Young Botanical Artist: prizewinners and selected artists

The inaugural exhibition of the Young Botanical Artist competition opened on Friday. On Saturday I was back at Kew for the Private View for the exhibition - which was held in the much larger Marianne North Gallery - because this is a space which can accommodate lots and lots of people - including some 40 young botanical artists from all over the world.!

Following the presentations of Certificates, people moved to the actual exhibition in Galleries 5 and 6 of The Shirley Sherwood Gallery - which then became full of people with their art - and their significant others! 

I'll be writing more about the artwork in the exhibition in my next review post.

After the presentation of Prizes and Certificates.

During the presentation, I was able to video selected artists receiving their certificates and then afterwards photograph some of them with their artwork. 

These are links to where you can see those videos on my Facebook Page

• selected artists 16-18 age group
• runners up and the winner of the 16-18 age group
• selected artists, runners up and winner of 19-25 age group (to be linked after I've posted the video)

​I'll be doing another post which considers this exhibition in more detail - and this will also include a link to my video of the exhibition - minus people. 

This post is about:

• the purpose of the exhibition
• a summary of statistics about the exhibition
• who was selected for the exhibition in the two age groups
• who won the prize of Young Botanical Artist in each age group

Young Botanical Artist Competition & Exhibition

We believe there is significant talent among the 16-25 age group with a wealth of exciting work to be uncovered. This is a crucial moment to engage with the ever-growing genre of botanical art – the scientific capacity of botanical paintings and drawings to document plants and fungi is particularly vital in contemporary society as we work to preserve our planet’s biodiversity.
The Shirley Sherwood Collection

The aim of the Young Botanical Artist competition was to encourage young artists to engage with the natural world at a time when preserving our planet’s biodiversity is vital.

The Young Botanical Artist Competition was initiated in 2022 by The Shirley Sherwood
Collection, in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.  (see my blog post Young Botanical Artist Competition 2022: Call for Entries)

The YBA competition  asked artists from two age groups, 16–18 and 19–25, to submit two-dimensional artworks on the theme of ‘Trees’.  

• They ​could depict something as large as the entire tree or as small as a leaf bud.
• The artwork needed to be in A2, A3 or A4 formats in any medium excluding photography and representative of the subject and in a botanical art style. 
• The shortlisted artists would have their work shown in this exhibition
• the winners and runners-up of each age group would also receive
  • cash prizes (Overall Winner (1 per category): £750; Highly Commended (2 per category): £250)
  • art supplies - kindly donated by Seawhite of Brighton

Ten of the world’s most renowned botanical artists and curators donated their time
to judge the entries, choosing works that represented their subject creatively, but
with scientific accuracy.  The nine Judges, alongside Dr Shirley Sherwood, were:

• Laura Giuffrida (UK)
• Mieko Ishikawa (Japan) - and Winner of the Inaugural Botanical Artist of the Year
• Svetlana Lanse (Russia)
• Susan Ogilvy (UK)
• Denise Ramsay (New Zealand)
• Úrsula Romero (Spain)
• Lucy T. Smith (Australia/UK)
• Gustavo Surlo (Brazil)
• Vicki Thomas (South Africa)

The panel looked for for botanical artworks that represented their subjects creatively, but with scientific accuracy.

• The wide array of different media and styles showed the unique perspective of each artist.
• The standard was high, proving a challenge for the judges.
• They created a long list through individual review and then met again to consider all the artwork and discuss how to reduce the number to the maximum number that could be exhibited in Gallery at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens. 
• The original intention was to show 40 - but this was increased to 50
• It now includes digital artworks to reflect the companion exhibition of digital artwork about plants by Mat Collishaw.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to vote for their favourite artwork and a People’s Choice award will be announced in April.

Some statistics

I'm absolutely amazed by just how international this exhibition is. I've covered many international art competitions in the past and I can't ever remember getting so many entries from so many different countries - including ones which are not generally recognised as part of the international art scene. I wonder if we'll see some new national art societies developing as a result of this.

From entries to hung artworks

• the organisers received over 1,000 entries
• from 77 countries 
• The final selection of artworks were submitted by artists from 17 countries,
  • including Brazil, India, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia.
  • See below to see the selected artists listed by country​
• 50 artworks were selected for the exhibition
  • 11 in the 16-18 age group
  • 39 in the 19-25 age group
• The two age group winners come from Poland and Vietnam, neither of which have been well known as a source of botanical artists in the past.
• the majority of the selected artists are young women with the gender bias being very similar to that well known to many botanical artists.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the standard of the entries we received for our inaugural Young Botanical Artist competition and I’m grateful to my daughter-in-law Rachel Sherwood for bringing the initiative to life. It’s been fascinating to see such a broad range of responses to the competition and to have received so many entries from across the world. To see first-hand the next generation of talented botanical artists coming to the fore is enormously inspiring.”
Dr Shirley Sherwood

Prizewinners

You can see images of all the artworks by the age group prizewinners and the runners up at the bottom of the page about the Young Botanical Art competition/exhibition

Marianna Zych (Poland) with one of her two works in the exhibition Prunus serrula (watercolour on paper) won First Prize for the 16-18 Age Group

The winner of the 16-18 Age Group was Prunus serrula (watercolour on paper) by Marianna Zych from Poland. What is particularly noteworthy about this artwork is that

• this is her very first botanical artwork - following just one month of painting classes.
• and she is 17 years old.

When I saw this Tibetan cherry tree (Prunus serrula) at the Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh, it shone like a metal sculpture. Unusual, saturated colours
focused the eyes of passers-by and the wavy bark and protruding elements added an even more unusual appearance. It was a difficult task to convey the brilliance, texture and unique colours of this plant but I knew I had to paint it.
​Marianna Zych

​The winner of the 19-25 Age Group was ​Bauhinia variegata leaf (watercolour on paper) by Khanh Ly Nguyen from Vietnam. Her small watercolour (below) showcases the intricate detail of this stunning tree. 

​Bauhinia variegata leaf (watercolour on paper) by Khanh Ly Nguyen from Vietnam

​Since I was a child, I have nurtured my love for art and the diversity of the natural world with energy and passion. I started my botanical art journey with Vietnamese indigenous plants such as Bauhinia variegata. This ‘orchid tree’ reminds me of summertime passing by as its butterfly-shaped leaves change from green to brown.
Khanh Ly Nguyen

Runners Up

16-18 AGE GROUP
​

• Silvia Rocchi (Italy) ​"Shaded Beech" - Black pen on paper
• Tomoaki Asakura (United States) Magnolia × soulangeana Ink on paper

RUNNER UP (16-18) "Shaded Beech" - Black pen on paper by Silvia Rocchi

I used a BIC ballpoint pen to represent a shaded beech trunk characterized by ramifications in the bark and various cracks between the branches. It has moss at the base and some wild mushrooms growing on the sides.
Silvia Rocchi

Magnolia × soulangeana (Ink on paper) by Tomoaki Asakura (United States)

I am fascinated by magnolias for their rich, dramatic flowers and the myriad
textures on a single branch, from fuzzy buds interspersed along smooth sections, to delicate shoots sprouting from bumpy knots. My aim was to convey the personality of this saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana) by using negative space to sculpt out its characteristic branching pattern.
Tomoaki Asakura

19 –25 AGE GROUP​

• Valeria Brambilla (19–25) "Death of an Olive Tree Due to Xylella" - Black ballpoint pen on paper
• Zoe Dobson UK "Hazel Corylus avellana" - Watercolour and pencil on paper​ - Zoe graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2021 with a Masters in Landscape Architecture (Distinction) and was awarded the Masters Scholarship. Outside of SEED she is completing a Diploma in botanical Illustration and enjoys traveling, running, walking and being in nature
• Xinyi Liu Australia "Avocado Seed" - Coloured pencil on paper. This is her Istagram account
• Anusara Choojan Indonesia "Half Hidden" - Colouring pencil on paper

View these images below.

runner up 19-25: Death of an Olive Tree Due to Xylella Black ballpoint pen on paper by Valeria Brambilla of Italy

I have chosen to illustrate an olive tree (Olea europaea) from southern Italy
affected by Xylella, a pathogen that has been devastating olive groves in Italy,
Spain and France since 2017 and leaving trees bare. This situation is partly caused by environmental factors due to climate change and the importing of plants containing foreign bacteria.
​Valeria Brambilla

RUNNER UP (19-25 AGE GROUP): "Hazel Corylus avellana" (Watercolour and pencil on paper) by Zoe Dobson UK

This piece is the culmination of two years of research into the life cycle of the hazel (Corylus avellana). It is a full botanical study of the species based upon observations, sketches and investigation conducted across the four seasons. The composition reflects the hazel life cycle, with emerging spring leaves at the top through to the ripening hazelnuts at the bottom.
Zoe Dobson 

RUNNER UP (19-25 AGE GROUP): "Avocado Seed" - Coloured pencil on paper by Xinyi Liu Australia

I rescued this seed from the sun and, although slightly burnt, it started to sprout new roots and kept growing as I drew. It is now over 30 cm tall and has four leaves. We often forget that the avocados in our kitchen can grow into something big, so I hope my work draws attention to the resilient seed that is the starting point of a large tree.
Xinyi Liu 

RUNNER UP 19-25: "Half Hidden" (Colouring pencil on paper) BY Anusara Choojan Thailand

This drawing displays a dissection of the young flower and fruit of the Gustavia
tree (Gustavia superba). The fascinating characters of the flower and fruit are half hidden; the flower petals enclose vital components like the stamens and pistil, shield the developing bloom while it waits to reach maturity, and draw pollinators in with their magnificence.
​Anusara Choojan 

Selected Artists

Some of the world’s most promising young botanical artists were selected for this exhibition. They are as follows -

• organised by county and then
• listed alphabetically by surname

UK

• Jack Ball (19–25) "Cherry Blossom" - Watercolour and gouache on paper
• Samantha Biliotaviciute (16–18) "A Bark in Time" - Pencil on paper
• Emma Bush (19–25) "Magnolia, Falling Apart and Bursting Open" - Oil on canvas
• Amanda Casanovas (19–25) "Holm Oak Spell" - Watercolour on paper
• George Cox (19–25) "Fig Tree" - Pen on paper
• RUNNER UP 19-25 ​Zoe Dobson (19–25) "Hazel Corylus avellana" - Watercolour and pencil on paper​
• Poppy Emerson (16–18) "Horse Chestnut" - Watercolour on paper
• Lailah James (16–18) "Crumpled" - Pointillism pen drawing on paper
• Sophie Leven (19–25) "The London Plane Tree" - Digital print, Adobe Photoshop
• Emma Morris (19–25) "Holly Tree Branch" - Digital print, Procreate®
• Holly Porter (19–25) "Small Beginnings" - Watercolour on paper
• Andrew Sviridov (19–25) "Methuselah" - Graphite pencil and watercolour on paper
• Tabitha Taberer (19–25) Ginkgo biloba - Acrylic paint and coloured pencil on paper
• Peiyao Yang (19–25) "Tree Growth Annual Ring" - Pencil on paper
• Xinyu Zhang (16–18) Prunus serrulata Lindl. - Digital print, Procreate®

Tree Growth Annual Ring by Peiyao Yang

"The annual growth ring is an essential part of the tree and records lifespan, local climate and distinct growth. Ring patterns help researchers, scientists, artists and other practitioners to respond to environmental studies, archaeology
and climate studies. Accompanying a tree through its life, they tell its story from
start to finish."
Peiyao Yang

AUSTRALIA

• RUNNER UP 19-25  Xinyi Liu (19–25) "Avocado Seed" Coloured pencil on paper - she had travelled half way across the world to be in Kew for two days!

BELGIUM

• Elia Vanderheyden (19–25) "Tree’s Lament)" - Woodcut on paper

BRAZIL

• Alice Gastaldo (19–25) Abricó-de-macaco - Nankin ink on paper
• Clarissa Stefanello (19–25) Ginkgo Branches - Watercolour on paper

CHINA

• Qilong Chen (19–25) Bauhinia, My Nostalgia - Digital print, Procreate®

FRANCE

• Marguerite Babian-Dumuys (19–25) Magnolia grandiflora Fruit - Watercolour on paper
• Marie Aimée Allard (19–25) "Sycamore Growth and Form" - Charcoal, black chalk and watercolour ink on paper

GERMANY 

• Kailin Sun (19–25) Coniferae - Watercolour on hot-pressed 50% cotton paper

INDIA 

• Manali Patil (19–25) Dry Oakleaf Fern
• Vijaya Patil (19–25) "Fruits of Arjuna" - Poster colours on paper

INDONESIA​

• Rio Ananta Prima (19–25) "Jade" - Watercolour on paper
• Ananda Firman Syarif (19–25) "I Hope My Seeds Will Grow After You Cut My Branches and Let Me Bleed Foolishly" - Watercolour on paper
• Fahmi Irwan Utomo (19–25) "Divine Obsession" - Digital Print, Adobe Photoshop

ITALY 

• RUNNER UP 19-25 ​ Valeria Brambilla (19–25) "Death of an Olive Tree Due to Xylella" - Black ballpoint pen on paper
• Gabriel Esposito (16–18) Ficus carica - Coloured pencil on paper
• Alessia Pegoraro (19–25) "Olive" - Watercolour and coloured pencil on paper
• Silvia Rocchi (16–18) "Shaded Beech" - Black pen on paper
• Anna Di Somma (16–18) Adenium obesum - Coloured pencil on paper

JAPAN

• Natsuki Oka (19–25) Koelreuteria bipinnata Franch. (Mature Tree) - Watercolour on paper
• Kanon Tanaka (19–25) Rock Araucaria Araucaria scopulorum - Watercolour on paper
• Mai Yaguchi (16–18) Malus sieboldii ‘Sakurahime’ - Watercolour on paper

PHILIPPINES 

• Coleen Rilloraza (19–25) Carica papaya L. - Watercolour on paper

POLAND 

• OVERALL WINNER OF 16-18 AGE GROUP: Marianna Zych (16-18) 
  • ​Prunus serrula - watercolour on paper
  • Salix fragilis - Watercolour on paper

PORTUGAL

• Carolina M. Correia (19–25) 
  • Maclura pomifera (Digital montage)
  • "The Flowers of the Maclura pomifera" - Graphite pencil on polyester film

Carolina M. Correia with her Graphite pencil on polyester film drawing of "The Flowers of the Maclura pomifera"

"This piece is a composition of the pistillate (female) and staminate (male) flowers of the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), which are found on different trees and are intricate, unmistakable structures. It was created as a visual guide to help identify these delicate forms. A further developed, digitised version is on view in a glass display case."
Carolina M. Correia 

SPAIN 

• Ana Alonso Bartolomé (19–25) "Almond Blossom" - Pastel pencils on paper
• Manuel Sánchez Villegas (19–25)  "The Douglas Cone" - Graphite and coloured pencils on paper

Ana Alonso Bartolomé (19–25) - with her pastel pencil drawing of "Almond Blossom"

This artwork depicts a stunning almond tree (Prunus dulcis) in full bloom, with its delicate white and pink petals and a lichen-covered branch. The almond tree is a powerful symbol of hope and new beginnings in Spain as it blooms at the
start of the year, calling forth the arrival of spring and the promise of warmer weather.
Ana Alonso Bartolomé 

THAILAND

• RUNNER UP 19-25 ​Anusara Choojan (19–25) "Half Hidden" - Colouring pencil on paper
• A thit Saisangkhathitisuree (19–25) Shorea siamensis - Gouache on paper

​
USA

• Tomoaki Asakura (16–18) Magnolia × soulangeana - Ink on paper
• Ginko Bergel (19–25) 
  • Tilia americana Twig - Graphite on paper
  • "Hummingbird in Tulip Poplar " - Watercolour and gouache on paper
• Allison Boulter (19–25) "Honey Locust" - Watercolour on paper

UZBEKISTAN

• Leyla Garabaeva (19–25) "Apricot Tree in Winter" - Watercolour on paper

VIETNAM

• OVERALL WINNER OF 19-25 AGE GROUP: Khanh Ly Nguyen (19–25) Bauhinia variegata Leaf - Watercolour on paper 

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I'll be back soon with my review of the exhibition - and more images.  I suspect I might need to pay it another visit before I write it.

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