and it's now not at all unusual for first time exhibitors to achieve a Gold Medal the first time they exhibit. As a number of the artists have demonstrated their ability to excel in other countries and other exhibitions, I'm expecting the same will happen this year. (I am already making my list of those who look to me like possible GMs!) âSo it will be interesting to see what the medal table looks like after the exhibits have all been assessed and the medals and prizes awarded. I'm looking forward to meeting as many as possible of the artists listed below as possible. I'll be there on the 13th for the Press View and Private View in the evening....
Below, I'm listing the names of the various botanical artists and illustrators, ordered by country - starting with the UK and then going alphabetically for the remaining countries.
Each of the names - on this page - provides
UK (4 artists)
England
At long last, the good news is that BISCOT is coming back to Scotland! It's been a very long time since I wrote on this website about BISCOT. My last post BISCOT 2019 & RBGE Florilegium at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was in pre-pandemic in June 2019. I've been waiting ever since to see if it was going to be resurrected. Which is why it gives me great pleasure to share the news that BISCOT is to resume holding exhibitions. This post tells you about:
About Upcoming BISCOT ExhibitionsThere is to be:
About Botanical Images Scotia (BISCOT)
This is about the newly published Call for Entries for the Margaret Flockton Award in 2024.
Named after Margaret Flockton who was the Botanic Gardens of Sydneyâs first botanical illustrator, the purpose of the award is to highlight the very best of international scientific botanical illustration. There are with five prizes:
READ MORE about the award and see who has won it in the past on my dedicated to The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration on this website. Summary: What you need to know
Last year 37 artists from 18 countries were selected for the 2023 exhibition. Check out the quality of the illustrations selected for the exhibition can be seen in the Margaret Flockton Award 2023 album on Flickr
For full details about the Award and Exhibition, plus updates to entry requirements, please visit Margaret Flockton Award 2024 at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney website. Below is an abbreviated summary of what you need to know and do. âWhat you need to submit All illustrations and paperwork must be submitted digitally via Dropbox.
You also need to complete the Entry Form - which stipulates additional information you MUST also provide. There are no entry fees. Digital Image requirements This post covers:
Botanical Art Worldwide - Basic Principles The second Botanical Art Worldwide Project will focus on and celebrate biodiversity in the crops that have been closely associated with the human species over thousands of years. The theme is designed to draw attention to the vast variety of food and useful plants available, in contrast with the relatively few varieties currently used in mass cultivation. Plants eligible for inclusion are those cultivated for food, textiles, building, energy, and medicine BAW Central Guidelines The theme of the Exhibition in 2025 is "Crop Diversity". Eligible subject matter covers:
Every country needs to comply with the central guidelines which will be produced by the Steering Committee for Botanical Art Worldwide. These central guidelines has not yet been fully finalised - and hence not yet formalised and published . However these are coming soon and will be prominent on the Botanical Art Worldwide website when available. BAW International Exhibition The International Exhibition is going to be digital/virtual and will be available online to everybody around the world and remain on view during May 2025. (To be honest, I've always thought that the point of going digital is you can remain online - as indeed all the historical art does in the various collections / major projects relating to past botanical artwork and illustrations. Maybe it's an issue of expense? There again YouTube is forever if you so choose.) Overall Goals Artists around the world are working on this project to: Components of the BAW Project 2025 BASIC PRINCIPLES of how it will work in every country - as agreed by the Steering Committee.
Participating Countries If your botanical art organisation / botanical garden / museum wants to participate - and your country is not already participating (see list below) - you should
The following are all the participating countries - to date. I expect more will join.
You can see everything that happened around the world on one page on my website - see ARCHIVE: World Wide Exhibition of Botanical Art 2018. It includes a number of images and videos. I will be setting up a similar page for Botanical Art Worldwide 2025 on this website very soon. Country Guidelines / Exhibition Each participating country has a Steering Committee who are organising the country contribution to the International Exhibition.
Within their own country, each country can choose to have as many artworks as they like in a physical exhibition in the country - depending on the space available. Each country can organise additional lectures, webinars, workshops, demonstrations, and other public programming - during the dates agreed for the opening and closing of the exhibition in that country. Botanical Art Worldwide in the UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)In the UK the contribution to Botanical Art Worldwide is SPLIT - as it was in 2018 - between:
Below you can find out more about
The 26th Annual International Exhibition of Botanical Art by the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) opens next month. The exhibition comprises two-dimensional, original, botanical art and runs from 17th September to 26th November at Marin Art & Garden Center (MAGC) in California. (More details of this and the opening event at the end) This post is about the artists whose artwork has been selected for this exhibition. [UPDATE 31 August 2023: It has now been updated to include
Selection processThe selection jury for this show comprised three botanical artists and educators.
Selected artists 2023The artists who produced artwork selected by the jurors are listed below.
The thing I noticed as I went through the listing below is that a lot of names are new to me and are artists who have not exhibited in the ASBA International before. I understand a total of ten (22%) are new to having their art displayed in the Annual International. UPDATE: You can now see ALL the artworks in digital form on the ASBA website - in alphabetical order of the surname of the artist. Find out about the artists below.... |
AuthorKatherine Tyrrell writes about botanical art and artists and has followers all over the world. You can also find her at linktr.ee BAA Visitors so far....
since April 2015
Subscribe to BAA NewsBlog posts are emailed to you when you SUBSCRIBE to "Botanical Art and Artists - News" by Email
Your email subscription to this blog is ONLY activated IF you verify the link you will receive. You can unsubscribe at any time It will NOT be used for anything else and will NEVER be given to anybody else. EVERY DAY FOLLOW News about botanical art + links to new BAA blog posts on Botanical Art and Artists on Facebook
Copyright© Katherine Tyrrell 2015-23
Unauthorised use or duplication of ANY material on this blog without written permission is strictly prohibited. Please also respect the copyright of all artists featured here. What's your news?This blog highlights news - in brief - about botanical art exhibitions around the world.
Use the Contact form to tell me about an exhibition and provide a summary of relevant information. If listing your event I will ask you for relevant images. The Best Botanical Art Instruction BooksTap the pic to check out my recommendations
The Best Books about Botanical Art HistoryTap the pic to check out my recommendations
Workshops, Classes & CoursesFind out about botanical art workshops, classes courses offered by various organisations and artists in:
Read other Botanical Art BlogsREAD Blogs about botanical art and/or by botanical artists & illustrators
Categories
All
BAA News Archives
September 2024
Archive (MaM)This page Botanical Art & Artists on my main blog has an archive of blog posts about past exhibitions of the Society of Botanical Art and Artists
|
NEWS
News Blog about artists, awards, exhibitions etc. |
EXHIBITIONS
- Calls for Entries - Exhibitions around the world - Online Exhibitions - RHS Exhibitions - Hunt Exhibitions ORGANISATIONS
- Botanical Art Societies - national / regional / local - Florilegium & Groups - Botanical Art Groups on Facebook |
EDUCATION
- Tips and Techniques - Best Botanical Art Instruction Books - Directory of Teachers - Directory of Courses - Online Botanical Art Courses - Diplomas and Certificates - Talks, Lectures and Tours ART MATERIALS (Paper / Vellum) BOTANY FOR ARTISTS - Scientific Botanical Illustration - Best Botany Books for Artists - Plant Names & Botanical Latin BOTANIC GARDENS & Herbaria |
FEEDBACK
Please send me . - news to share - info. about exhibitions - any suggestions for what you'd like to see on this website ADVERTISE Contact me if you'd like to promote workshops and courses on this site. AFFILIATION This website is free to you but not for me! (See Affiliate Income below) |
Cookies, Personal Data & Privacy tells you how this site relates to and impacts on you and your privacy - and your choices.
Product & company names may be trademarks of their respective owners |
About Affiliate Income: This website has been created to share information not to make a profit. I am an Amazon Associate and earn from qualifying purchases (e.g. books from Amazon) which helps offset costs associated with maintaining this very large website.
|