Biography
I am mainly a self-taught artist. In 2015 I graduated SBA DLDC with distinction and now I’m a Fellow member 2021.
I was brought up in Wales near the Gower Coast and found wild flowers a fascinating subject and started painting at an early age.
Spending time propagating and planting in the greenhouse and garden with my mother were the fondest days of my childhood and just opposite the kitchen window of the family home was a fence and a Buddleia with its blooms dripping over in spectacular view from that window. Butterflies and bees teamed on these mauve and violet flowers that have bright orange centres. It was impossible not to notice the amazing and industrious activities of the insects that continually visited and sipped nectar flew away; came back buzzed and flitted and sometimes quarrelled! ….. and that was the thing that brought to me a deep and long-lasting interest.
After spending much time working in the music industry from my teenage yrs. onwards and then bringing up a family I realized I really missed painting flowers so decided Botanical art was something I had always wanted to do and that a course with SBA was the answer . I have also attended classes with some amazing contemporary artists and since then I have undertaken commissioned work privately in other genres as well as Botanical art i.e. portraits and murals for schools. I taught Botanical Art locally at Binsted for 2 yrs. I was Commissioned to paint front cover for De Jager Bulbs magazine and exhibited with SBA for the last 3 years.
‘Blossoms Bramleys and Butterflies’ came runner up to Best in Show (People’s choice)in 2017.
Currently I am awaiting a workshop/ Studio in Portsmouth and working on a collection of illustrations for a book with local Botanist Steve Povey. We are exploring some of the rare and common wild plants and flowers on the Hampshire Hangars.
As a tribute to my mother who is now in her 80’s and is my ‘Best Fan’. I worked on a collection of Botanical designs based on the gardens that she has created, nurtured and planted, and the influence it has had on my life. ‘Plants are the gift in my mum’s garden where solace and time for reflection can always be found’. the collection is called ‘My mum’s Garden’. prints and cards of my work are available on my new website. You can contact me by emails and sites listed below.
SBA Summer Exhibition 2022 – ‘Iris in the Sunlight’ won the St Cuthbert’s Mill Award
Facebook: Sherylpapeartworks or Sheryl Pape
Instagram: @sherylelainepape