Review: Kew's Heritage Trees - Paintings Past Times Masumi Yamanaka

I've been trying to larn to consider Kew's Heritage Trees - paintings past times Masumi Yamanaka for quite some time! Yesterday I announced to my other one-half that visiting the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art was the offset house I wanted to move along our see yesterday to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

View of the top dog gallery in addition to some of Masumi Yamanaka's paintings
Display boxes contained other drawings, paintings in addition to books virtually trees inwards the Kew Collection

Armand's  White Pine (Chinese White Pine) in addition to Masumi Yamanaka
- this fantabulous botanical ikon is forthwith inwards the individual collection of
Martyn Rix, Editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine who contributed the tree descriptions to the mass virtually the exhibition

The Gallery currently has 3 exhibitions on display - although this is non obvious from the "what's on" on the Kew website.  The in conclusion 24-hour interval of the exhibitions is ninth August.

They are:

• Kew's Heritage Trees (Galleries 1 in addition to 5) - paintings past times Masumi Yamanaka
• Flowering Bulbs in addition to Tubers (Galleries 2, 3 in addition to 4) - an exhibition of paintings for sale past times the Dutch Society of Botanical Artists
• The Joy of Spring (Gallery half dozen Paintings from the Shirley Sherwood Collection)

I direct hold no thought why the other ii exhibitions are non identified equally exhibitions to see on the Kew Gardens website. However the Kew Gardens website is non slow to navigate in addition to oft omits data for visitors. I can't operate out why this is but it's extremely unhelpful to the fans of botanical fine art in addition to this is a gallery that gets a lot of visitors!

Below you'll find

• a review of Kew's Heritage Trees in addition to in that place volition survive some other postal service subsequently inwards the calendar week virtually the other ii exhibitions
• 10 facts virtually Masumi Yamanaka
• a large invention associated amongst this exhibition!

Review of 'Kew's Heritage Trees'

This exhibition focuses on what are known equally the Heritage Trees in addition to include paintings of the trees known equally the "Old Lions" which direct hold been living at Kew for over 250 years.

Any regular visiter to Kew volition know that the gardens include some actually  wonderful trees - some of which are real large, some of which are real former in addition to some of which are both!

I know I pass fourth dimension when visiting Kew enjoying seeing the former in addition to large trees at unlike stages of their annual life cycle.  I've taken to a greater extent than than a few photographs of most of them over the years inwards business office because Kew is somewhere where trees tin grow to their total potential in addition to they are exactly stunning!

Below is a map of the trees that direct hold been painted in addition to are included inwards the exhibition.

Location of the Heritage Trees
The bulk are related to the place of the Old Arboretum betwixt the Orangery in addition to the Palm House
There is no guide to the Arboretum - in addition to how trees are grouped across the site - or a map of the former trees on the website.

There direct hold been some drawings of the trees done inwards the past times but no ane creative mortal has always attempted to arrive at all the trees equally a collection.

Masumi Yamanaka works on a freelance ground at Kew - an "Artist inwards Residence" - in addition to had felt for some fourth dimension that the former in addition to treasured trees at Kew needed to survive drawn in addition to painted equally good equally photographed.

Masumi's involvement inwards the trees started when she painted the Indian Bean tree for a portfolio of nine works exhibited at the RHS Botanical Art Show inwards 2010 - for which she won a aureate medal.  I peculiarly enjoyed this serial - it's ane which for certain ought to survive studied past times all those aspiring to a aureate medal!

A serial of paintings of Indian Horse Chestnut Aesculus Indica 

She started to pigment to a greater extent than of the heritage trees after this projection in addition to it's taken her 5 years to railroad train the portfolio she has created in addition to which is forthwith on display.  Fortunately she managed to capture some of the trees before the large tempest inwards 2013 which damaged a lot of the trees at Kew - including the heritage trees.

It's of import to depository fiscal establishment complaint this was non a commission - this was an maiden past times Masumi.

MY TIP for botanical artists:  When thinking virtually what to arrive at for a projection why non examine something nobody has done before - which likewise has links to the historical or iconic or both?

Not all the paintings are of the total tree although in that place are some meaning paintings of the shapes of some of them. Other paintings focus on the shapes of leaves in addition to seeds and/or cones - which are beautifully painted.  In total they brand a real worthwhile collection.

I establish the paintings of some of the pines to survive quite breathtaking. I likewise dear the fact that equally a trial of the exhibition I forthwith empathise much to a greater extent than virtually the trees in addition to know to a greater extent than virtually what I'm looking at on my regular visits to Kew. Plus where to honour all the heritage trees - I arrive at promise they position that map on the website!

Initially Masumi asked whether she could arrive at an exhibition of her paintings inwards ane of the side galleries. However after Kew saw what she had produced - she's forthwith done xl paintings - they decided that she could direct hold the top dog gallery for the exhibition!

View of the exhibition inwards the top dog gallery of the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art

This is a video virtually the exhibition

Find out to a greater extent than virtually the trees in addition to the paintings

The mass of the exhibition

I was real fortunate yesterday equally

Masumi walked into the exhibition spell I was there

However y'all can:

• find out to a greater extent than virtually the trees on the website:
• Kew's Heritage Trees is a weblog postal service which describes the evolution of the collection in addition to shows some of  the paintings adjacent to photographs of the originals.
• This weblog postal service - Celebrating the tree - tells us to a greater extent than virtually some of the artwork from the archives inwards the existing Kew Art Collection.
• Masumi volition likewise survive doing a guide to the exhibition tomorrow on Th 23rd July betwixt 2pm in addition to 3pm.
• The exhibition is rounded off amongst a publication called 'Treasured Trees' published past times Kew.  It includes color plates of the xl paintings inwards the exhibition addition a detailed description of each tree in addition to how it came to survive included inwards the Arboretum at Kew. The tree descriptions are written past times Martin Rix, Editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine in addition to the Introduction was written past times Christina Harrison, Editor of the Kew Magazine. Read to a greater extent than virtually it.

10 Facts virtually Masumi Yamanaka

Masumi Yamanaka amongst her ikon of the Stone Pine - planted inwards 1846
Since she painted it it has lost 3 major branches inwards a large tempest inwards 2013 - proving the worth of ikon the tree.

1. Masumi Yamanaka was born inwards Nihon inwards 1957 but has lived inwards London for the in conclusion 26 years
2. The before business office of her career involved working equally a designer for ceramic manufacturers in addition to retailers 
3. She studied botanical fine art with Pandora Sellars who is a professional person botanical painter in addition to illustrator contributing to Curtis’s Botanical Magazine
4. Her example of a Hippeastrum won the SBA's Margaret Grainger Memorial Silver Bowl, is included inwards the SBA Book 'The Botanical Palette' in addition to forthwith forms business office of the Kew Art Collection.
5. Masumi's botanical artwork has been exhibited inwards 4 previous exhibitions Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art:
1. ‘Trees’ (Winter 2009)
2. ‘Bulbmania’ (Summer 2010) 
3. ‘Kew Artists’ (Spring 2011) 
4. ‘Inspiring Kew’ (2014).
6. Masumi won an RHS Gold Medal inwards 2010 for her illustrations of Aesculus indica ‘Sydney Pearce’, illustrated from the specimen at Kew. (Note: The exhibition includes the nine paintings exhibited at the RHS)
7. Her drawings in addition to paintings are held inwards the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in addition to individual collections throughout the world. 
8. She is the Japanese Exhibition Coordinator for the forthcoming exhibition ‘Flora Japonica’ which volition survive held at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art inwards 2016. 
9. Masumi has been a freelance creative mortal based inwards the Herbarium since 2007.
10. The paintings of the Heritage Trees were done on her initiative. She feels it's of import that they should move business office of the Kew Collection - especially equally some
    

Sponsor ane of the paintings

One of the innovations amongst this exhibition is definitely worth talking about.

This is the novel notion that people tin survive invited to sponsor a botanical illustration.

Each slice depicts ane of Kew’s most meaning trees in addition to epitomises the living collections hither at Kew. We would similar to add together equally many of these pictures to Kew’s fine art collection equally nosotros can. Unfortunately, our electrical current funding volition non allow us to purchase to a greater extent than than ii of these pieces. So in that place is a existent danger most volition survive lost to Kew forever. These paintings are a living tape of the history of Kew’s Heritage Trees in addition to amongst this inwards mind, nosotros direct hold launched a fund to assistance us to purchase these of import pieces, in addition to maintain them at Kew.

Masumi tin sell these paintings - she wasn't commissioned to arrive at them. On the ane mitt her income has been express past times the fourth dimension given over to task this projection hence it would survive cracking if she could sell some.  On the other hand, she feels strongly that the paintings should shape business office of the Kew Art Collection given the iconic nature of the trees which they portray.  However Kew's funding has been cutting in addition to tin solely afford to purchase two........

The thought of sponsorship is that a tertiary political party - a supporter of Kew in addition to its fine art collection - pays the non unreasonable prices asked - in addition to the slice is in addition to hence added to the Art Collection at Kew.

What y'all larn equally a sponsor is a certificate, a high resolution impress of the ikon in addition to an invitation to an trial to run into the artist. Plus your mention goes on the exhibition label for the ikon every fourth dimension it is exhibited anywhere inwards the world.....

I've uploaded the Sponsorship Leaflet to the U.K. Exhibitions Page of my Botanical Art in addition to Artists website - in addition to y'all tin read to a greater extent than virtually it there.

I know I desire my Executors to secure a bench at Kew inwards my retention when I move - but mayhap it's fourth dimension to intend virtually sponsoring a ikon instead?

Why non sponsor ane equally a gift to celebrate a special birthday, anniversary or trial or to commemorate the life of a loved one?

I intend both Kew in addition to Masumi are likewise hoping that inwards due course of didactics international sponsors powerfulness desire to examine in addition to larn the exhibition overseas. It's for certain good worth it - I've never seen some other exhibition quite similar it.

PS. The adjacent novel exhibition at the Gallery volition opened upwards on 29 August 2015.  I've position inwards my diary!

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