A new book on botanical art by artist and teacher Helen Birch is due out in January 2020 in the UK which will include a painting by SBA Fellow Fiona Wheeler. The book will be published in several languages and have approximately 100 images in the book.
Author: Claire Kathleen Ward
I am a botanical and nature artist based in the beautiful and inspiring scenery of West Wales. I have studied botany, horticulture and field ecology and am a mostly self-taught watercolour, gouache, oil & pastel artist. I have always drawn a variety of subject matter but became hooked on botanical illustration in 2005.
Capturing the beauty of nature, which I feel can be so often overlooked in our busy lives is my intention. I am passionate about the conservation of the native flora and fauna of the British Isles and this is my main focus.
At the moment I am working towards an exhibition with the RHS on the theme of meadow habitats in west Wales.
In 2007 I completed the diploma in botanical illustration with distinction from the Society of Botanical Artists and then became a full member in 2010. I am now a tutor on the SBA diploma course for the 'working in the field' assignment.
Colours of Nature
On at Kew gardens until 6 September 2019 is a fascinating display on the connections between colour, plants and people. Open 10am – 4pm weekdays only Click www.kew.org for more info
The Art and Healing Power of Plants
Chelsea Physic Garden and the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (RB&H) have joined together to present The Art & Healing Power of Plants, a new exhibition that intertwines botanical art, medicine and plants. The exhibition runs until 30th August at both Chelsea Physic Garden and the Royal Brompton Hospital. Click here for more info
RHS news
The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show is finally on! Yesterday was the preview of the show, and we were blown away by the quality of the work! Congratulations to SBA Members Karen Bailey (awarded Silver-Gilt for her Gentiana paintings), Caroline Jackson-Houston (awarded Silver-Gilt for her paintings of Mycorrhizal fungi of the Thames Valley Area), Nina Marks (awarded Silver-Gilt for her Gin- flavoured Botanicals) and Janet Pope (awarded Silver for her Solanum tuberosum paintings). A Gold medal went to the Russian Botanical Artists Group Exhibit. We were delighted to see some of our Plantae exhibitors amongst the group, and look forward to welcoming a few to the SBA as Fellow Members in the near future. A sincere and heartfelt congratulations to ALL the artists whose… Read more
SBA Diploma Graduation
The Graduation Ceremony for Course 14 was held at the Art Worker’s Guild, London on the the 19th July. 40 students Graduated from Course 14 and 24 students travelled from various parts of the World to attend the evening accompanied by their family and friends. It was a very enjoyable occasion to mark the ending of a long, rewarding experience throughout the Distance Learning Diploma Course for many Graduates. If you would like your photograph from the evening please email Pam Henderson. Anyone interested in applying for the Distance Learning Diploma Course the Prospectus and Application Form is available to download here. Prospectus for Course 17 Closing date is the 30th September 2019 for Course 17 Commencing in January 2020
Join US
Join us as a Fellow, you will need your very best five pieces as well as a written artist statement and CV. Just login here and our straightforward process will be right in front of you, where you can upload your images and give us the rest of the information about you as a potential fellow of our society. Maximum image size is 8 MB and you should send us the best quality images that you can supply. Ideally scans but otherwise well taken photographs should be adequate. There is a small handling fee of £25 to enable us to process your application.If in doubt as to the styles of work we are looking for, take a look at our online catalogue below. We would… Read more