NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

RHS Digital Collections

23/7/2023

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has launched a new Digital Collections platform, allowing anyone to access 10,000 library items and herbarium specimens online for free.
RHS launches digital library of over 10,000 items, including rare treasures from their collections

Great progress has been made in digitising the collections in the RHS Lindley Library - of garden history and science - over the last five years. Below I cover

what is now available
the Terms and Conditions of Use
how I suggest you explore what's available to see

The project started in 2018 and was helped by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thousands of botanical artworks have been photographed, including Nellie Roberts’s Orchid Award Committee paintings

Have you explored the RHS Digital Collections yet?

Search over 9000 objects including artworks, books, photos, herbarium specimens and more

500 years of gardening history, digitised and free to explore online for the first time □

□https://t.co/zXSc1WA1Bx pic.twitter.com/T9y4qwCKGB
— Royal Horticultural Society Libraries (@RHSLibraries) June 29, 2023

WHAT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE RHS DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

You can now access digital images of the following online via RHS Digital Collections

Archive: 661 Records
Artworks: 7485 Drawings and paintings in the RHS Art Collection - which can be interrogated by a limited number of genus:
- Narcissus
- Malus
- Prunus
- Pyrus
- Vitis
- Rosa
- Fragaria
- Cucumis
- Ribes
- Ananas
- Pyrua
- Rubus
Bookplates: 1352 Digitised Records - which can be interrogated by Genus
Herbarium Specimens: 8295 Records - which can be interrogated by Genus

Here's an example - which can be downloaded - together with the detail which can be identified and listed if republished.

Tulipa cultivar white and red attributed to August Wilhelm Sievert (1705-1751) | Part of Hortus Florum Imaginum (Sievert album) | RHS Lindley Collections | Repository Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library

The Collections include:

Treasures

Themes

Gertrude Jekyll: Gertrude Jekyll and Gertrude Jekyll's Scrapbook
Growing up in the garden
RHS Garden Wisley
William Robinson

Some plants have "everything we've got on"

Record type

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

You can find the Terms of Use here. Clear distinctions are drawn between:

material out of copyright
orphan works - where the name of the originator is not known
material that is copyrighted to the RHS but published under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Licence

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RHS Plant Review needs an "artist in residence" in 2024

19/6/2023

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One surprise at the Private View for the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show was an announcement about a new competition and opportunity for botanical artists.

I'll explain below.

Artist in Residence for "Plant Review"

"The Plant Review" magazine is launching a competition to find an artist to provide the fabulous frontispieces that kick off each issue.

The Plant Review highlights details about the competition on https://www.rhs.org.uk/competitions/artist-in-residence-competition

Cover of the June 2023 edition of "The Plant Review" published by the RHS

How to enter the competition to be 'Artist in Residence'

WHO CAN ENTER

The competition is open to both amateur and professional artists.
To enter the competition you must be resident in the UK and aged 18 years or over.

WHAT YOU CAN ENTER

a picture of a named plant of their choice in any medium and in any style.

Some pointers to consider are:
Choose a plant or associated assemblage of plants to illustrate but not, for instance, a garden scene
Pick a plant or plants you are fond of to illustrate, think what it is you like about it/them and try to bring that out in your artwork
The Plant Review is a magazine read by gardeners who love plants. Try to offer them a picture that will whet their appetite and fire their enthusiasm
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and break some of the ‘rules’ of botanical art. The judges are looking for an artistic interpretation of a plant as much as a botanical representation

JUDGEMENT & JUDGING CRITERIA

The winner will be selected by a panel of four judges selected by the RHS.

In relation to the artwork submitted, these are the judgement criteria

Technical elements – Draughtsmanship, colour and composition:

How well observed is the plant and is the drawing accurate?
Are the forms well modelled?
Is the colouring sufficiently varied and appropriate to the aimed-for effect?
How well has the colour been applied?
Is the composition well arranged?

Plants – Botanical details and garden appeal:

Within the aimed-for effect, is the treatment of botanical details consistent and accurate?
Are the horticulturally important characters of the plant displayed?

Overall presentation – Aesthetics and innovation:

Is the artistic impression aesthetically pleasing?
Does the picture offer new ways of interpreting the subject?

HOW TO ENTER

Artwork

Pictures should be
- portrait orientation and
- show a single named plant
- or, alternatively, a composition of a group of associated named plants
Submit a scan or high-quality photograph of your picture as a jpeg file, 2MB–5MB in size, to theplantreview@rhs.org.uk
Name the file submitted in the following format: plantrevcomp23artistnameplantname

Administration

Terms and conditions apply
One entry only per person
Entries should be sent electronically to theplantreview@rhs.org.uk
All entries must be accompanied by an email including the name, address, telephone and email contact of the entrant - and any notes you wish to add
IF YOU WIN you will be asked to participate in an interview and provide a photo of yourself for publication.

TIMELINE

The deadline for entries is 10am, Monday 2 October 2023.
The winner will be notified by 1 November 2023 via the contact details they provide with their entry

COMPETITION OUTCOMES

The winner will receive:

A commission worth £1,000 to illustrate the frontispiece for all four issues of The Plant Review published in 2024 (subjects chosen by the editor, deadlines 1 February, 1 May, 1 August, 1 November)
Free copies of the issues in which their artwork appears

The winning picture will also appear in the December issues of The Plant Review and The Garden magazine. In print and online, the winning design with the name of the artist and the town/city of the winner.

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RHS Botanical Art Awards and Medals 2023

18/6/2023

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The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show opened at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea last week. Below is a list of all the 23 botanical artists and illustrators whose exhibits were

assessed by the RHS Picture Panel for Botanical Art and
whose RHS medals and awards which were announced on Thursday 15th June 2023.

RHS Best Botanical Artwork 2023: Hoya Latifolia G.Don. / Bold under (Sun) Stress by Eunike Nugroho (Indonesia)

My posts later this week will look in more detail at the different categories of awards and medal winners - and the artists winning them.

My post about the RHS Gold Medals will review:

the artists
images of the exhibits and how they came about
AND how you can get in touch with the artists and/or see more of their artwork.

Plus the same aspects for (1) Silver Gilt; and (2) the Silver and Bronze Medals - but in less detail.

The RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2023

Entrance to the Saatchi Gallery - just off the Kings Road in Chelsea

Venue: Saatchi Gallery Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4RY
Dates: Friday 16th June - 9th July 2023
Hours: open from 10am to 6pm each day (last entry 5.30pm)
Admission: Tickets from £5. Terms and conditions apply

Saatchi Gallery & RHS members go free (Booking required with the code provided by the RHS.)
Standard Tickets £7;
Concessions £5;
Children Under 6, Free;
Children Aged 6-16 years, £6;
Family ticket £17.

RHS Botanical Art Awards 2023

The Director of the Saatchi Gallery welcomes people to the third RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show at the Saatchi Gallery.

Best Botanical Art Exhibit:
Nina Mayes for Macrophytes in the Emergent Zone of Britain's Fresh Waters

Nina Mayes receiving the RHS Best Botanical Art Exhibit Award 2023

Best Botanical Artwork:
Eunike Nugroho for Hoya Latifolia G.Don. / Bold under (Sun) Stress

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RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show 2023

23/3/2023

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The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show 2023 opens at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea on 16th June and continues until 9th July 2023.

So you have just over three weeks to view the latest exhibits and the RHS medals awarded.

Interestingly, this year it is NOT scheduled to coincide with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show which is, of course, held in May every year (normally).

Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea (just off the Kings Road, near Sloane Square Underground Station)

Things you need to know:

The exhibition is open from 10am to 6pm each day
Tickets must be booked via the Saatchi Gallery website - but are not yet on sale. In previous years the way it works is that Entry is £5, however....
If the arrangement is the same as previous years: Admission will be free for members of the RHS and the Saatchi Gallery - on production of your membership card. You need to insert the code provided by RHS in the appropriate space on the booking page to get free access. (The code is usually provided in emails about upcoming events and the RHS Magazine sent to members and is sent to members only - but I've just checked and there have been no email about this as yet).

Viola atropurpurea Nigel Pickering (1957-2021), RHS Gold medal and Best Botanical Art Exhibit 2022. Subsequently purchased for the RHS Botanical Art Collection

Charlotte Brooks, the Art Curator and Secretary of the Picture Committee which selects artists for the exhibition gave a very interesting talk on 400 Years of Botanical Art last week (for Julia Trickey Talks) - about the RHS Botanical Art Collection. She commented on:

how the RHS Art Collection has been enhanced by purchasing artwork exhibited at the RHS Botanical Art Show to fill gaps in the collection - such as one of the paintings by Nigel Pickering (1957-2021) highlighted above (which formed part of the Best Exhibit at the 2022 Show.
there are plans to have various events associated with the Show - which I understand may well include another talk. Sounds like a tour of the exhibition to me!

I'll provide updates - either on this blog or my Facebook Page - on what more is happening on the ticketing front and other events as and when I'm notified or find out.

For more about the RHS Botanical Art Shows - past, present and future - see various dedicated pages on my website. You can read about the process leading up to being selected for the Exhibition - plus information and tips for potential future exhibitors - from RHS Gold Medal Winners! (eg. the deadline for entries for this

RHS Botanical Art Shows
ARCHIVE: RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2022
Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows - which helps you understand what's been done before
Tips from RHS Botanical Art Gold Medal Winners (in EDUCATION)
Calls for Entries - Open Exhibitions

REFERENCE Previous posts about the RHS Botanical Art Show

2022:

RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2022 - I was unable to personally attend this one as I was still mobilising on one leg!
RHS Botanical Art Awards 2022
RHS Gold Medal Winners - Botanical Art Show 2022
RHS Silver Gilt Medals - Botanical Art Show 2022
RHS Silver Medals - Botanical Art Show 2022

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A Royal Signature Painting for the Platinum Jubilee

2/6/2022

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The RHS Libraries Page on Facebook has released a new Video which:

features Gillian Barlow, Chair of the Panel which judges RHS Botanical Art Shows
as she explains the process of how she created a new "Royal Signature" painting to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

A new Royal Signature

A "Royal Signature" is a painting created to commemorate the signature of a member of the Royal Family who was a Patron or Fellow of the RHS.

The Royal Horticultural Society have commissioned several of these paintings in the past which are now contained in the Archives of the RHS Lindley Library. The very first painting was completed in 1816. There is of course a very long history of various Royals who have been interested in plants and gardens - and the Queen has attended almost all the RHS Shows during her 70 year reign.

The RHS commissioned this latest painting from Gillian Barlow, who has produced two of the previous signature paintings in the collection. The intention was to mark the unique occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II - who was crowned 70 years ago today!

The Platinum Jubilee Signature Painting

This is an excellent video of the process of creating the painting, which RHS Libraries have posted on Facebook

One of the requirements of the brief was that it should include as many plants as possible from RHS Wisley and other RHS gardens.

Gillian Barlow is especially well suited to the creation of Royal Signature Paintings. Besides being a very accomplished botanical painter she has also been a Herald painter at London's College of Arms for over 30 years. Hence, she's very well experienced and skilled in painting coats of arms.

The process included:

sketching plants from life and using past sketches of suitable plants
producing five "roughs" of possible designs which had to include the Royal Coat of Arms and the required words of the inscription
developing a watercolour painting on vellum - which started with the painting of the Royal Coat of Arms which took three days
commissioning the calligraphy for the banner inscriptions from a calligrapher at the Royal College of Arms.

Finally, the video shows Gillian with the Royal Signature Painting at the recent RHS Chelsea Flower Show being presented to the Queen in relation to the new painting.

Gillian Barlow with the new Royal Signature Painting to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee being presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

READ MORE NEWS ABOUT BOTANICAL ART AND ARTISTS

An exhibition of Royal Signature Paintings

I well remember the year when the RHS Botanical Art Show included a display of some of the Royal Signature Paintings - and somewhere I've got photos of them!

You can see of the Royal Signature Paintings near the beginning of the video - as Gillian studied them in developing ideas for how she might design the latest commissions.

The Facebook post (but not the website as yet) indicates that there will be a display of Facsimiles of the Signature Paintings at the three main RHS Libraries at Vincent Square, Wisley and Harlow Carr.

Facsimiles of the signature will be on display at the Lindley Library in London, RHS Garden Harlow Carr Library and RHS Garden Wisley Library in Hilltop throughout this month.

NOTE:
The book about The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe - which you see in the first few seconds of the video - is also in my library and was illustrated by Marjorie Blamey who died age 101 in September 2019. You can read more about her and find out more about her very useful book on my 20th Century Botanical Artists page

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RHS Medals for Portfolio Photography 2022

27/4/2022

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This post covers the photographers who received RHS Medals for their Photography Portfolio.

The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show comprises two parts.

One exhibition is for Botanical Art - covered in earlier posts this month and
the second exhibition focuses on the Portfolio aspect of the RHS Photography Awards.

This post is ordered according to

a preamble about the nature of the competition, exhibition and how it is judged
the Awards and colour of medals
with photographers in each category being listed alphabetically by surname.
links in their names are to their website - but I only liked to those who have a self-evident and serious interest in plants and not to those using this competition as some sort of marketing opportunity

All quotations are from the RHS Photographic Competition: Portfolio Category 2022 (PDF Guidance)

The RHS Portfolio Photography Category

Contrary to what the title of the show suggests this is NOT a Botanical Photography Exhibition. Its content and criteria for judging bears little relation to the Botanical Art Show.

Copper and Pewter by Paul Mitchell - from the Best in Show exhibit

I commented last year about aspects of the development of this particular show which I find unsatisfactory. It now seems to me that it has lost its original and unique purpose.

The Portfolio category is different because it offers entrants the ability to:
* Submit a portfolio of work based on a minimum 6 images. The submission must form a series OR have a distinct common theme. It should include a hanging plan with a 250 word statement describing the work.
* From entries submitted, an initial shortlist is created having been assessed by our panel of Portfolio judges.
* All photographers shortlisted for the Portfolio category, are then invited to prepare their work in print, ready to hang their entry for exhibition at an RHS show.
* Exhibits in the portfolio category are judged as a whole against a set of RHS criteria at a designated RHS show.
* The RHS medals offered are Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze
* A ‘Best Portfolio Photography exhibit’ with a prize is awarded to the most outstanding exhibit.
RHS Photographic Competition: Portfolio Category 2022 (PDF Guidance)

Note that this introduction to the awards excludes the words "plants" and/or "botanical and/or "horticultural". One would be forgiven for thinking that it's all about the creative endeavour.

I think the saddest aspect of the show this year is that the move to the Saatchi Gallery means that

genuine innovation and creativity with respect to exhibits has now been lost
all work has to be the same size and framed in the same way - meaning that one the very distinctive aspects of the exhibition has been removed
the number of words are severely curtailed
some exhibits do not even explain which plants you are looking at
which means that
- the element of judging relating to presentation should no longer be weighted as it has been in the past
- the exhibits are far less informative about the plants

The net result is that botanical photographers who have won Gold Medals in the past now refuse to exhibit in this very 'dumbed down' show.

I also have a MAJOR issue with the focus, experience and calibre of the Judges in relation to this exhibition. The question I pose repeatedly is that if ALL other RHS medals can be awarded by specialists in each of the very specialised and expert categories why can't photography? Frankly in other competitions I often say, knowing who the Judges are tells you a lot about whether it's worth entering.....

Who are the judges?
Portfolio is judged by members of the RHS Portfolio Judging Panel. Panel members come from a wide range of backgrounds, some are professional plant and garden photographers, others are photographers working in other fields such as architecture. Others have their background in plantsmanship or gardening but all have a keen interest in photographic art and plants. Judges are selected each year and they do change year on year depending on their availability.

I have an even bigger issue with the fact that nowhere in the Guidelines for entrants to this show is there an EXPLICIT statement of ALL the criteria to be used in judging exhibits.

Instead we have some very generic and general sentences - one of which left me with a dropped jaw - because it contravenes competition law!!

Portfolio is judged against a variety of criteria including the technical execution of the photography, how the portfolio hangs together as a whole, how the portfolio is presented and the horticultural content of the images........

Rules for the exhibition will be provided once date and venue are confirmed.

So absolutely no criteria relating to the "botanical" or "plant" content? Despite the name of the show?

Maybe the show needs to be retitled as the RHS Botanical Art and Horticultural Photography Show?

Or maybe just a creative photography show which happens to involve plants?
Even though plants do not get a mention in the guidance about "what is the Portfolio Category all about"!!

Below is the explanation of the exhibition hanging in Gallery 3 at the Saatchi Gallery. It contains a lot of content which is omitted from the Guidance Document and some which which it would have been very useful to include. See if you can spot the sentences which rankle,

Best in Show Award

All photographs must be mainly of plants, flowers or gardens or some aspect of botany or horticulture, including fungi and lichens. This may include people in a horticultural environment. Images which include other aspects of garden wildlife such as birds, mammals or invertebrates must ensure that they are balanced with sufficient plant content and that the wildlife content is not dominant.

Best Exhibit in Show - Portraits of Time by Paul Mitchell

I hope that people will enjoy this portfolio of tree portraits, some ancient and others that help to make the rich tapestry of British Woodlands.
Narrative of Paul Mitchell's exhibit label

Portraits in Time by Paul Mitchell
Paul is a first time exhibitor. Born in East Yorkshire, he now lives in East Dorset. He is a Fellow of the British Photographic Society. His interest in photography began at school. He studied graphic design at art college and had a design career in London working for many well known FMCG companies and brands. He now works as a professional landscape photographer and specialist book designer.

He has had previous successes in Landscape Photographer of the Year, Outdoor Photographer of the Year and the International Garden Photographer of the Year. I'm not surprised.

A cash prize of £500 plus an RHS gift membership is awarded to the Portfolio named Best Portfolio Exhibit

RHS Portfolio Photography: Gold Medals

This is the only RHS competitive exhibition for photographers which is eligible for RHS Medals.

Gold medals are only awarded to exhibits of the highest standards.

Christine Adams - The Perpetual Cycle of Life that includes Death
Tracy Calder - Plant Scars - a former editor of Outdoor Photography magazine, and currently works as Technique Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine. She has written various photography books, including Close-up & Macro Photography. Her work has been exhibited at The Photographers' Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Paul Mitchell - Portraits in Time
John Shepherd - Tribute to the Rainbow

RHS Gold Medal - Plant Scars Tracy Calder

RHS Portfolio Photography: Silver Gilt Medals

Libby Ellis - Cosmosis
Soia Letourneau - The Thread
Mark Lunn - New Life from Old

RHS Portfolio Photography: Silver Medals

Alan Bousfield - Kent Orchids
Konrad Cox - The Flowing Forest
Sanjay Dinker Jani - Richard of York Gave Battle in Vein
Kevin Dutton - Spring Bulbs - also exhibited in 2021 when he got a Bronze Medal
Kaylie Mountford - Contained - a Study of Botanical Houses

RHS Portfolio Photography: Bronze Medals

Emma TS Robinson - Still Life with Flowers
Jacki Rosin - The Dawn of Spring
Joseph Shaffery - A Window to A World of Forests

Previous Shows

2021:
- RHS London Botanical Art & Photography Show - Pros, Cons and the Future
- Review: RHS London Portfolio Photography Show - which includes a summary of how this exhibition has developed over time - and lost its way....
2020 - show was cancelled
2019 - RHS Portfolio Photography Show 2019 - Selected Exhibits
2018 - RHS London Botanical Photography Show 2018 - Awards and Medal Winners
2017 - RHS Awards for Botanical Photography 2017

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More about botanical photography

You can read and see more about botanical photography on the following pages on my Botanical Art and Artists website

HISTORY: Famous Botanical Photographers
CONTEMPORARY: You can find Notable contemporary botanical photographers on my page about people working on other media - Botanical Printmakers, Photographers, Sculptors and Digital Illustrators
This label is used for all blog posts about botanical photography on this news blog - and references non-RHS botanical photography shows and photographers.

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RHS Silver Medals - Botanical Art Show 2022

21/4/2022

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This is about the botanical artists and illustrators awarded an RHS Silver Medal at The RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show - on display at the Saatchi Gallery until 29th April 2022.

My two previous posts covered:

There will be one more post about the Botanical Art Show in which I will comment on themes and learning points from the exhibits

RHS Silver Medals for Botanical Art 2022

These are the RHS Silver Gilt Medallists , listed in alphabetical order by country.
UK

Georgia Danvers - Making the invisible visible
Jane Goodson - Aeonium
Yolande Muschamp - A Gloucestershire Hedgerow
Shirley Slocock - Lucian's Herbarium revisited
Wendy Smith - Running to Seed - flower seed heads

USA

Hyunjin Cho - The anatomy of flowers

Below is a profile of each artist - based on information available online.
If the artist has a website or social media site a link to this is embedded in their name.

The Anatomy of Flowers by Hyunjin Cho

Hyunjin Cho - The anatomy of flowers

Exhibit.
Her paintings show the complete flowering process from first bud to full bloom. Anatomical details are shown in a U shape below the flower, echoing the shape of a fetus in a womb

About Hyunjin Cho (First time Exhibitor)
Lives and works in California, USA. She has previously exhibited at Filoli and ASBA 24th Annual International Exhibition of Botanical Art

Georgia Danvers - Making the invisible visible

Exhibit
Her exhibit explored the diversity in structure and colour in pollen grains, relative to the plant. She collaborated with Professor David Twell who sourced and grew the plants and supplied images of the pollen from a high definition electron microscope at the University of Leicester's Department of Genetics and Genome Biology. Her exhibit comprises 12 artworks

a small painting of a macro view of the pollen grain and
a very small painting of the flower (life size?).

Both artworks lack a scale on the artwork - although the level of magnification is indicated on the label for the pollen grain.

The decision to paint pollen grains too much research and thought. To paint something which is invisible to the naked eye, to capture is structure, form, beauty, colour and shape was a deeply exciting project.

Making the Invisible visible by Georgia Danvers

About Georgia Danvers
Based in Leicestershire and trained in botanical illustration at Leicester College. Former Chair of Leicester Floral Artists Society. Previously awarded an RHS Silver Medal in 2013.

Jane Goodson - Aeonium

Exhibit
This exhibit is a response to the changing climate in the U - with many gardens experiencing increased periods of dry weather - and hence the need to review plants grown in a UK garden. Aeonium are native to Madeira, the Canary Islands and North Africa but do not thrive above 40 degrees C. However, unlike many succulents, they can tolerate increased rainfall. They can grow to 1 metre tall and exhibit dense branching rosettes of leaves up to 15 cm across.

About Jane Goodson
A botanical artist and adult education teacher who lives and works in Dorset. Awarded an RHS Silver Gilt Medal at Malvern in 2016. Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists. Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society. She provides courses, talks and demonstrations.

Aeonium by Jane Goodson

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