List of artists exhibited in "Down Under II: Works from the Shirley Sherwood Collection"

View of Down Under II in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery

This post puts on record all those artists who have artwork in Down Under II: Works from the Shirley Sherwood Collection at the The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art in Kew Gardens.

It also provides views of artwork in the exhibition for those who have been unable to attend - or need an incentive to visit  before it ends on Sunday 16th September 2018!

The exhibition contains a mix of works by Australian and New Zealand artists based combined with studies of some remarkable Australasian native plants, created by artists from other parts of the world. All were collected since 1990.

All the artwork comes from the Shirley Sherwood Botanical Art Collection.

​Some of the artists included in the exhibition Susannah Blaxill, Paul Jones, Celia Rosser and Margaret Stones were well established botanical artists when Dr Sherwood started collecting. 

However, her first exhibition of botanical art in Sydney in 1998 triggered an interest in botanical art which led to

• the first Down Under II exhibition ten years ago at Kew and
• the formation of the Florilegium Group at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney and the current major exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery - see "The Florilegium: The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney" exhibition at Kew Gardens

The Banksia Corner in the Down Underr II exhibition

The list of artists and the 43 artworks included in the exhibition works as follows:

• The list is alphabetical based on (1) the country they come from and (2) the surname of the artist.
• A link to their website (if they have one) is embedded in their name. Alternatively another page has been linked to if this tells you about an artist who doesn't have a website. 
• an asterisk * after their name indicates they are included in my current summary of artists for the country they live in - where you can read more about them. If the artist is deceased they will be listed in 20th century Botanical Artists in the history section. Those without an asterisk will be added soon!  ​
• The name is followed by basic bio data which indicates where they were born and live
• This is then followed by the title of the work. The common vernacular name is very often followed by the correct latin name in italics, (for more about naming plants see Plant Names and Botanical Latin in the Botany section on this website)
• Media: All paintings are watercolour on paper unless otherwise stated.  
• Artwork which has been published in one of Dr Sherwood's books includes the title of the book and page number (in green) after the title
• Those who have more than one artwork in the exhibition have the titles of the works bullet pointed below their names.

Some of the plants have interesting stories or names and these are also highlighted

Paintings by Noboru Isogai. Betty Hinton, Bronwyn Van de Graaff and Gill Condy

Names of the Artists / Titles of the Artwork
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Australia
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Beverly Allen* GM (RHS 2007, NYBG 2010) - b. 1945 in Sydney, Australia. 

• Strelitzia nicolai  2003 Watercolour on paper

Laurie Andrews born Melbourne, Australia  1936 

• Maidenhair Fern: Adiantum aethiopicum  (2001) Watercolour on paper - the plant can be found over a wide area including Australia
• Strap Water Fern: Blechnum patersonii  (2001)  Watercolour on paper - an Australian native

Susannah Blaxill * b. 1954 in Armidale, New South Wales.This artist is featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists

• Seaweed: Laminaria sp. (2002) Watercolour on paper - Kelp found on a Sydney beach
• Agapanthus africanus (2012) Watercolour on vellum  - Her first painting on vellum.  

​I've spend a long time with a magnifier looking at her brushstrokes in the agapanthus. It's almost unbelievable that this is her FIRST painting on vellum. I seem to recall she had the additional stress of painting on a sheet of vellum from the Hunt which had belonged to Rory McEwen

Agapanthus africanus and Laminaria by Susannah Blaxill

Betty Hinton born Gin Gin, Queensland, Australia 1935. This artist is featured in A Passion for Plants

• Idiot Fruit: Idiospermum australiense 2000 Watercolour on paper - also known as Also known as the 'Green Dinosaur' A Passion for Plants page 107

This very ancient and primitive plant has huge and heavy seeds. It's endemic in the Daintree National Park, NE Queensland, Australia. It was first discovered in the nineteenth century and then "lost" again as land was cleared. The fruit is classed as very poisonous by the Aborigines. If eaten by cattle they go mad. The tree is 15 metres tall and the flowers can only be retrieved by somebody climbing the tree to the top to cut off flowering branches - which is what happened in relation to this painting.

​Annie Hughes * GM (RHS: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017) born Australia 1948

• Camellia japonica ‘Elegance champagne’ 2011/2012 Watercolour on paper - The camellia flower has been dramatically enlarged

Paul Jones * OBE (1921 - 1997)  Australia. This artist is featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists and A Passion for Plants

• Camellia ‘Paul Jones Supreme’ 1977 - Acrylic on paper Contemporary Botanical Artists page 105
• Sunflower: Helianthus annuus  Acrylic on paper A New Flowering page 155
• Magnolia grandiflora Acrylic on paper A New Flowering page 101; A Passion for Plants page 131

Sydney became the centre of Australian camellia breeding led by Prof E. G. Waterhouse at Eryldene House in the 1970s. Paul Jones had this camellia named after him in 1958 in recognition of his iconic camellia portraits.  There are 5 camellia studies in the 16 paintings in the Shirley Sherwood Collection, mostly acquired from the artist in Sydney before 1997. He used a graded background for some paintings after a visit to Japan

Paintings by Paul Jones

Angela Lober * GM (2018) born Sydney, Australia 1958

• Firewheel Tree:  Stenocarpus sinuatus Watercolour on paper - Australian native. Grows in saturated rainforest

David Mackay * - born Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia 1958

• Eucalyptus macrocarpa subsp.elachantha 2000 Acrylic on paper - Australian native A Passion for Plants page 138-139
• Onion Wood: Syzygium alliiligneum 2004 Acrylic on paper - Australian native, rainforest tree endemic to NE Queensland

Eucalyptus macrocarpa and Onion Wood: Syzygium alliiligneum by David Mackay

Lindsay Megarrity - born Sydney, Australia 1953, lives and works in Italy. This artist was featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists

• Nepalese lily: Lilium nepalense  2003  Watercolour on paper A New Flowering page 107

Mali Moir * born Australia 1960

• Ovuliferous Scale from Bunya Pine Nut: Araucaria bidwillii  2014 Watercolour on deer vellum   

Cone can be the size of a football. Ovuliferous scale bears the ovule which develops with the seed.  Nut can be eaten ceremoniously by Aborigines as ‘bush food’.

Julie Nettleton * GM (2016)  born Sydney, Australia 1954

• Pink Five-corners: Styphelia triflora 2011 Watercolour on paper - Endemic to Australia and Pacific Islands

An impeccable and very attractive painting by Julie Nettleton - with bloom and dissections.

Styphelia triflora by Julie Nettleton

Anne O’Connor born Australia, 1939

• Rhododendron: Rhododendron viriosum 2000 Watercolour on paper - Australian native
• Rhododendron: Rhododendron christianae 2000 Watercolour on paper - Native of Papua New Guinea

Jenny Phillips GM (1993) born Boort, Victoria, Australia 1949. Founder/Director of The Botanical Art School of Melbourne, Australia. This artist was featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists

• Corymbia ficifolia 1998 Watercolour onvellum - Australian native  A New Flowering page 123; A Passion for Plants page 168-169.
• Strelitzia ‘Mandela’s Gold’ 2001 Watercolour on paper  A New Flowering page 151

A study reminiscent of the work of Francis Bauer (1758 – 1840) whose work inspired this outstanding teacher Shirley Sherwood

The "Strelitzia Corner" - paintings by Jenny Phillips and Beverley Allen

​​Celia Rosser * OAM PhD (Hon.) - b. 1930. Born Melbourne, Australia 1930. One of the world's finest living botanical artists. This artist was featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists and A Passion for Plants.

• Saw Banksia: Banksia serrata 1995 Watercolour on paper - One of the first plants collected by Joseph Banks Contemporary Botanical Artists page 161, 162-3
• Banksia rosserae 2003 Print on paper 323/500 - A recently discovered Banksia named for the artist. Found after she had completed her three monumental volumes on the Banksias.

Two paintings of Banksia by Celia Rosser - plus a drawing by Camilla Speight

I have spent much time on my three visits to the exhibition so far studying this painting of a banksia by Celia Rosser - and will be going back before the exhibition finishes to spend more time absorbing the quality of this painting

However while writing this post I discovered that the view below is even bigger on a double page spread in Contemporary Botanical Artists page 162-3 - so if you can't get to the exhibition I recommend a re-reading of Contemporary Botanical Artists

crop of Saw Banksia by Celia Rosser

Margaret Anne Saul - born Brisbane, Australia 1951. Featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists.

• Peanut Tree: Sterculia quadrifida 1995 Watercolour with coloured pencil and gouache - Native in NW Australia Contemporary Botanical Artists page 168
• Blue quandong: Elaeocarpus angustifolius 1996 Watercolour gouache and colour pencil on paper - Native in Australian rainforest A Passion for Plants page 195
• Swamp Bloodwood: Corymbia ptychocarpa 2000 Watercolour and mixed media on paper - Native in Australian rainforest 

Peanut Tree, Blue Quandong and Swamp Bloodwood - watercolour pintings by Margaret Ann Saul

Ann Schweizer * (1930-2014) Cape Town, South Africa

• Mottlecah:Eucalyptus macrocarpa subsp.elachantha 2009 Watercolour on paper

Margaret Stones * ​AM MBE ​born Victoria, Australia 1920. She lived in the UK from 1951-2002 and was an important artist who illustrated many plants for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Featured in Contemporary Botanical Artists.

• Nerine: Nerine bowdenii  Watercolour on vellum Contemporary Botanical Artists page 197 - it's HUGE!

This amply demonstrates how small botanical paintings on vellum can be both delightful and pack in a lot of information!

Nerine bowdenii by Margaret Stones

Dawn Undery New South Wales, Australia (1922-2012)

• Banksia aemula 2002 Watercolour on paper - Australian native

Bronwyn Van de Graaff born Australia 1964

• Grass tree: Xanthorrhoea johnsonii 2005 Watercolour on paper - Australian native

Marion Westmacott born  Sydney, Australia 1940

• Eucalyptus caesiassp. magna 2000 Watercolour on paper - Australian native A Passion for Plants page 237

Japan

Noboru Isogai born Gunma Prefecture, Japan 1935    

• Pandanus tectorius 2007 Watercolour on paper - Coastal tree native to eastern Australia 

Pandanus tectorius by Noboru Isogai

New Zealand
​

Bryan Poole - b 1953. New Zealand artist who trained as a botanical artist at Kew and now lives and works in London. 

• Three Kings Climber: Tecomanthe speciosa 2002 Copper plate etching - Only one specimen found on Three Kings Island, north tip of New Zealand
  
• Silver tree fern: Cyathea dealbata 2007 Copper plate etching - Endemic to New Zealand

Copper plate etchings by Bryan Poole

​Sue Wickison* GM (2008) - born Sierra Leone,  West Africa 1958, works in New Zealand

• Bird of Paradise Plant:  Strelizia reginae (203) Watercolour on paper
• The Traveller’s Palm: Ravenala madagasceriensis (2013) Watercolour and graphite on paper

The Traveller’s Palm: Ravenala madagasceriensis 2013 and Bird of Paradise Plant: Strelizia reginae - both painted in watercolour by Sue Wickison

Dispersed by Ruffed Lemurs who co-evolved with Ravenala madagasceriensis on the island of Madagascar.  The unusual blue-fringed seeds are attractive to the Ruffed Lemurs who can see blue and green but, because of their dichromatic vision, cannot see red and so would not be tempted by the scarlet seeds of Strelizia reginae.

Details of The Traveller’s Palm: Ravenala madagasceriensis 2013 by Sue Wickison

Susan Worthington born Stratford, New Zealand 1944

• Soft-leaved fern:  Cyathea smithii 2002  Watercolour on paper

​

South Africa
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Gill Condy * born South Africa 1952

• Waratah: Telopea speciosissima 2010/2016 Watercolour on paper - Endemic in New South Wales

Waratah: Telopea speciosissima by Gill Condy

UK
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Australian tree fern by Stephanie Berni

Stephanie Berni born Bristol, England 1949

• Australian tree fern: Balantium antarcticum 2004 Watercolour over pencil on paper A New Flowering page 161

The painting of the Stephanie Berni's Australian Tree Fern is so much smaller than its reproduction on the cover of Dr Sherwood's book A New Flowering (2005)
 
Barbara Oozeerally born Poland 1953, lives and works in UK

• 3 Seed heads of Banksia mensiesii 2006  Watercolour on paper - Native to Western Australia

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Gillian Scott born London, 1933

• Red Cap Gum: Eucalyptus erythrocorys 1993 Watercolour on paper - Native, Western Australia

Camilla Speight * born Oxford, England 1974

• Banksia coccinea 1996 Pen and ink drawing A Passion for Plants page 229

It's always nice to see pen and ink illustrations which demonstrate both skill and artistic merit. We need to see more!  This artist was featured in A Passion for Plants.

Another Banksia - but this time a small drawing in pen and ink - by camilla Speight

USA
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Leslie Carol Berge * Taunton, Mass., USA (1959–2017). This artist is featured in A Passion for Plants

• Bird’s Nest Banksia:  Banksia baxteri (2003) Watercolour on paper - South coast of Western Australia.  Pollinated by White-cheeked and New Holland honeyeaters

Carol Woodin born Salamanca, New York, USA 1956

• New Zealand flax: Phormium tenax 2015 Watercolour on vellum 

New Zealand flax: Phormium tenax by Carol Woodin

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​Previous exhibitions - lists of exhibiting artists

These are previous reviews in which I've listed the names of exhibiting artists at botanical art exhibitions in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew. 

• Nature's Bounty at Kew - a review (closes 31st January) January 2016
• List of artists exhibited in 'British Artists in Shirley Sherwood Collection' March 2017
• List of artists exhibited in "Abundance, seed pods and autumn fruit" at Kew March 2018

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What's Next?
​

More about the next exhibitions opening in October 2018 can be found in Four new botanical art exhibitions at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery

You can see what botanical art exhibitions are on any time on my Exhibitions web page which covers Botanical Art ​Exhibitions at Major Art Galleries and Museums in the UK - including the Shirley Sherwood Gallery