NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

2017 Botanical Art Tuition: Call for Updates

17/11/2016

This is a Call for Updates on Botanical Art Tuition being provided in 2017.

I'm currently updating my page of Workshops, Classes and Short Courses in the UK with the titles and dates of new courses being offered in 2017. This is a page focused on the education & continuing professional development of aspiring and existing botanical artists and illustrators. (It includes everything that isn't a Diploma and Certificate in Botanical Art Courses - which have a seperate page)

After that I'll be updating the pages:

for PROFESSIONAL level art tuition i.e tuition at any level - beginners intermediate, advanced, masterclass
by PROFESSIONAL botanical artists - who are experienced in teaching botanical art and illustration
provided elsewhere around the world, - in North America, Europe, Australasia, Asia and South America

The definition of "professional" in my book is

this is how you make your living and
you have demonstrable evidence of having delivered regular and successful botanical art courses for a minimum of a year on your own website or the website of a recognised educational institution

However the people who get their information updated first are those who send me the relevant details of their courses and/or the links to more information on their websites! :)

TELL ME about Tuition

You can contact me direct using the contact forms at the bottom of the Education Page for:

NEW Course Update
2017 Tuition Update

Below is an EXAMPLE of one of the new courses in 2017 in the UK - a short course on painting on vellum will be delivered by Sarah Morrish and Shevaun Doherty in Hampshire next September.

Unsurprisingly, given the continuing problems with Fabriano Artistico, there are more and more botanical artists interested in painting on vellum. I may have to start a special section just for vellum courses! (In the meantime - I've got a page all about Vellum)

You can also tell me if:

you are a professional botanical art tutor
you can recommend a course of tuition in botanical art and illustration

See the forms at the bottom of the Tuition Page

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Fiona Strickland exhibition at Park Walk Gallery

20/10/2016

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View of "The Vital Moment" Exhibition

Fiona Strickland's first solo show The Vital Moment at Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery in Chelsea opens to the public today (20th October) and continues until 12 November 2016.

I visited yesterday afternoon and had a close look at the paintings on display. You can see images and details of the paintings by clicking The Vital Moment link above.

Fiona's very fine botanical paintings in watercolour are painted on either Fabriano Artistico or Kelmscott Vellum. I've only seen her large works before and it was interesting to see her new range of smaller works done on vellum - two of which I particularly liked. So much so I kept going back for another look at Almost Over and Open Absalom.

The majority of paintings feature tulips at different stages. However the exhibition also includes an Iris, a Hippeastrum, autumn leaves and notably the amazing painting of a Rhododendron which won the top prize at last year's 18th International Exhibition by the American Society of Botanical Artists in New York. (see Fiona Strickland wins The Hort's "Best in Show" Award at 18th Annual International)

Below is a slideshow of images in the exhibition which give you a sense of the relative size of some of the paintings. (Click the 'play' button).

I was very impressed by the presentation of the paintings and their walnut frames.

The vellum has been gallery wrapped which gives it the appearance of a an oil painting. The watercolour paper is not matted and rather than being float mounted it is very flat and I suspect is dry mounted. It certainly looks very contemporary and unlike the traditional presentation of watercolours.

Both paintings and their presentation are obviously appealing to the collectors as five have sold before the exhibition had formally opened!

About Fiona Strickland

I've been following Fiona Strickland's amazing artwork since I saw her very first exhibition at the Society of Botanical Artists. You can read my interview with back in 2012 - see A 'Making A Mark' Profile of Fiona Strickland. This includes an explanation of her working practices.

Below you can read what the Gallery has as her bio and the background to this exhibition.

Strickland trained at the Edinburgh College of Art under Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, who instilled in her a dedication to composition and mastery of negative space that continues to inform her practise. Of equal influence in Strickland’s work is her passion for and fascination with the Golden Age of Dutch art, and a major inspiration for this exhibition is the seventeenth-century Tulip Book of Jacob Marrel, which she recently studied at the Rijksmuseum. Indeed, the tulip in its myriad of forms will be a key focus of the show, which will include many varieties grown by Strickland in her garden in Scotland, such as the English Florists’ Tulips beloved of fellow artist Rory McEwen, whose paintings Strickland first encountered while a student in Edinburgh.

About Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery

Jonathan Cooper is renowned for holding exhibitions of botanical art and has a number of leading contemporary botanical artists associated with his Park Walk Gallery in Chelsea. The other leading botanical artists are: Beverley Allen, Kate Nessler and Rosie Sanders.

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NEW: All about painting on Vellum

20/3/2016

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Botanical artists are becoming more interested in painting on vellum of late.
This post introduces All About Vellum - a new webpage on this site. It provides an overview of painting on vellum plus tips and techniques and links to more information and suppliers

The new page on this website is located in the EDUCATION section and is called just 'Vellum" in the drop down menu.

It includes all the best references I know about:

Vellum and Art
What is vellum and the different types of vellum
How to paint on vellum including a summary of tips and techniques
Suppliers of vellum in the UK and USA

If you have any suggestions for more great links to useful resources please leave a comment and state the link.

All About Vellum for Botanical Art and Artists

All About Vellum - a new page on Botanical Art and Artists

The page includes a video I made at one of the demonstrations at last years annual exhibition by the Society of Botanical Artists. Shevaun Doherty (who is the new tutor on painting vellum for the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course) demonstrated how a pink paint could not be lifted from watercolour paper - but could be lifted to leave a clean surface from a piece of vellum.

Of course if you want to get the paint to stay put you also need to master the art of painting with a barely damp brush!

Shevaun will be demonstrating again at the SBA 2016 Annual Exhibition. Her session on "Painting on Vellum' is scheduled for 1pm to 5pm on Friday 15th April.

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