After a long break from making art, around 2016, I realized something was missing in my life and I longed to get back to an art practice. Shortly after, I discovered watercolor botanical painting and enrolled the botanical certificate program at Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in Wellesley, Ma (now Massachusetts Horticulture Society). I enjoy bringing my subjects to life using multiple layers of watercolor painted with the tiniest of brushes to capture the intricacies of my subjects which include plants, flowers, shells, and bugs. Taking inspiration from walks in our local arboretum and nature sanctuaries, my work incorporates light, airy compositions filled with delicate, well-defined details. With each painting, I hope to evoke a sense of wonder, reminding us to pause, appreciate, and connect with… Read more
Archives: Artists
New Artists
Antoinette Luchessa
A Pacific Coast native, Antoinette has lived the majority of her life in the Pacific Northwest. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Art (Emphasis in Painting and Printmaking) from San Diego State University and received a Certificate of Botanical Illustration (with Distinction) from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 2018. Her current focus is on native plants of the Pacific Northwest with an emphasis on 3-D paper botany. Collecting specimens from the North Cascades to the Salish Sea, Antoinette gathers native plants, lichens, and seaweeds to study and recreate in paper. Other media include graphite pencil drawing, and pen and ink illustrations. Exhibitions include: “Plantae”, Society of Botanical Artists, Mall Galleries, London, United Kingdom, 2022 “GNSI Virtual Conference Juried Members Exhibit”, Guild of Natural Science… Read more
Hilary Jean Gibson
I have always delighted in drawing nature and particularly love to draw plants in the habitats in which they grow. This passion developed in the Essex countryside and garden where I grew up, where my father was a keen gardener. I loved drawing the plants he nurtured and these paintings formed part of my portfolio as a freelance Illustrator after I graduated (BA Graphic Design) from Saint Martin’s School of Art, London, 1979. My very first commissions were monthly gouache paintings of plants for Popular Gardening Magazine. My work starts in sketchbooks or on large paper but always from direct observation, and is either completed entirely en plein air, or in my studio where a surreal quality often appears, through the use of chiaroscuro and imagination. … Read more
Sabine Loos
Sabine Loos PhD is a watercolour artist who is based in Germany. She studied biology at Jena/Germany and Zurich/Switzerland. Her favourite research subject was filamentous fungi and she was always fascinated by plants. Her botanical art journey began in Germany and led to courses by amazing tutors in Ireland and England. She is currently studying botanical illustration at the RBGE. Plant portraits that provide a high content of information are her favorites. In her compositions, she tries to balance plant features that please her eye and present obvious information about life cycle, habitat and morphological features. She prefers native species which are found in her garden, in the surrounding woods and meadows. Sabine’s personal heart’s desire is to revive the historical roots of botanical illustration in… Read more
Vincent Jeannerot
Vincent Jeannerot was born in Lyon and grew up in the Lyon countryside. At a very young age, he discovered nature during long family walks where he learned to observe plants. These moments of contemplation forced his curiosity and admiration and naturally led him to paint his discoveries. If his father passed on to him the love of nature, his mother passed on to him the love of painting. He went to the Beaux-Arts of Lyon and very quickly considered the brush as a tool. The strength and transparency of pigments enthuse him. His botanical plates quickly attracted the attention of the public and the art world. Express bio: Born on February 12, 1961 in Lyon. France. Baccalaureate in art. National school of fine arts… Read more
Nicole Oliver Pentucci
Nicole has drawn and painted since childhood, but it was the refined work of Giovanna Garzoni in a Medici cookbook that first drew her to botanical art. In researching Garzoni’s gouache methods, she applied to join the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Learning Diploma course, graduating in September 2020 with distinction. Inspiration has also come from the restoration of her own 500-year-old farm cottage. Making the gardens has developed her sense of design, light and form. From there, a love of gardens, gardening and plants has followed. She enjoys the tension between the rigour of the botanical approach, recording subtle minutiae while conveying the dynamic and drama of the plant’s quiet power. Each of her botanical sitters brings fresh intrigue, unlocked slowly through intense scrutiny.… Read more