The Friends introduced the Celia Rosser Medal award for botanical art to commemorate Celia Rosser’s significant achievements as a botanical artist.  It celebrates her contribution as a technically accomplished artist whose work is of the highest degree of scientific accuracy as well as being artistically aesthetic and for her commitment to a long-term body of work of international significance. It is our intention that the award should reflect these achievements and be presented to exhibiting artists whose works show excellence in one or more aspects of the artform.  The award is made at the discretion of the exhibition selection panel, with a final review by Celia Rosser.  Recipient(s) of the medal will be announced at the exhibition opening reception.

In 2004 Dianne Emery was awarded the medal for her outstanding paintings of Peonies and a Gymea Lily. Honourable mentions were awarded for the first time at that exhibition to Alison Gianangeli, Fiona McKinnon and Rita Parkinson.

Celia Rosser is best known for her exquisite illustrations for The Banksias.  Described as one of the finest collections of botanical paintings the world has known, the Monash University project The Banksias is a three-volume monograph of the entire 76 species of the genus Banksia known at that time.  With the text by Alex George, it is a unique scientific and artistic achievement – the first time in the world that a genus of this size has been painted by a single artist and published.  In 2003 Celia painted a new Banksia, which was discovered in 2001 at Kirkalocka Station, south of Mt Magnet, in inland Western Australia , growing in the population of a new Grevillea discovered there.  This new species was named Banksia rosserae, in honour of one of the world’s greatest living botanical artists. Celia was made an Honorary Life Member of the Friends in 1999.  We are honoured that Celia has allowed her name to be associated with the Friends’ The Art of Botanical Illustration exhibition.

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