Botanic art and classes

Botanical Illustration Calendar 2010 and Greeting Cards

This just released beautiful production contains 12 botanical illustrations by members of the Botanical Illustrators. To order please download an order form.

The Botanic Art 2009 Seasonal Greeting Card has just been released. It features a full colour detail from Jennifer Wilkinson's painting of Rhododendron 'David'. To order please download an order form.

The Friends' have just released a set of 5 botanic art cards (blank inside) available from the Friends' office.

Botanical Illustrators

Who are The Botanical Illustrators?

A group of Members of the Friends' who meet regularly to paint, take classes and workshops, and put on exhibitions of their work. One group of Members called the Whirlybirds meet every Tuesday.

Whirlybirds

The Whirlybirds group of botanical artists meet every Tuesday, in the Whirling Room Studio, to paint and exchange ideas. Members of this friendly group range from beginners to professionals, and there is no instructor. Rather, members encourage each other in their artistic endeavors, discuss works-in-progress, offer advice, and occasionally, work on a group project. Following the success of illustrating the oaks in the RBG they are now working on the eucalypts. Any member of the Friends is welcome to join the Whirlybirds, for a small weekly fee, either to pursue their own botanical art interests or select a eucalypt to illustrate. If you would like to join the Whirlybirds please contact Sandra Sanger on (03) 9598 9532.      

The Whirlybirds End of Year Celebration

The Whirlybirds, a sub-group of Botanical Illustrators, invited a few “old” friends to our end of year festive season luncheon.  We were delighted to welcome Pat Brass who, although she hasn’t painted for a little while, at 92 years is our senior member.  Iona Christiansen, who has been a Friend of the RBG Melbourne for a great many years, is intensely interested in the work being produced by the Botanical Illustrators and is always encouraging to its members with regard to their artistic endeavours.  We really did enjoy catching up with these valued friends.

While her husband was ill, Lois Brunt was not able to attend the Whirlybirds Tuesday painting sessions.  Lois told us she could not paint flowers during her husband’s illness, because her specimen would die and the flower go out of season long before she could complete her watercolour.  However, Lois didn’t pack her brushes away and forget about painting; she set herself the challenge of learning how to produce traditional Russian Orthodox icons.  Although the process of painting religious icons is just as intricate and time consuming as botanical art, Lois doesn’t have the problem of her model withering away.  She can work on her icon for an hour or two then come back hours, days, or even weeks, later and continue on from where she left off.  As you can see in the accompanying photograph, the results are stunning.  The Whirlybirds are hoping to see a lot more of Lois in 2010.

On behalf of all members of the Whirlybirds, thank you to Sandra Sanger for being our group leader during 2009.  We also thank Judy Jarman for organising the Botanical Illustrators quarterly meetings and for being our representative on the FRBG Committee.

The Whirlybirds wish visitors to this site all the joys of the festive season and a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2010.        

Cranbourne Botanic Illustrators' Group

The Cranbourne Illustrators meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 10.00am to 3.00pm in the Maud Gibson Room (which is near the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens Office). It is a small, friendly group and anyone interested is welcome to call in and visit us during that time or contact Margaret Holloway on (03) 5998 5382 for further information.

Exhibition

We are holding an exhibition, "Nature Illustrated", at the Wine Justice, 26 Waltham St Sandringham. The exhibition runs from February 23 until April 14. The exhibition is to be opened by Roger Elliot at 6-30, Friday 26th February.Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 10-30am to 6-00pm and Sunday 11-00am to 4-00pm. The exhibition will be a mixture of botanical and insect paintings. The public is also invited to meet the artists at work each Thursday between 1-00 and 3-00pm.

Botanic Art Classes at Cranbourne

Botanical Art Classes will commence in February 2010 with Margaret Holloway as the tutor. Margaret has had considerable experience teaching art at secondary, tertiary and community levels. She has won several awards with her botanical work and is represented in several collections, including the State Collection.

They will be held in the Maude Gibson Room from 10-00am to 3-00pm on the first and third Friday of the month. As the class size is small, Maximum of ten students, it will be suitable for beginners or those with some experience.

Fees will be $180-00 per term for members of the Friends and $200-00 for non members.
Visitors can park in the Australian Garden carpark and follow the directional signs to the Maude Gibson Room.
For further information contact Margaret Holloway on (03) 5998 5382

Inland Botanical Gardens Trip

The Cranbourne Illustrators organised a trip to Neds Corner Station in September. We had a wonderful time there and even managed to get a few paintings done. There were six of us and we each had our own little painting corner at the station. In the morning, some of us went out for a walk to the Murray - to get some exercise, new specimen for drawing and passing the time before the generator would be switched on. Because only then could we have our first cup of tea and shower! Apart from some beautifully delicate plants we saw plenty of wildlife - enough to make us want to go back there  and paint again. On our way back we also stopped off at the Inland Botanical Gardens in Mildura where we were the artists in residence for the day. It was too windy to paint outside but we were very well looked after in their beautiful shearing shed.

Friends' Botanic Art Teachers

Dianne Emery

Born in the United Kingdom, Dianne studied art at the National Gallery School in Melbourne followed by a diploma of Education. She worked as an artist and a teacher for many years, teaching at secondary, TAFE and tertiary levels. Always interested in plants and horticulture Dianne enrolled part-time at Burnley Horticultural College where later she began teaching short courses in Botanical Illustration. This was followed by later courses taught at Swinburne University, Melbourne CAE, Royal Botanic Gardens and workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and regional Victoria. She currently works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, where she has been running workshops and classes since 1996. Dianne has exhibited widely both here and interstate, including, since 1994, The Art of Botanical Illustration at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

Recent exhibitions include: Botanica 2008, ‘Nature + Art’, Natural History at Woodbine Gallery, Malmsbury, ‘The Forgotten Flora’ travelling show from the National Herbarium Melbourne, Botanica 2006 ‘The Masters Exhibition,’ Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney: 2005, Red Box Gallery, The Herbarium, Sydney; a solo show at Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury, Victoria. Dianne has won the Celia Rosser medal twice, in both 2002 and 2004. Her works are held in the Victorian State collection, Geelong Regional Gallery, Esso Collection and in private collections in Australia and overseas.

Mali Moir

Working at the National Herbarium of Victoria as botanical illustrator for many years, Mali has combined botanical and horticultural knowledge with artistic skills contributing pen and ink drawings for the Flora of Australia, Flora of Victoria, Mulleria and other scientific publications. Working closely with botanists in this area Mali understands the importance of scientific accuracy, the fundamentals of precise measurement and thorough depiction of detail. She also teaches botanical illustration at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Gold Medallist at The Royal Horticultural Society London and invited exhibitor to the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation USA, recipient of the inaugural Celia Rosser Medal, finalist in the Waterhouse Art Prize and first Australian to receive FON Purchase Award New York State Museum. Mali exhibits widely in Australia and internationally and has produced many works for private, public and corporate collections.

Mali has a keen interest in the artistic interpretation of natural history themes. She approaches her work with traditional techniques whilst developing a fresh contemporary look. Mali executes works on paper with the consummate skill of a dedicated artist as she combines her fascination for science and natural history with an active desire to render works of art with beauty, character and scientific merit.

Helen Burrows

Helen’s botanical watercolour illustrations are represented in the Victorian National Herbarium collection, The Government House Florilegium Project, The Illustrated Garden Collection, The National Library of Australia, The Huntington Library (California), The Hunt Institute of the Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania), the Lindley Library Royal Horticultural Society (London), galleries and private collections throughout Australia and overseas.

A professional Graphic Designer, Helen has also worked in both secondary and tertiary education sectors teaching art and lecturing in Design and Graphic Communication. Her passionate interest in gardening and horticulture has found expression in her commitment to botanical painting.

Featured Botanic Artist

Esma Lawley

As an artist, colour has always been important to me.  I was interested in it as a child when we lived on a hill overlooking market gardens.  The greens of the plants and the colours of the wildflowers along the creek edge were lovely to see.  The Buttercup was always a favorite as its bright yellow colour and its sheen were so beautiful.

As I grew up, my time was often spent using embroidery threads, beads and wool.  I enjoyed knitting and making coloured felt balls for children, and then embroidering them with flowers and interesting patterns.  Using DAS to make earrings and necklaces was another pastime.  Now I am enjoying working with bright and cheerful paint, coloured pencils and gold and silver inks.

During my years at the Emily McPherson College where I learnt to cut and design clothes, I made lasting friendships.  Together with our teacher, a group of us started to meet each year for lunch and it has now become a tradition.
To my sorrow my two sons did not inherit my interest in colour, but they are interested in the arts and my painting.
When traveling in France with the NGV, whilst in Paris I was able to fulfill a life-long ambition and buy a box of paints and brushes at Montmartre.  Another Parisian wonder was the Rose Window of Notre Dame.  It was a profound experience to see the rich and beautiful colours of the stained glass in the darkened interior of the church.  While in Nice, we visited a very modern church designed by the artist Chagall.  The stained glass windows commemorate the nuns who had taken care of him during the war.  It is a very bright and beautiful place, the whole chapel being full of light and colour.

After being introduced to Botanical Illustration, I have become even more aware of the textures, colours and structures of nature, and find they help to keep a fresh outlook in my painting.  Painting with the Whirlybirds Group at the RBG, and entering several exhibitions, has been a very pleasant time in my life.  I have also learnt more about the plants and flowers I love to paint.  

Botanical Illustrators Quarterly Meeting

At our quarterly meeting on the 8th of September, Michael Stella of Deans Art Supplies gave the group a potted history of Deans art stores, and then showed us some of the newer and more unusual products that have become available to artists over the last few years.

First of all, Michael explained the three main types of paper, namely Hot Pressed, Cold Pressed and Rough and their three standard weights - 190gsm, 300gsm and 638gsm. The majority of the artists present were familiar with the major brands, so we were delighted when Michael distributed sample packs of different paper types and weights, as well as mini sheets of a few unusual papers. As he said, “Experiment and see what suits your style of art”! Michael also warned that some of the cheaper brands of paper are not “archival quality” and will deteriorate within a few years.  Many cheap papers are adequate for sketching, but not for “finished” work.

New accessories included battery operated erasers and Texta Plates that are stippled, lined, wood-grained, etc., and can be used to create interesting textures in pencil drawings. Then there are new types of marker and watercolour pencil, as well as jars of liquid pencil (graphite that can be applied with a brush) and a range of pearlescent acrylics that got me very excited. Without a doubt, they were my personal favourites. Michael also introduced us to Holbein brand watercolours, inviting us to play around with half a dozen colours. This brand of watercolour has a different “feel” to the brand I normally use, but five of those six colours were absolutely brilliant and warrant further experimentation.

Undeniably, brushes are one of the artist’s most important tools, and the majority of artists will have a favourite brand or style of brush.  Michael gifted each of us a new Roymac Taklon (synthetic) brush to try, and many who had not used this type of brush previously agreed it showed great potential.  These brushes are significantly cheaper than the top brand of pure sable brush, but Michael says the life span is shorter. I like these brushes very much indeed and have been using them for approximately twelve months. They have a firmer point than the top quality pure sable brushes, but they do suit the manner in which I apply paint.

It had been many years since the Botanical Illustrators had a “trade talk”, so we were delighted to hear about these new products. Thank you, Michael, for a most enjoyable morning.

Celia Rosser Medal

The Celia Rosser Medal 2008

Inaugurated in 2002 the Celia Rosser Medal is awarded to select Botanical Artists exhibiting in the Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibitions.

At the 2008 Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibition Celia Rosser awarded three equal winners of the medal.

• Jenny Phillips - Eucalyptus pryiformis
• Sandra Sanger - Doryanthes excelsa
• Jennifer Wilkinson - Rhododendron 'David'

The Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibitions

The Tenth Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibition will be held in November 2010.

An information session for intending Exhibition artists will be held on Thursday 18 February 2010 in Domain House Gallery, Dallas Brooks Drive, South Yarra. A botanist from the Herbarium will be present. Information for artists can be download here.

The Illustrated Garden

This project was established in 2001 by artist members of the Friends to create an illustrated record, or florilegium, of selected plants growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The collection is held digitally and photographically by the Friends.