NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Artists exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2024

29/5/2024

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This post is about:

Facts about the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2024 - and how to see it in June in London!
Profiles of the 22 botanical artists and illustrators selected to exhibit a minimum of six artworks on a theme at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2024 - plus the title of their exhibit.â€‹

If you want to exhibit in the future.... at the end tells you some of the things you need to know.

Some of the exhibiting artists at RHS Botanical Art Show 2024

Facts about the RHS Botanical Art Show 2024

This is how to see the exhibition.

Venue: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY
Dates: 14th June - 7th July 2024
Times: 10am - 6pm (last entry 5.30pm)
Website Page: https://www.saatchigallery.com/exhibition/the-rhs-botanical-art-photography-show-2024
Entry to the exhibition:
- Free for members of RHS and Saatchi Gallery - on production of membership card;
- Otherwise: Adult: Â£7, Concession: Â£5, Â£17/family.
- â€‹â€‹Tickets available to book now

The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea

Some of you may be aware I've been interviewing Gold Medal Winners for years and years.

You can see past interviews in my ARCHIVE RHS Botanical Art Shows 2007-2023
I'm going to be at both the Private View and the Press View and will be trying to get an interview with all those who have won a Gold Medal - and as many photos of artists with their artwork as possible!

RHS Botanical Art Show 2024: List of Exhibiting Botanical Artists & Illustrators

Charlotte Brooks and the RHS have gone to a lot of trouble this year to improve the scope and quality of the information about the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show and the exhibitors on the RHS Website.

Every artist has their work featured with a profile and links to their websites and social media.

The exhibition will showcase exquisite botanical art and photography, featuring a rich variety of subjects from medicinal desert flowers to ornamental bananas, and from images of forest slime moulds to urban street plants. It will showcase the new work of leading botanical artists and photographers representing the UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, USA, South Africa, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Japan. Saatchi Gallery

As usual, the two countries dominating the show are the UK and Japan - with four artists each.

Unusually this year we have three artists from the USA in the exhibition - which I'm very pleased to see.
Australia, Italy and the Republic of Korea each have two artists exhibiting
Portugal, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka and Taiwan all have one artist each - and I think this might be the very first time there have been representatives from Sri Lanka and Taiwan!

Unusually, the majority of the artists are first time exhibitors - and only two artists (Linda Pitkin and Toni Dade) are previous RHS Gold Medal Winners.

It's been apparent in recent years, how much the calibre of entrant has improved and it's now not at all unusual for first time exhibitors to achieve a Gold Medal the first time they exhibit. As a number of the artists have demonstrated their ability to excel in other countries and other exhibitions, I'm expecting the same will happen this year. (I am already making my list of those who look to me like possible GMs!)

â€‹So it will be interesting to see what the medal table looks like after the exhibits have all been assessed and the medals and prizes awarded.

I'm looking forward to meeting as many as possible of the artists listed below as possible. I'll be there on the 13th for the Press View and Private View in the evening....

Botanical artists and illustrators from England, Scotland, Wales, Australia and the USA - exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2024

Below, I'm listing the names of the various botanical artists and illustrators, ordered by country - starting with the UK and then going alphabetically for the remaining countries.

Each of the names - on this page - provides

a bio of the artist and
a brief description of what the exhibit is about
a brief insight to the background of this artist and their previous history with the show

If the artist has a website or social media site, you will find

a link to it in their name.
links to a website and other social media sites on the profile on the RHS website

I've also added in images from their Instagram accounts where this was allowed by the account.

UK (4 artists)
England

LINDA PITKIN: Native British Woodland Wildflowers (Gold 2019) Linda is a biologist and took up botanical illustration after a life long career as a biologist at the Natural History Museum and success as a wildlife photographer under water. She won Gold in 2019 at her first attempt - see RHS London Botanical Art Show 2019 - Awards and Medal Winners
ANN SAWARD: Sarracenia - Trumpet Pitcher Plants of North America (First time exhibitor). A retired potter, based in Devon who is a member of the South West Society of Botanical Artists.

Scotland

INGRID ARTHUR: A Shetland Garden (First time exhibitor). Born in Shetland, Ingrid left in 2016 to study at Edinburgh College of Art. Graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) in Tapestry Weaving in 1981. Enrolled at RBGE in 2019 and graduated in 2022. Her exhibit seems to be based on the work she did for her Diploma.â€‹

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Selected Artists for ASBA 26th Annual International Exhibition (2023)

30/8/2023

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The 26th Annual International Exhibition of Botanical Art by the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) opens next month. The exhibition comprises two-dimensional, original, botanical art and runs from 17th September to 26th November at Marin Art & Garden Center (MAGC) in California. (More details of this and the opening event at the end)

This post is about the artists whose artwork has been selected for this exhibition.
[UPDATE 31 August 2023: It has now been updated to include

the link to the art on the website
the title of the artwork included on the exhibition
more details about all the events and how to register for them]

Gossypium hirsutum ‘Arkansas Green’ by Susan Tomlinson

Selection process

The selection jury for this show comprised three botanical artists and educators.

Beverly Allen (Australia) - see my profile in Beverley Allen - 2023 Shirley Sherwood Award for Botanical Art
Lee McCaffree (US / North California branch)
Deborah B. Shaw (US) She is an active member of member of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, Northern California Society of Botanical Artists, the Southwest Society of Botanical Artists, and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.

The jury met in May 2023 and selected 48 artworks by 47 artists from 150 entries (giving a 32% success rate)

Selected artists 2023

The artists who produced artwork selected by the jurors are listed below.

Artists are listed by country
Links embedded in the artist's name are either to
- their website (where known)
- Instagram account (if no website)
- or their member art gallery page on the ASBA website (if created).

The thing I noticed as I went through the listing below is that a lot of names are new to me and are artists who have not exhibited in the ASBA International before. I understand a total of ten (22%) are new to having their art displayed in the Annual International.

UPDATE: You can now see ALL the artworks in digital form on the ASBA website - in alphabetical order of the surname of the artist. Find out about the artists below....

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Plantae 2023: How to exhibit at the SBA's Annual Exhibition

24/2/2023

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This is a guide to the Call for Entries for Plantae 2023 the Annual OPEN Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA) in 2023 PLUS prizes - which includes one from me!

The DEADLINE for entry is midnight on 4th March 2023. This guide covers:

prizes and awards
who can enter,
what you can enter
how to enter
- terms and conditions
- digital entry website
- timeline
- how to produce a digital image
- how to price artwork
- VAT payable
- how is artwork selected
- how much does it cost
Exhibition details
REFERENCE: Reviews of past exhibitions - which include images of artwork

FOR THOSE NEW TO THE SBA EXHIBITION

I've been visiting and reviewing the annual exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists since 2006 - to start with on my art blog Making A Mark and latterly on this website.

If you've not submitted before and want to get an idea of the standard of work that gets selected, my blog posts contain a lot of images of artwork selected for hanging (See the end of this article for how to access my reviews.)

Prizes and Awards

Prizes and are awarded at this exhibition (see below).
These vary between:

Traditional SBA Awards - awarded for many years
Monetary Awards - which cover
- the new John Waterman Award
- plus the one I award - the Making A Mark Award!
Art Materials Awards
Certificates of Botanical Excellence
Exhibiting Excellent Awards (certificate)

Check out who won awards last year in the links to posts at the bottom of this article.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The website for the digital entry is https://soc-botanical-artists.oess1.uk/

This also contains the Full Details, Entry Terms & Conditions in https://soc-botanical-artists.oess1.uk/Home/Index/375 - which is not printable and is only viewable onscreen.

The following terms and conditions which apply to the use of the OESS entry system are also relevant to this open exhibition - see OESS Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

NOTE: I'd like to recommend to SBA - as I am doing to other art societies using OESS - that in future ALL relevant information about the open exhibition should also be contained in a downloadable print-ready PDF on the SBA website - as well as viewable onscreen on the OESS website.

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 next section below).

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

Botanical artists from other countries around the world frequently submit entries to this exhibition AND get selected for exhibition. (However you do need to be familiar with the rules and regulations on importing artwork to the UK for sale)

What you can enter

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The 15th Biennial Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibition at RBG Melbourne

26/9/2020

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The 15th Biennial Exhibition of The Art of Botanical Illustration 2020 (TABI) is presented by The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

This year for the first time it is a Virtual ONLINE Exhibition. I guess, whichever country we live in we're now getting used to these in the age of the Pandemic.

The Friends are to be congratulated on producing a well constructed and beautiful online exhibition. I particularly like the fact that we get a profile for each artist included in the exhibition. It not only helps the artist with raising their profile - it also helps the buyers who often want to know more about "who painted this?"

About the 15th Biennial TABI Exhibition

The Virtual Exhibition is online from 19 September – 31 December 2020. All artworks are for sale and all profits from this exhibition assist the Friends to support the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

You can:

download the catalogue to see the full list of artwork selected for the exhibition. (Vicki Philipson painted the Agapanthus Seed Head used for the front cover)
view the exhibition online
review artists profiles and artwork per artist
purchase artwork in the exhibition
read about the History of the Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibitions

If you click the image of the artwork it takes you to a seperate page which lists more details about the artwork and includes the price. Postage is not included - but a link provides more information. All transactions are between the artist and the art collector.

Selection, Participating Artists and Prizes

SELECTION

Artwork is selected for the exhibition by a panel which includes a botanist, an artist and the head librarian at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne to ensure that the highest standards are met.

All artwork exhibited must adhere to the following criteria:

it must provide an accurate representation of the form and botany of the chosen subject;
the characteristics of the species or variety must be adequately conveyed;
the representation should be an artistically pleasing, balanced and a considered work of art;
it must be identified and named accurately according to standard botanical practices; and
it must have been completed within the previous two years.

Below is a video of the opening of the exhibition and the announcement of the awards.
The awards and the artworks purchased for the State Botanical Art Collection are detailed below - against the artists name.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

The artists whose artwork was selected for the exhibition are as follows. Links in their name got to the exhibition website.

Amanda Ahmed
Haya Alketbi - Celia Rosser Honourable Mention for Pyrus sp
Beverly Allen - Celia Rosser Honourable Mention for Corymbia ficifolia cv.
Sally Armfield
Kelly Bassett
Amanda Blake-Sutterby Amyema linophylla - Buloke Mistletoe - purchased by the RBG Victoria for the State Botanical collection
Ila Blyth
Marie Bogoyevitch
Helen Burrows
Lucy Chapman
Brian Cheung
Deb Chirnside
Pratistha Chitrakar
Thea Clark
Niki Coates
Simon Deere
Sue Dixon
Rosemary Donnelly
Dianne Emery - Celia Rosser Award Winner for Amanita muscaria - fly agaric (SEE BELOW)

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ASBA 23rd Annual International (2020): Awards & Artwork

5/9/2020

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The 23rd Annual International of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) opens today at Wave Hill - at 675 West 252nd Street, Bronx, NY. The exhibition comprises two-dimensional, original, botanical art and runs until 6th December 2020. (See end for notes about social distancing / booking etc).

ASBA have set up a Virtual Exhibition Online - on their website - click each picture to see a larger image.

The 46 artworks in the exhibition were selected from a field of 178 entries - and include

work by thirteen artists who have never exhibited before and
25 artists who are showing at Wave Hill for the very first time.
The Jurors were Ken Druse, Karen Kluglein and Eileen Jeng Lynch.

The exhibition is a collaboration between ASBA and Wave Hill and some of the artwork represents plant specimens grown at Wave Hill. The exhibition was organized by Carol Woodin, Director of Exhibitions at the American Society of Botanical Artists; Jennifer McGregor, Senior Director of Arts, Education and Programs at Wave Hill; and Eileen Jeng Lynch, Wave Hill’s Curator of Visual Arts.

An Exhibition Catalogue is available for purchase from both Wave Hill and ASBA:

The front cover is Ingrid Finnan's oil painting on paper of a Fan Leaved Boophone.
Lizzie Sanders' watercolor on paper, Coelogyne lawrenceana is on the back

Adding to my challenge, I chose to work on a thin hard paper – Schoellershammer G4. This is similar to Bristol board; coated, very smooth. It takes ink well and hates water. It is almost like working on vellum. This paper will not put up with a single mistake. You can't scrape it or wash off. A very dry brush with tiny strokes is the only solution.
Lizzie Sanders (1950-2020)

ASBA 23rd Annual International: Awards

This is the video announcement of the Awards at the ASBA 23rd Annual International Exhibition at Wave Hill.

The links in the name of the plant go to the image on the ASBA website - with its back story

Wave Hill Best in Show of $500:
Ingrid Finnan (Fan Leaved Boophone) oil on paper - I'm so very pleased to see this. Since the first time I saw the plant at Wisley I've wanted to see how an excellent botanical artist would portray this very unusual plant and Ingrid has produced a great painting.

ASBA Eleanor Wunderlich Award of $500:
Liz Shippam (Blackthorn)

Richmond and Lili Bates Award for Excellence of $300:
Sengmany Phommachakr (Bitter Melon)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Award for a Print or Drawing of $500:
Monika de Vries Gohlke (Ponderosa)

Honorable Mention (4):

Olga Gudzera (Christmas Star)
Lucy Martin (Lichens of Mallorca) - I thought this was particularly innovative
Natalia Zueva (The Beauty)
Susan Tomlinson (The Evolution of Cotton) The panoramic image works particularly well with this story of a plant.

Selected Artwork - with some images

The artists whose work was selected for the exhibition come from the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Thirteen artists have never before been included in an ASBA international exhibition.
Names are organised by country and then alphabetically by surname below
See Profiles of Selected Artists for ASBA 23rd Annual International Exhibition for more about each individual artist.

This post is about the ARTWORK. Links in their names (below) are to the backstory behind the artwork selected for the exhibition - which I particularly enjoy reading. I ALWAYS learn something NEW in terms of both plants and approaches/techniques!

All artworks are watercolour paintings unless indicated otherwise

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Profiles of Selected Artists for ASBA 23rd Annual International Exhibition

20/7/2020

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ASBA's 23rd Annual International Exhibition of Botanical Art at Wave Hill includes 13 artists who have never exhibited in an ABA International Exhibition before.

A total of 46 two-dimensional, original, botanical artworks - out of 178 entries have been selected. The international botanical artists come from the US (33), Australia (1), Canada (3), Germany (2), Japan (2), Netherlands (1), Russia (2) and the UK (2). Entries are down on last year - but this may be due to the Pandemic.

It's hoped that the exhibition can be held as planned in September.

Selected Artists

Botanical Artists whose botanical drawing, painting, print or illustration was selected for the exhibition are listed BELOW

Names are organised by country.
Profiles include bio information available online.
Embedded in their name is a link to their website or ASBA Member Gallery Page.
Images are from my photos (or as credited) or links to social media posts.

I confess I gave myself a memory check and sorted them - from memory - before checking each individual artist's bio! I got 27 of the 46 sorted without the need for more information!

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Seongweon Ahn (New Jersey) - member of both Member of ASBA(USA) & KBAC(Korea). She is a a Korean Botanical Artist currently living in New Jersey, USA. She majored in Oriental Painting for Undergraduate studies but now works mainly in coloured pencils. She has participated in multiple exhibitions in Korea and Taiwan and her previous awards include: Gold medal winner at Botanical Art Society of Korea Open exhibition 2019 and Prize winner at the 2019 International Botanical Art Show in Seoul. (SEE BELOW)

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Claudia Campazzo (California) - Born in Chile to an Italian family, she has lived all of her adult life in the United States. Currently lives in Fairfax, California. Lost her hearing in 2016 and began painting as a creative alternative to her career as a violist.
Mary Crabtree (Colorado) - Born and raised in the US midwest. Currently living in Colorado. 30-year career as a research virologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Began studying botanical illustration after retirement at the Denver Botanic Gardens (School of Botanical Art and Illustration and at several international botanical art workshops. Her work has been exhibited at the DBG and the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Additionally, her illustrations are in use in interpretive signs and publications by the Denver Mountain Parks Division, Denver, CO.
Jessica Daigle (Connecticut). An Illustrator and Designer who has also worked as a scientific illustrator. Started her own business in 2019 and uses a technique known as 'indirect' oil painting.

Jean Emmons with her painting which won Best Painting in Show as well as a Gold Medal back in 2011 at the RHS Botanical Art Show

Jean Emmons (Vashon Island, Washington) - an award winning botanical artist whose technique for watercolour painting on vellum is based on medieval manuscript illumination. Lives on Vashon Island, WA, USA. Her work is included in numerous collections including the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, the Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library, and the Shirley Sherwood Collection. She has won many prestigious awards.
Ingrid Finnan (New York) - Consistent exhibitor at this exhibition (9th through 23rd). Born in 1944 in Poland, now lives in Riverdale, New York City, Took up botanical art in 2005, after retiring from a career of 30 years working as a designer of decorative textiles. She admires the Dutch Golden Age floral painters and paints in oils (on gesso prepared 600 gsm Fabriano Artistico). Since 2006, she has shown annually in the International American Society of Botanical Artists Exhibitions and other exhibitions, including those associated with the Shirley Sherwood Collection at Kew. Recipient of the Horticultural Society of New York Best in Show Award, 2013
Jane Fisher (Minnesota) - Studied botanical art at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art. Works in graphite.

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Wuhan International Botanical Art Exhibition: Invited Artists

16/6/2020

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The Wuhan International Botanical Art Exhibition

at the Wuhan Botanic Garden in Wuhan in June 2020
exhibits 82 artworks (reproductions)
from 48 artists from China and international artists from UK, Australia, Japan, Turkey, Germany and Nepal.

It's the first International exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration in China since the COVID 19 Pandemic started. The exhibition is organised by the Wuhan Botanical Garden, and The Chinese Academy of Science working with the Lian Centre in Beijing - which is hosting the virtual exhibition of artwork online.

The aim of the exhibition is

to recall the people's best memories about this city by inviting national and international botanical artists to paint lovely endemic plants in Wuhan

Participating Artists

CHINA

Chen Dongzhu (1) - Wisteria sinensis
Chen Menglan (1) - Rhododendron Kanehirai Wilson and Lady of Shalott
Chen Mo - (1) Phalaenopsis aphrodite Rchb.f.
Chen Xiaoyun (1) - Rose chinensis and Paris polyphylla
Chen Yujie (4) -
- Rosa 'Lv yun'
- Davidia involucrata
- Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng
- Rosa 'Cherry Parfait'
Du Yiping - Medinilla magnifica Lindl.
He Ruihua - Victoria regia
He Yijun (6)
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata
- Ginkgo biloba L.
- Hosta plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers
- Malus micromalus
- Chimonanthus praecox (Linn.) Link
- Camellia impressinervis Chang et S.Y. Liang

"Chimonanthus praecox (Linn.) Link" by He Yijun

Hu Dongmei (1) - Dendrboium hybrid
Jia Zhanhui (1) - Lycoris radiata
Jiang Zhengqiang (1) - Rosa Laevigata MichX.
Li Xiaodong (1) Blossom Garden with Butterfly
Liang Huiran (1) - Cerasus yedoensis and Fragaria x ananassa
â€‹Liu Bing (1) - Subsp. ovalifolia
Liu Cuiyun (1) - Rosa chinensis Jacq
Liu Linhan (3) - Actinidia chinensis Planch and Davidia involucrata Baill and Dendrobium densiflorum Lindl. ex Wall.
Liu Suxuan (1) - Cerasus serrulata
Liu Yihan (2) - Rhododendron lapponicum (L.) Wahlenb and Iris germanica
Liu Yu (1) - Rhododendron simsii Planch.
Lu Tieying - Magnolia grandiflora L
Qian Bin (2) - Viburnum propinquum Hemsl. var.mairei W. W and Viburnum sympodiale
Qing Chuanâ€‹ (1) - Papilio maackii & Lycoris radiata
Qiu Mengyun (1) - Pteris multifida
Shi Luo (1) - Cherishables
Wang Qin (2) - Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng and Punica granatum L.
Wang Yichen (1) - Manglietia patungensis and Actinidia chinensis
Wang Zizhong (1) - Osmanthus fragrans
Wu Qinchang (1) - Armeniaca mume Sieb.var.tortuosa T.Y.Chen et H.H.Lu
Wu Xiuzhen (5)
- Pseudolarix amabilis
- Cercidiphyllum japonicum Sieb. Et Zucc.
- Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng
- Torreya grandis 'Merrillii'
- Rhododendron simsii & Papilio polytes
Wu Yifan - Taxus chinensis
Xun Yiqiao - Abrus precatorius
Yan Lan (2) - Viburnum opulus var calvescens (Rehd.) Hara and Viburnum opulus Linn.
Yang Yifei (1) - Cypripedium franchetii
Ye Caihua (3)
- Daphne genkwa Sieb. et Zucc.
- Rosa laevigata MichX.
- Diospyros kaki Thunb.
Zeng Xiaolian (3)
- Chaenomeles speciosa
- Camellia azalea
- Liriodendron X sinoamericanum
Zhang Lei (1) - Actinidia
Zhang Lingling (1) - Bark
Zhao Ying (2) Dendrobium nobile and Nelumbo SP.

Camellia azalea Liriodendron X sinoamericanum by Zeng Xiaolian

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AUSTRALIA

Ro Bancroft - Fatsia japonica

GERMANY

Sylvia Peter (2) - Malus pumila Mill. and Cornus alba | Sylvia runs the Studio/Gallery Forum Botanische Kunst in Germany. She is also a member of the SociÃ©tÃ© FranÃ§aise dâ€™Illustration Botanique (SFIB) and the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA)

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