NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Plantae 2022 - and a new Award

9/6/2022

After two years, Plantae - the Annual International Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA) is back on the walls of the Mall Galleries next week.

The Preview - which I'll be attending - takes place on Tuesday 14th June
The exhibition is open to the public from Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th June 2022 (10am - 5pm). Admission is £5.

For those attending the preview, I'm the woman pushing a rollator around! This is my first open exhibition since surgery in January!

The botanical art and illustrations on display will be by Fellows of the SBA and also artwork which was submitted via the open entry. (See my blog post Plantae 2022: Call for Entries for the SBA's Annual Open Exhibition).

The number of international artists exhibiting with the SBA has been growing exponentially over the last decade and I'm expecting to see artwork from artists in a number of different countries.

The Making a Mark Award:
a new perspective on Botanical Art

There are two things I've always enjoyed doing over the last 15 years of looking at art - and in particular botanical art:

finding and highlighting artwork (and/or an artist) that I believe merits extra attention.
supporting emerging artists who demonstrate they're serious about progressing their art practice and career.

As a result I've decided to add to the awards and prizes on offer at the SBA's Annual Exhibition and have created a new award - using the name of my art blog where I first started writing about this exhibition (see https://makingamark.blogspot.com/p/society-of-botanical-art-exhibitions.html )

The BRAND NEW Making A Mark Award will allow me to make a cash award to any one (or more) of the following:

a first time exhibitor at the exhibition who impresses
people who bring a fresh and different approach to botanical art and illustration
artwork demonstrating a genuine new perspective on how to portray habitat
artwork about plants which don't often get illustrated
drawing excellence - maybe in less used media

In essence, it's about:

a new perspective on botanical art
artists who "make their mark" with the artwork they create which catches my eye - because it's excellent and different.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing whose work catches my eye come next Tuesday!

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Plantae 2022: Call for Entries for the SBA's Annual Open Exhibition

24/2/2022

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Call for entries poster with REVISED DEADLINE for entries

This is a guide to the OPEN Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in 2022 and

who can enter,
what you can enter
how to enter

The Call for Entries for Plantae 2022 - the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists - and the first held in a gallery since 2019 - went out the middle of this month.

UPDATE: The deadline for entries has been CHANGED (from 15th March 2022) and is now midnight on Thursday 31st March 2022.

The Society invites artists to submit their very best work to our open exhibition. Whether an artist working in watercolour, oils, gouache, graphite, colour pencil or pen & ink, a botanical illustrator, a printmaker, ceramic artists, sculptor, jeweller or glass artist, we are seeking work with a strong exhibiting presence to be part of our show at the Mall Galleries.

NOTE: I'm going to try and get back into the swing of 'normal posting' following my surgery at the end of January. Three weeks later I've adjusted to life on one leg and wanting to do more - albeit from my sofa with my ankle elevated!

The ORIGINAL call for entries deadline - which has been changed to 31st March 2022

The Annual Exhibition
of the Society of Botanical Artists

In common with a lot of other art societies, the last two exhibitions (in 2020 and 2021) have had to be virtual due to the constraints on art exhibitions.

Consequently, this is very likely to be the first SBA annual exhibition in a gallery since 2019 - when it moved to the Mall Galleries on The Mall in London. (That's the road which has Buckingham Palace at one end!).

Venue for Plantae 2022 Exhibition: Mall Galleries in The Mall
Dates: Opens to the public on 15-18th June 2022. A Private View for members, artists and their guests will be held on 14th June.

I've been visiting and reviewing this annual exhibition since 2006 - to start with on my art blog Making A Mark and latterly on this website. My posts contain a lot of images of artwork selected for hanging if you've not submitted before and want to get an idea of the standard of work that gets selected. See the end for how to access my reviews.

The entrance to the new exhibition venue - at the Mall Galleries on The Mall in London (right next to Admiralty Arch and just up the road from Buckingham Palace

Who can enter?

THIS IS AN OPEN EXHIBITION - That means that 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.

Prizes and Certificates of Botanical Excellence are awarded.

You do not have to be a member of the Society of Botanical Artists to submit an entry.

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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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Janie Pirie's Life in Roses - book and exhibition

3/11/2019

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Next week, gold-medal winning botanical artist Janie Pirie is having a solo exhibition at the Mall Galleries of illustrations of roses - which has taken three years to develop - and launching her new book.

Rosa is an exhibition of roses illustrated by RHS gold medallist Janie Pirie. This is a new body of botanical art to coincide with the launch of a book of the same name. "Rosa - a Life in Roses" | Mall Galleries

Exhibition: Rosa - a life in Roses

Rosa - A Life in Roses - the exhibition - comprises 36 drawings in coloured pencils of different varieties of roses. It's on display at the Mall Galleries in London and I'll be visiting later this week. It's taken three years to develop.

Venue: the North Gallery, the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London, SW1
Dates: between Tuesday 5th and Sunday 10th November 2019
Hours: 10 am to 5pm daily except 10th November when the exhibition closes at 1pm.
Sales: All work is for sale (unless previously purchased. Copies of the book will be on sale as well as the originals.

Janie Pirie or a colleague will be on hand during the exhibition to answer the questions of any visitors or purchasers.

"Rosa - A Life In Roses": some of the images by Janie Pirie - in the exhibition AND in the book

Book: 'Rosa - A Life in Roses'

Only 1,000 copies of Janie Pirie's new book are being printed.

I've not seen it yet but understand that

it's a limited edition coffee-table book measuring approx. 29cm / 11 inches square with a "lay flat" binding.
The linen-bound hardback book is presented in a slipcase with the same linen covering as the book and finished to a high quality.
almost all the roses are shown one to a double page spread.

The first edition of ROSA is a limited edition of 500 copies, priced at £100.00.
The Special Collectors' Edition will be numbered and signed by the artist and comprise the first 250 copies of the First Edition. It's priced at £120.00 however it also includes an A4 print of one of Janie's favourite rose portraits; 'Comte de Champagne'.
You can find out more here
It will be on sale at the exhibition.

About Janie Pirie

Janie Pirie has two RHS Gold Medals for her botanical illustrations.

In 2009, at RHS Malvern Show, she was awarded the accolade of ‘Best Botanical Artist in Show' and a Gold Medal for her series of paintings of orchard fruits.
She was awarded a second Gold Medal, also at Malvern, in 2014.
Janie has also exhibited at the 13th International Exhibition of the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh, USA.

Janie is:

a member of the Society of Botanical Artists and is also a tutor on their Distance Learning Course.
a member of the UK Coloured Pencil Society and shows her work at their annual exhibitions where she has been awarded "Best In Show", "Runner-up Best in Show" and "Best Botanical".

She studied illustration at the Colchester School of Art before combining a career in illustration with one involved with public relations and marketing for a leading seed company. She has worked as a professional artist for some years and also runs art workshops in her garden studio at her home in the Dedham Vale on the Essex/Suffolk borders and at other venues around the UK.

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Review: Society of Botanical Artists 2019 - Plantae

9/6/2019

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SBA Plantae 2019

The annual exhibition of the SBA - Society of Botanical Artists - has closed at the Mall Galleries in London.

It may seem odd to be doing the review now. However I have already written three blog posts connected with the exhibition! These are:

I'm going to look at:

practical matters first - and the success or otherwise of the exhibition's new venue
other changes to the exhibition
The Catalogue - and the scope for a future virtual exhibition
Private View and Demonstrations

I'll cover art I liked in another blog post.

A new home - at the Mall Galleries

The entrance to the new exhibition venue - at the Mall Galleries on The Mall in London (right next to Admiralty Arch and just up the road from Buckingham Palace)

The end wall in the Main Galleries

This is the first annual exhibition the SBA has had for two years. During which time the President, the membership arrangements and the venue for the annual exhibition have all changed.

In effect it's a reinvention of something we're very familiar with and hence it seems appropriate to focus on what's changed, what worked extremely well - and the areas where there's scope for further development and improvement in future years.

I don't see the Society of Botanical Artists leaving the Mall Galleries anytime soon. I think they've found their new "forever" home!

I asked people visiting the exhibition on my three visits what they thought of the new venue and without exception ALL were very impressed with:

the general feeling of professionalism - its purpose was an art gallery - and it felt like an art gallery
the way the artwork looked on the walls - unsurprisingly given the prior comment
the location - the feeling of being down in the basement ( at Central Hall ) had been completely lost - although interestingly all of the galleries are below ground! The white walls and the higher ceilings all made for a lighter, fresher and less claustrophobic feeling. People also very much liked the better sense of being at the centre of things - being a hop, skip and a jump from Trafalgar Square, other large art galleries, theatres and shops.
the facilities - visitors very much valued the opportunity to sit and have a cup of tea and chat in the Gallery rather than, as we used to do in Central Hall, Westminster, having to leave the exhibition and visit a not very inspiring canteen type cafe for some not very inspiring refreshments!

Bottom line - nobody wanted to go back to Central Hall, Westminster!

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Awards - Society of Botanical Artists' Annual Exhibition 2019

6/6/2019

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This post is the second of four about the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists:

today's post is about the botanical artists receiving awards at "Plantae" the 2019 Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists. It includes images of the artwork receiving awards and more information about the artists (links to their websites are embedded in their names).
yesterday's post Plantae: SBA Annual Exhibition 2019 - Selected Artists was about the artists whose work was selected for the exhibition
the next post is about those artists who were awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit - which was judged by Lucy T Smith, who illustrates plants for Kew Gardens or the NEW Certificate of Exhibiting Excellence
finally, the fourth post will be a review of the exhibition as a whole - with notes of the artwork I liked and a commentary on its move to the Mall Galleries. I've been asking people what they think about the new environment.

The show is on at the Mall Galleries in London until 1pm on 9th June 2019. Admission is free

The awards are split into two categories:

the SBA Awards - awarded by the SBA Council
The Prizes awarded by the Exhibition's Sponsors.

NOTE: The quotations below come from the Society of Botanical Artists Instagram account.

SBA Award Winners

The Joyce Cuming Presentation Award
This is probably one of the most prized awards and is a sterling silver Almoner’s plate which is a legacy from Joyce Cuming. The winner also receives a certificate.

The winner was Lidiya Doukhnevitch who is based in Minsk in Belarus.

For me this was one of the best - if not the best - paintings in the competition. My eye kept being drawn back to it. That's because it has a great subject treated in an unusual way. It kept reminding me of alien monsters in sci-fi movies - and yet's it just what potatoes do if you leave them alone! The tonal range was great (which helped it to bounce off the walls in the gallery and make you want to go and look at it again) and the colour handling is impeccable.

The Secret World of Potatoes by Lidiya Doukhnevitch (watercolour £1,500)

Botanical art is not just about pretty flowers! This painting ‘The Secret World of Potatoes’ by Lidiya Doukhnevitch @lida_duhnevich is a stunning example of how even the simplest of plants can be intriguing and exciting!

I asked Lidiya why she chose a potato and she replied as follows

“It’s not difficult to create something beautiful from something beautiful. And when you start a new picture, you involuntarily set yourself a task higher and more difficult. So I decided to look at something at first glance unattractive in a new way and look at it from the inside. To tell the story of life. I even tried to grow it. But the potato itself found me. I love the sunlight very much, how it creates the world around us for our eyes. Therefore, I always build the lighting in the artwork. " Lidiya Doukhnevitch

The Margaret Granger Memorial Silver Bowl
This award is given in memory of Margaret Granger for the best picture by a member elected in the last two years. As a prize it's an excellent incentive for a new member to create a memorable impression.

The award winner was Jackie Isard SBA Fellow who was a graphic designer prior to becoming a botanical artist. I very much liked all the works she entered this year and recommend you look out for them.

Faded Protea neriifolia ‘Snowcrest’ by Jackie Isard (watercolour, £1,450)

Joanne Craig McFeely Rose Bowl
This is a Silver Rose Bowl awarded (for a year) for a true botanical work - judged by an external Judge (although NOT in this case Lucy Smith who judged the Certificates of Botanical Merit - not quite sure what happened there).

The winner was an American artist Charlotte Ricker who teaches "Botanical Illustration in Pencil II" at the School of Botanical Art & Illustration | Denver Botanic Gardens. Bear in mind this work was completed using watercolour pencils!

I really loved this work. This excellent contemporary interpretation of the sequencing of the bud through to bloom and then seed head reminded me very much of Georg Ehret's own magnificent painting of Magnifolia grandiflora with growth sequence. It's similar enough to tip its head to the master and different enough to be unique. (See my page About Georg Dionysius Ehret for a comparison)

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Plantae: SBA Annual Exhibition 2019 - Selected Artists

5/6/2019

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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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