NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

The next RHS Botanical Art Show

19/4/2021

I've had various people asking me about what I know about the next RHS Botanical Art Show. As we move gradually out of lockdown I've now contacted Charlotte Brooks who is the Secretary of the Picture Committee which organises the show (with the assistance of the Show Department)

So this is what I know. Some of this is Charlotte and some of this is me. So

(CB) means Charlotte is the source for what's said before this suffix
(RHS) means it's on the RHS website
(KT) means I'm the source - and for the most part my comments are complete speculation - grounded in some knowledge of how things work.

This blog post covers:

What's the date of the next RHS Botanical Art Show?
What's the date of the next Selection Meeting?
What else is happening?
More about the RHS Botanical Art Shows and how to exhibit

What's the date of the next RHS Botanical Art Show?

We are working to secure a venue and date for the 2021 London Botanical Art Show and we will publish information as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Exhibition of Botanical Art | RHS

There is no date set at the moment - for various reasons.

The RHS Lindley Hall is currently in use as a Vaccination Centre for the population of Westminster - and hence not available (CB).
- If this keeps going until all vaccinations are one this means that it's definitely not available before July (target for the vaccination of adults). (KT)
- It may be in use again in the early Autumn if they go for a booster vaccine for older people as has been discussed. (KT)
It's very unlikely that the Show will be held at the same time as any of the other RHS Shows (just because they NEVER seem to parallel run RHS Shows at different locations - and the RHS website tells you about planned dates for any RHS Shows (KT)
- there are gardens opening and RHS Shows planned for May, June, July, August and September (RHS) - and of course, any of these might need to be rescheduled if there were any further outbreaks....
- which suggests to me that October is probably the earliest a Botanical Art / Photography Show could be held in the Lindley Hall - if it is available (KT - pure speculation)
- one option might be to go back to its original timing of February (which was very popular) - in which case the earliest show would be in February 2022 (KT)
- I'm a big fan of the notion it goes back to including a Saturday as one of its days - as that always used to generate a LOT of visitors (see below) (KT)

RHS Botanical Art Show in February 2016

Controls on travel are likely to be very important to the success of the show. The RHS Botanical Art Show has always had a large number of international artists participating. The problem at the moment is there are very strict controls on who can go where - and this varies across the world (KT)

What's the date of the next Selection Meeting?

The Selection Meeting is when representatives of the Picture Committee review the applications to exhibit and decide who should get approval to exhibit at some point in the next five years.

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

25/3/2021

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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.

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Nigel Pickering GM (1957 - 2021)

30/1/2021

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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)

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Remembering Janet Pope

20/11/2020

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Janet Pope with her medal winning exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019.

I learned last night that Janet Pope MA (RCA), DipAD, FLS, FSBA, CPFGS, IAPI has passed away.

Janet has been very seriously ill in recent years. When I met her with her Potatoes exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019 we had a very long chat. She knew full well that her condition was terminal and that she had limited time left - and she was VERY determined to make the most of it!

I remember being so very pleased for her that she could get to exhibit one of her favourite subjects at the prestigious RHS Botanical Art Show show - and win a medal. I took a photo of her to record the event - and I think both she and I knew I was very likely to use it in this sort of post.

Her extremely unusual and refreshing exhibit of Potatoes - shoots, roots, skin, flesh - Solanum tuberosum ( ‘Red Emmalie’, ‘Highland Burgundy Red’, ‘Pink Fir Apple’, ‘Violetta’, ‘Shetland Black’ and Salad Blue’. ) can be seen below - and on her website. She won an RHS Silver Medal for her exhibit

Potatoes - shoots, roots, skin, flesh - Solanum tuberosum - by Janet Pope (RHS Silver Medal 2019)

About Janet Pope

I know relatively little about Janet beyond her SBA biography, her website and what I've written about her in the past. She always seemed a very private person to me - but she was also a lovely person to get to know and talk to in the last few years.

Education and Work

Janet graduated from the Royal College of Art London in 1973, followed by a British Council Scholarship for 18 months to study traditional textile arts and crafts in Romania. Returning to England, she started a knitwear company, then a special-interest tour company, followed by a womens’ tailoring business. In 2009 Janet joined a local botanical painting class, which led to the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course graduating in 2012, and her current interest in botanical painting.

Botanical Art and Illustration

Janet was an extremely skilled botanical artist. She had studied initially for a Diploma in Art and Design and then graduated from the Royal College of Art, London with an MA in 29173. She had also been awarded a British Council arts scholarship to to study traditional textile arts and crafts in Romania. On her return she demonstrated her entrepreneurial flair by establishing first a knitwear company, then a special-interest tour company, followed by a womens’ tailoring business.

Her interest in botanical art was stimulated by a local botanical painting class followed by the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course. She graduated from that in 2012

She lived and worked in rural Herefordshire where gardens, orchards and hedgerows provided her with an endless supply of plant material. Her botanical art was painted - with great attention to detail and growth habit - in watercolour.

She was also a

Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists;
an Artist Member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society - which is where I saw her last
a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (elected 2015) and
a member of the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration.

Below I'm going to record Janet's achievements in the world of botanical art beyond her RHS Medal - and my photos of her exhibits. Janet was never ever one to boast - but I think she was secretly delighted when others recognised and publicly acknowledged her artwork and achievements - and it's in that spirit that I write this post.

Society of Botanical Art Awards and Certificates

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

9/11/2020

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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

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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:

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RHS Lindley Library: Digital Exhibitions of the Art Collection

14/9/2020

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The RHS Lindley Library remains closed for the time being - but has started having exhibitions again!

The exhibitions are online and include:

two exhibitions accessible by the public:
- Enduring Beauty: Orchid Portraits of the RHS
- Healing Garden: A History of Medicinal Plants
one which is a RHS Member only exhibitions: Worth a Thousand Words. I have to say I like that idea of giving us members a bit of a perk!

Just click the links and you can view both the images and the narrative text to go with them

Enduring Beauty: Orchid Portraits of the RHS

The RHS has employed an official artist to paint beautiful life-size portraits of orchids for over 120 years.

This exhibition opened in the Library just before lockdown started. It was going to provide a spectacular display of recent RHS orchid portraits - including the latest portraits by current RHS Orchid Artist, Deborah Lambkin.

Deborah is the ninth official RHS orchid painter since the first postholder was appointed in 1897

The digital exhibition:

introduces both Deborah Lambkin and Nellie Roberts, the first of the RHS Orchid Artists who held the role for nearly 60 years and painted over 4000 of the 7000 orchid portraits now in the Lindley Library Collection.
provides large images of some of her paintings of orchids since she took on the role of Official Orchid Artist

reviews the role of the orchid breeders and RHS Orchid Committee - which has been judging and giving awards to new orchids since 1889!
reviews how the orchids get judged
then the process used by Deborah to paint the 30 or so new orchids she is given to record every year

READ MORE about Deborah Lambkin in my blog posts:

Healing Garden: A History of Medicinal Plants

This exhibition reviews:

the work of the herbalists
what is a herbal - and "simples"
what the early printed herbals contained
what the illustrations looked like in the early herbals
the role of science and superstition in relation to plants and herbals
the role of herbals in relation to modern science
the remedies associated with specific plants eg peonies, foxglove, rosemary, lemon balm, mugwort, honeysuckle, jasmine, valerian, hyacinth, dandelion, mint, lungwort, marjoram , thyme, primrose, white nettle and daffodil bulbs,

You can also READ MORE about Herbals on this website

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Worth a Thousand Words

Worth a Thousand Words - for RHS members ONLY

This digital exhibition is the equivalent of the exhibition held in the Lindley Library during the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2018.

"Worth a Thousand Words" is about the RHS Gold Medal winning paintings in the botanical art collection.You can see:

artwork in a variety of media
a selection of recent acquisitions and some of the finest contemporary botanical artworks in the RHS Lindley Collections
the very different ways that contemporary artists portray plants and flowers while raising the standards and pushing the boundaries of botanical illustration.

In this instance, the digital exhibition is for RHS Members only - or rather those who have got an online RHS account (like me!)

However everybody can read more about that exhibition - and see some of the images - in my blog post Worth a Thousand Words - exhibition at the RHS.

However you can see much larger images of the work in the online exhibition.

So if you're an RHS member and have not got your online account sorted yet, now's the time to do it!

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A new book from Işık Güner

12/5/2020

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Little blue book - Omphalodes cappodoci - by IÅŸÄ±k GÃ¼ner

Isik Guner has created a new book - of her little series of paintings of Omphalodes cappodoci (the Cappadocian navelwort) which grows in a forest near her home in Turkey.

Follow this link to download the book as a pdf file from wetransfer. It's available as a free download for the next seven days. You can also print it. (see her Instagram post below)
View a small video of her painting the plant below

View this post on Instagram

Hello everyone. I have a present for you â–¡ I finally completed the little series of Omphalodes cappodocia, and prepared â€˜LITTLE BLUE BOOKâ€™ which is simply can be dowloaded, and printed. This little book is including high-res images can be printed large scales to bring some magic into your houses. All you have to do follow the link in my profile, and click! If you like it, spread the flowers for the loved ones âœ¨âœ¨ It is only in this link for 7 days . . . FÄ±rtÄ±na Vadisiâ€™nden sizlere Ã§iÃ§ekler gÃ¶nderiyorum. Bir minik hediye hazÄ±rladÄ±m - Omphalodes cappadocica serisinden oluÅŸan kÃ¼Ã§Ã¼k mavi bir kitap yaptÄ±m - dilediÄŸiniz gibi indirebilir, bastÄ±rabilirsiniz. BeÄŸendiyseniz, sevdiklerinize mavi Ã§iÃ§ekler gÃ¶nderebilirsiniz. Åžu acaip gÃ¼nlerde evlerinize biraz renk katmasÄ± dileÄŸi ile.. gerekli linke profilimden ulaÅŸabilirsiniz â–¡â–¡ 7 gÃ¼n boyunca kitap bu linkte olacak #omphalodescappadocica #littlebluebook #botanicalartist #botanicalillustration

A post shared by IsÌ§Ä±k GuÌˆner (@benyesil) on May 12, 2020 at 3:46am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Still on this piece - Omphalodes cappadocicus. . . . Devam #Omphalodescappadocicus

A post shared by IsÌ§Ä±k GuÌˆner (@benyesil) on May 2, 2020 at 11:51pm PDT

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ABOUT Isik Guner (GM 2014) (BISCOT GM 2011)

Isik Guner has worked full time as a botanical artist for the last 10 years. Latterly she has also been an active teacher of botanical art using watercolour.

she is visiting botanical illustrator at RGBE (Facebook Page)
she was one of the botanical artists who worked on "Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile".
IÅŸÄ±k's painting of Gunnera Tinctoria won the RHS Best Painting in Show in Spring 2014. (see below)
She has worked on a number of projects in the last 10 years and travelled very widely
She has exhibited widely and internationally including at the 19th International Botanical Congress (2017) and the 16th International Exhibition of Botanical Art at the Hunt Institute (2019)
She teaches workshops internationally
Her book Botanical Illustration from Life was published in English in 2019 - which is one of my best instruction books about botanical illustration.
She is currently working as the Art Editor on an Illustrated Flora of Turkey (a "lifetime project"). The aim is to illustrate all the species native to Turkey. It will comprise 28 volumes and will be published in 2023.

Isik Guner with her Best Painting Award - and her Gold Medal winning exhibit at RHS Botanical Art Show in 2014. (Photograph: Katherine Tyrrell)

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