NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Plantae: SBA Annual Exhibition 2019 - Selected Artists

5/6/2019

Plantae, the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists, opens to the public at a new venue - the Mall Galleries, in The Mall - today, Wednesday 5th June. (Map).

It's quite possibly the largest exhibition of botanical art in the world - even though it's reduced the number of works being exhibited in its new exhibition venue.

The Online Catalogue (which is also available to download) - sets a new standard for exhibition catalogues by including all the artwork on display. The icing on the cake would be to provide an online link to enable those unable to get to the exhibition to express an interest in buying the artwork on display!

The catalogue indicates

there are 431 artworks by c.190 artists (with a ratio for artists of approximately 50:50 re. members and open entry)
All artwork is for sale
specialist books - by member authors will also be available to buy.

During the exhibition there are two art demonstrations by two of the Course Tutors for the Distance Learning Diploma

Janie Pirie – coloured pencil on Friday 7th June and
Shevaun Doherty – watercolour on vellum Saturday 8th June.
Demonstrations times are from 10:30 until lunch then 2 – 4:30pm.

Who are the artists exhibiting with the Society of Botanical Artists?

This exhibition has always attracted a diverse and international group of botanical artists. I thought it might be interesting to share who they are, which countries they come from - and something about their backgrounds. It's proved to be an extremely fascinating - if very lengthy (an understatement!) - exercise.

I've learned an awful lot looking at the websites of the exhibiting artists - not least from those who are brand new to exhibiting at SBA.

Those coming to the exhibition and/or aspiring to exhibit in future may care to take a closer look at the sort of artists exhibiting with the Society of Botanical Artists.

BELOW is a list of all those artists exhibiting at Plantae

links embedded in their names are limited to those with websites (or Facebook Page where their work is on display)
information about an artist who hasn't got a website typically comes from another reputable source (eg the Members Page of the Society of Botanical Artists)
international artists have their country indicated in italics after their name where known

Entrance to the Mall Galleries in The Mall (in between Admiralty Arch and HorseGuards Parade)

Selected Artists

Natalia Alatortseva (Russia) - Studied Botany at Lomonosov Moscow State University. She was one of the organisers of Flora Russia exhibition in St Petersburg in 2018
Linda Alexander ROI, SBA Fellow - One of a few contemporary botanical artists who paint in oils. Linda is also a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and has exhibited her botanical art at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. She's won a number of prestigious awards for her art.
Jacqueline Allwood SBA Fellow - a glass artist who will be displaying glass engravings
Sandra Wall Armitage PPSBA SBA Fellow - former President of the Society of Botanical Artists
Julia Asenbaum (Austria) - Studied plant science at the University of Vienna

Hee-Soon Baik (Korea) - won the Director General's Award at the Botanical Art Worldwide Exhibition in Korea - at the Korea National Arboretum
Karen Bailey SBA Fellow - In 2013 Karen was awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit and has been approved to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show
Kathleen Baker SBA Fellow - studied Botany at Birmingham University, taught Advanced Level Biology for over 20 years and her research work led to Master and Doctorate degrees. She took up botanical art when she retired and has been awarded four gold medals by the Alpine Garden Society.
Sylvia Balch SBA Fellow
Lorraine Barraclough
Victoria Braithwaite - Exhibits with the SBA and the SSBA. Has also exhibited in the Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh and the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. Has work in the Shirley Sherwood Collections (exhibited Kew 2016 and 2017) see image of her work below
Pauline Brown
Penny Brown SBA Fellow professional artist and illustrator who trained as a designer for the theatre. Graduated from the SBA Diploma Course in 2011 with a distinction and won the Award for Excellence. Author of ‘Botanical Drawing – A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life’, (published January 2018). Her artwork in the exhibition is cut paper collage.
Vivien Burgess SBA Fellow - member since 1996

Polygonatum multiflorum – 'Solomon’s Seal' by Victoria Braithwaite (watercolour £2,100)

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Rosie Sanders at Connect Art Fair at Mall Galleries

1/2/2019

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Paintings by Rosie Sanders are currently exhibited by Coombe Gallery at Connect – The Independent Art Fair - a new Art Fair at the Mall Galleries in London this week.

Coombe Gallery - who represent Rosie and exhibit her artwork in South West England have brought some delightful examples of her paintings to London for the fair.

Below you can see a slideshow of her paintings.

the first one is the one Rosie is painting in photo used for the Foreword of her latest book (see below)
I thought Summer's Story was absolutely delightful and a "wow" addition to any collection
all always Rosie is an expert at capturing rich coloured darks - such as the rich dark purples of the purple Iris on display elsewhere in the Fair
To get a sense of size and scale of these paintings take a look at the last pic of Mark Riley, Gallery Manager of Coombe Gallery and his mum on the stand.

The Fair is open until 70om tonight and again tomorrow from 11am –5pm.

Coombe Gallery

If you visit the south west, you can find examples of Rosie's paintings at the Coombe Gallery in Dartmouth.

website: https://www.coombegallery.com/
Rosie Sanders - available paintings at the Gallery
Address: 20 Foss Street, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9DR

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Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art

Rosie Sanders's latest book is Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art published by Batsford in late 2016 (UK) and early 2017 (USA). It's a large format book with over 80 colour illustrations of her flower paintings and Rosie at work. If you're a fan of her work or her very large botanical paintings it's definitely a book to buy.

It's also got an average rating of:

4.9 out of 5 stars by 19 customer reviews (UK)
4.7 out of 5 stars by 18 customer reviews (USA)

BUY THIS BOOK

Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art from Amazon UK
Rosie Sanders' Flowers: A Celebration of Botanical Art from Amazon.com

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Call for Entries: Society of Botanical Artists Annual Exhibition 2019

10/1/2019

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This is a guide to the OPEN Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in 2019 and

who can enter,
what you enter
how to enter

In 2019, this exhibition is moving to a new time of year at a new venue

Venue: the Mall Galleries in The Mall in Central London. (Location) - the exhibition will be held in the Main Gallery, North Galleries and Threadneedle Space (i.e. the whole gallery)
Dates: 5 June 2019 to 9 June 2019 | Hours: 10am to 5pm (closes 1pm on final day).

Plantae is the exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists; exhibiting excellence in all art that is plant related. The Society brings together artists of national and international repute. As the forerunner of all other botanical societies its mission is to promote the skills of artists using a varied range of media who all excel in their ability to portray botanical forms in an accurate, unique or interesting way. (Mall Galleries)

READ my blog posts about the Society of Botanical Art: Exhibitions 2006-2016
previously held at Central Hall, Westminster if you're unfamiliar with the exhibition and the standard of work it attracts

Who can enter?

THIS IS AN OPEN EXHIBITION - Any visual artist, anywhere in the world, can enter if they produce botanical artwork in two or three dimensions - which meets the eligibility criteria (see below).

Botanical artists from other countries around the world frequently submit entries to this exhibition - and get selected for exhibition.

You do not have to be a member of the Society of Botanical Artists to submit an entry.
However, under its new rules, you can however apply to be an Open Member of the Society of Botanical Artists (at a cost of £65p.a.) if you want to reduce the level of commission paid on sales by 10%. The cost of membership pays for itself if you sell one artwork priced at £650 - and if you make more sales you can make even more savings on your expenses i.e. 10% of £100 = £10.

The new type of membership - the Open Member - will be available from mid-January so if you expect to sell and want to reduce commission, I'd advise waiting to submit your entry until after you have applied to be an Open Member.

What can you enter?

Eligible artwork will be work you are proud of AND

Predominantly of botanical content.
Botanically accurate.
Visually pleasing - with strong wall appeal.
Up to five artworks
For sale

In terms of type of artwork and size, artwork will be

Original Paintings - in any media
or Original Drawings - in any media
or Original Fine Art Prints (all prints must be hand pulled and NOT giclee)
or Original Ceramics
or Original Jewellery - in any media
Maximum dimension of all 2D and 3D arworks: 120cm on the longest side. (although they don't say framed or unframed re 2D art - and when they don't it's always safest to assume this means "framed")

Presented in:

simple plain mounts and wooden frames (which can accommodate mirror plate fixings)

Work that is NOT eligible for entry includes:

photography
other digital art forms
work using acrylic glass
work framed with clips

How do I price my artwork?

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RHS Botanical Art Show: 2019 dates and deadlines for 2020 submissions

11/10/2018

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This is an update on "need to know" facts relating to the 2019 and 2020 RHS Botanical Art Shows.

The RHS website has been updated with key facts about the 2019 and 2020 Botanical Art Shows
I've summarised these below.
Read the details in the Botanical Illustration Exhibitor Factsheet (557kB pdf)

View of part of the RHS Botanical Art Show 2018

Facts about the RHS Botanical Art Show

The RHS Botanical Art Show is an OPEN and INTERNATIONAL exhibition
It's the longest running and TOP juried botanical art show in the world.
No other show juries a minimum portfolio of six botanical artworks for every exhibit
It's the LARGEST juried international art show in the world.
It receives submissions and exhibits from botanical artists and botanical illustrators from around the world. Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe contribute most international artists from outside the UK.

It would be great to see more artists from North, South and Central America!

RHS Botanical Art Show 2019 - show dates

Make a note for your diaries!
The dates for the RHS London Art & Photography Show in 2019 are

Wednesday 24–Thursday 25 July 2019.
Plus a late event on Tuesday 23 July 2019.

My understanding is that the 2019 show will be in the RHS Lindley Hall.

RHS Botanical Art Show 2020
- application for approval to exhibit

If you want to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2020, you must first submit your work for approval to exhibit. I'll be updating my page about RHS Botanical Art Shows but I've summarised key facts below

This is how the submission process works to be ELIGIBLE to apply for space to display work at an RHS Show in 2020:

IF YOU HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY EXHIBITED you must first submit a sample of four pieces of work to the RHS Picture Panel for assessment and approval at the May Submission Selection Meeting.
Artists based outside the UK can submit rolled prints of the same (value £0) rather than original art. This enables them to get through Customs without problems. (Prints are not returned)
The above requirement relates to both individual artists and groups
The artwork does NOT need to be related to your proposed exhibit. However all pieces must demonstrate that you can produce a very high standard of botanical illustration. (You can view my previous blog posts for images of exhibits displayed at previous shows)
If submitting as a Group, you must submit at least one artwork by each artist
The next Submission Selection Meeting is on Thursday 9 May 2019
Artwork - for assessment and approval - at this meeting can be submitted to the Lindley Library in London between Tuesday 23 April and Thursday 2 May
Please contact the Picture Panel Secretary before sending any work. It's recommended that you hand deliver artworks.

The RHS Lindley Library and Headquarters of the RHS at 80 Vincent Square, London

Dawn Jolliffe Botanical Art Bursary

If the cost of exhibiting is likely to prevent you from exhibiting then you can apply for funding support.

The Dawn Joliffe Botanical Art Bursary is available to support botanical artists in their endeavours to prepare an exhibit and then display it at the show.

Funding is available to help support artists with

the costs of staging an exhibit at one of the RHS Shows
towards the costs of travelling to paint plants in their natural habitat.

For more information and to apply see Apply for an RHS Bursary

Tips for exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show

For more about RHS Botanical Art and Photography Exhibitions see the following dedicated pages on this website:

PLUS In the Tips and Techniques area of the EDUCATION section you can find Tips from RHS Botanical Art Gold Medal Winners - these provide tips around

an outline of the process from application to exhibit through to the exhibition
includes several articles about tips about how to be successful at an RHS Botanical Art Show by RHS Gold Medal-winning artists. Every year they come up with new tips!
how to mount the display
how to transport your exhibit

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RHS London Botanical Photography Show 2018 - Awards and Medal Winners

13/7/2018

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The names and exhibit titles of the medal winners and best portfolio award winner at the RHS London Botanical Photography Show 2018 are listed below.

You can see much better images of the portfolios of six images on the RHS website than you can in this post and I recommend any aspiring entrant to do so - PLUS do study the descriptions as well as the images.

Laurence Hill with his intensely botanical and extremely well presented exhibit of Fritillaria affinis and a discussion and demonstration of plant variability relative to the agreed taxonomic description of one species of a wild plant

Photographs at RHS Shows will be assessed for their botanical and horticultural content and for their photographic quality. Judges take account of the overall impression of an exhibit, including details of presentation such as mounting, labelling and framing.

I was struggling to find either botanical or horticultural content in some of the exhibits and I'm personally very much not in favour of Bronze medals being handed out simply for turning up and presenting an exhibit.

I'd very much recommend that ALL those entering work in this competition in future read up on the Guidelines for Botanical Photo Exhibitors which I also think the RHS could make a great deal more prominent on their website!! (see notes at end)

Best Portfolio Photography Exhibit

Polina Plotnikova - Dancing Flowers
I would normally place this exhibit as the feature at the top. However the amount of reflection generated by the exhibit meant that it was difficult to see in the hall and very difficult to photograph

"Dancing Flowers" by Polina Plotnikova

Gold Medals

"Botanical Prints: Where Art Meets Science" - Eleanor Coate

Nigel Chapman GM (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) - Abstract Images RHS Garden Wisley
Eleanor Coate - Botanical Prints: Where Art Meets Science
Laurence Hill (GM 2014, 2017) - Species Boundaries: Fritillaria affinis
Polina Plotnikova GM (2014, 2015, 2017) - Dancing Flowers

My favourite exhibit was the one by Laurence Hill - and not just because he'd taken on board my comments about exhibit notes at a previous exhibition! His exhibit displayed six precise and different "versions" of the same plant species - at life size - at different locations inland from the Pacific coast of the USA. The latter was indicated by a fine line drawing of the coast line (relative to Mount Hood in Oregon to Point Reyes in California) towards the bottom of 'plate'. Each exhibit was also identified in terms of the specific location and height where it was collected and by whom. The point of the exhibit was to demonstrate the extent of variability in the taxonomic description of the same species with a when found in the wild. He also tracked and documented the extent to which this gets reflected in the synonyms for the taxonomy of names over time - before everybody agrees it is in fact the same plant!

NOTE: It was very difficult to photograph some of the exhibits for this post. Exhibition requirements are that exhibits should be protected by NON-REFLECTIVE acetate sheets.

It was very noticeable that Laurence Hill, Nigel Chapmen and Jan Cassidy who have previously won Gold Medals and previously exhibited in the Horticultural Halls all chose to exhibit images with an unprotected matt surface to reduce the bounce from some extremely bright light overhead.

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Botanical art at Jonathan Cooper: 30 years exhibition - opens 12 July 2018

5/7/2018

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If you're coming up to London for the RHS Botanical Art Show, why not grab a taxi or catch a bus to Chelsea - and see some more incredible artwork!

The Jonathan Cooper 30 Years Exhibition opens a week today (12 - 21 July 2018) at 'Jonathan Cooper', his Park Walk Gallery in Chelsea to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the gallery - established in 1988.

You can review the catalogue for the exhibition online.

Fiona Strickland, Celebration Papaver, Watercolour on Kelmscott vellum, 42.2 x 42.5cm

Over 30 years, Jonathan Cooper has played an important role in developing the careers of many of today’s figurative greats. His passion is to discover and promote artists demonstrating a new viewpoint within the genres of botanical, wildlife, landscape and still life.

The gallery has also been host to some major exhibitions, including; Work from botanical artists in the collection of Dr Shirley Sherwood in 2015, an exhibition in conjunction with Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE, which drew together works by contemporary botanical artists held in Dr Sherwood’s comprehensive botanical collection, the largest in the world.

This group exhibition aims to celebrate the very best of contemporary figurative painting, drawing and sculpture through the artwork of every genre by his 'gallery artists' including leading botanical artists and still life painters who paint flowers (see below)

This post contains my 72dpi web-level versions of the high resolution images of their artwork sent to me. You will only get a small insight into how impressive these works are - and why it is so much better to see them in person!

Botanical Art

The four botanical artists (in alphabetical order) are:

Beverley Allen
Kate Nessler
Rosie Sanders
Fiona Strickland

Beverly Allen, White batflower - ‘Tacca integrifolia’, Watercolour, 62cm x 57cm

Rosie Sanders 'It was the time of roses' watercolour on Arches 640gsm paper, 102 x 124cm

Still Life - with flowers

Two of the still life artists paint flowers are:

Ben Henriques
Susan Angharad Williams - who he discovered after I introduced her to him - after she won the ING Discerning Eye Prize in 2007! ;)

Ben Henriques, Potted Flower, oil on canvas, 39.4 x 52.1cm

Susan Angharad Williams, Poppies, (detail), oil on linen, 63 x 56cm

Information about the Gallery

Address: Jonathan Cooper Gallery, 20 Park Walk, Chelsea, London, SW10 0AQ
Gallery Opening Times: Mon – Fri (10 – 6.30pm); Sat (11 – 4pm) Closed Bank Holidays
Free Admission
Website: jonathancooper.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7351 0410
Social #jonathancooper30years
Instagram: @jonathancoopergallery
Twitter: @JCooperGallery
Facebook: @jonathancooperparkwalkgallery
The gallery is a member of SLAD (The Society of London Art Dealers), BADA (The British Antique Dealers Association) and LAPADA (The Association of Art & Antique Dealers), and regularly exhibits at international art fairs including Masterpiece, London.

FIND OUT ABOUT MORE BOTANICAL ART EXHIBITIONS
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Trade Stand Exhibitors at the RHS Plant and Art Fair (July 2018)

2/7/2018

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The Trade Stand Exhibitors at the 2018 RHS Plant and Art Fair in the two Horticultural Halls in Westminster, London are listed below.

Note that

There are a significant number of NEW exhibitors
the vast majority of the trade stands will be in the RHS Lawrence Hall i.e. NOT the Lindley Hall where the Botanical Art Show will be held. (see UPDATE)
a number of regular exhibitors of recent years are NOT exhibiting this year. Examples include: various botanical art societies - including the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA), the Diploma Courses (i.e. Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh and SBA) and Susan Christopher-Coulson.
The website links are not live as Google is not a big fan of lots of commercial links! However copy and insert the url into your browser and the website should come up.

UPDATE: I understand the serious dislocation of botanical art exhibition and botanical artists/organisations has now been remedied by the Show management.

Consequently I've revised the listing below and the exhibitors closely related to botanical art who have been relocated back to the Lindley Hall are now marked with an asterisk * e.g. Ann Swan is back in her usual place!

You can find a PDF Exhibitors List on the RHS webpage However this may well need updating to agree with the revised trade stand plan.

RHS Lindley Hall

This is the Hall where the Botanical Art Show is to be held.

Chelsea Botanical Art School at the 2017 Show: Helen Allen and Mary Ellen Taylor

ART: Botanical Artists / Tutors / Education

The Chelsea School of Botanical Art (CSBA) http://www.chelseaschoolofbotanicalart.co.uk - The CSBA classroom will pop up at the show with a free Botanical Art workshop, see Workshops for details
* Julia Trickey www.juliatrickey.co.uk - professional botanical artist / tutor with an online tuition website and classes
* Ann Swan www.annswan.co.uk - professional botanical artist / tutor with an online tuition website and botanical art holidays

Ann Swan - providing guidance on coloured pencils at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2017

Botanical Art Organisations

* Association of British Botanical Artists - ABBA www.abba2018.wordpress.com - the new body that organised the Botanical Art Worldwide exhibition for England and Wales.

The Association of British Botanical Artists at the 2017 Botanical Art Show

Botanical Organisations

* South London Botanical Institute www.slbi.org.uk - botanical garden in Tulse Hillwhich with wide range of courses, workshops, school visits and events for all ages.

RHS Lawrence Hall

Other contemporary artists / designers with garden/botanical themes

Susan Entwistle Art www.susanentwistle.com - acrylic paintings of gardens in pointillist style
Brie Harrison www.brieharrison.com - designer and illustrator with botanical artworld themes
Hannah McVicar www.hannahmcvicar.com - illustrator, printmaker and mural painter using botanical themes and multi-media printmaking
Zoe Zoe www.annemckenzie.com - paints botanical themes in acrylic paint on unbleached Japanese Kozo paper

Botanical Art and Plant Publications

Addison Publications Ltd www.addisonpublications.com - publishers of the Highgrove and Transylvania Florilegium
RHS Bookshop - A selection of RHS books and gifts, book signings will also be taking place
Two Rivers Press Ltd www.tworiverspress.com - varied list of individually designed books

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