History Of Biscot Exhibition Too Medal Winners 2015

For those interested in:

details of the BISCOT (Botanical Images Scotia) medal winners 2015
how BISCOT came virtually together with how it is run
how to exhibit at BISCOT inward the future

I wrote to Hazel Morris, the BISCOT Artist Co-ordinator to notice out to a greater extent than virtually the history of the exhibition, how it fits into the construction of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (RCHS) together with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh PLUS how people tin submit operate for exhibition.

You tin notice her explanation below which I've edited for this blog. Any mistakes are all mine!

I've also summarised the rules together with regulations together with other data virtually how to larn into at the end

BISCOT (Botanical Images Scotia) medal winners 2015

I don't stimulate got whatsoever images of the exhibition. I'll add together them inward hither if I larn any.

This year’s medal winners are every bit follows:

Hye Woo Shin inward Apr 2014

Gold together with Best Picture inward Show

Hye Woo Shin (S.Korea)

I've met Hye Woo Shin on a couplet of occasions at RHS exhibitions. She's a delightful lady who produces absolutely stunning botanical fine art together with amazing presentations. I'm non inward the to the lowest degree chip surprised to listen she's won Best inward Show.

In the absence of whatsoever images from the demo I've included the lastly photograph I took of her a twelvemonth agone inward the Lindley Hall inward London when she also won a Gold Medal together with Best Exhibit inward Show

Silver-Gilt Medal

Margaret Farr (USA) – Silver-gilt
Sarah Howard Sherlock (UK) – Silver - from Scotland

Silver Medal

Alex Scott-Plummer (UK) – Silver

Bronze Medal

Jeffrey Banks (UK) – Bronze - an ex-student of the RBGE Diploma inward Botanical Illustration
Morag Lorimer (UK) - Bronze a fellow member of Edinburgh Society of Botanical Artists and an ex-student of the RBGE Diploma inward Botanical Illustration
Anne Rabbitts (UK) – Bronze

It's disappointing to notice quite so many skillful botanical artists without a website.

About BISCOT

What is BISCOT?

BISCOT (Botanical Images Scotia) is a sub-committee of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. Its role is to organise together with run an annual competitive exhibition for botanical artists.

In effect, it's a Scottish version of the RHS Botanical Art Show but on a smaller scale.

It was founded to:

provide a platform for abode grown talent
to enable world-wide links with other botanical artists.

To date, the exhibition has attracted entries from USA, Israel, Nepal, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Australia, South Africa, Nepal together with the Netherlands together with this twelvemonth South Korea.

What's the History of BISCOT?

In the summertime of 2004 a really successful exhibition of botanical paintings was held at Paxton House. All the artists were connected to painting courses held at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few of the artists involved, prompted yesteryear the recent success of the RCHS’s Gardening Scotland Show, discussed the possibility of creating an exhibition of high calibre inward Scotland.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 modest voluntary commission was formed together with made a proposal to the RCHS council who received it enthusiastically. The novel exhibition was awarded £500 towards set-up costs.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) collaborated with the essay together with agreed to assist yesteryear making infinite available within the RBGE offices to direct maintain commission meetings together with assessments of paintings.

The BISCOT Exhibition

The outset exhibition took house inward June 2005. Annual competitive exhibitions of botanical paintings together with illustrations stimulate got been exhibited on an annual reason at Gardening Scotland.

The BISCOT exhibition is directly exhibited inward ii locations on an annual basis.

it starts at the RCHS Gardening Scotland at Ingliston inward Edinburgh
after the demo closes, the exhibition moves to the RBGE John Hope Gateway Building and, in i trial hung, is on display for a farther ii weeks.

BISCOT Education

In add-on to the competitive exhibition BISCOT directly features an educational department side yesteryear side to the exhibition.

In 2015, this part of the exhibition features the operate of Gulnar Eksi together with shows nine of her paintings which were commissioned yesteryear the RBGE for a novel majority ‘Plants from the Woods together with Forests of Chile’ yesteryear Martin Gardner, Paulina Hechenleitner together with Josefina Hepp, (with a Foreward yesteryear H.R.H. The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay). This majority is due for unloosen inward the spill of this twelvemonth together with at that topographic point volition live a major exhibition of all the paintings commissioned for it so at the RBGE. Information virtually this together with the majority volition live on the RBGE website.

Gulnar has already won a Au medal from the RHS when she exhibited only about of these paintings inward London.

Gulnar Eksi at the RHS Botanical Art Show inward Feb 2015
where she was also exhibited her paintings for the majority together with won a Gold Medal together with Best Painting inward Show

BISCOT Awards

There are no monetary prizes. Awards are:

'Medals' inward gold, silver-gilt, silvery together with bronze categories (as with the RHS, the 'medal' is a certificate)
Mary Mendum Medal for an particular exhibit

The Mary Mendum Medal is inward honour of Mary, who was a taxonomist together with gifted botanical illustrator who worked at the RBGE from 1987 until her untimely boot the bucket inward 2004. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 silvery medal was struck which was funded yesteryear her trouble solid unit of measurement together with the Binks Trust. The medal is alone awarded when a really particular exhibit is presented.

The BISCOT website

The BISCOT spider web page http://www.biscot.org.uk was laid upward within the RCHS website together with contains our rules together with regulations.

How to exhibit at BISCOT

These are the rules together with regulations for exhibiting operate at BISCOT. I've summarised them below together with highlighted cardinal points. The document also includes an application shape got assessment of botanical works.

New Exhibitors: Selection together with assessment

Like the RHS, earlier yous tin exhibit yous outset stimulate got to flora that yous are an creative someone who has the mightiness skills together with technical competence to handgrip a make of technically challenging subjects inward botanical art.

Which agency that outset yous stimulate got live assessed - together with that assessment takes house at to the lowest degree a year before an exhibition which yous tin submit operate to for display.

Artists wishing to exhibit may apply to the Botanical Images Scotia (BISCOT) assessment panel which consists of the electrical flow year’s exhibition judges. They convene in i trial a twelvemonth inward May, prior to Gardening Scotland to assess work.... Assessment results are sent out at the cease of June.

The appointment for the next submission volition live inward May 2016.

Four pieces of work which demonstrate the artist’s touchstone of work must live submitted for consideration.
Artists residing inward the Great Britain are required to ship original work.
Artists who reside exterior the UK, may submit a CD or retentivity stick of their operate inward ‘jpeg’ format of non less than three Mega Pixels, together with does non ask to overstep 5 Mega Pixels inward resolution.
See Judging criteria at the cease of the Regulations. If the required touchstone is achieved, artists volition live able to apply for infinite at a hereafter exhibition.

If approved to exhibit, yous must so exhibit within 5 years or apply in i trial to a greater extent than to exhibit.

Note that passing the assessment physical care for does non guarantee a house inward the exhibition since infinite is limited. However at that topographic point are methods adopted to brand life fair for all artists.

If BISCOT is anything similar the RHS yous volition notice the standards larn upward over the course of written report of 5 years!

Submissions to BISCOT - Rules together with regulations

Artwork Requirements

Paintings together with drawings of plants must live at to the lowest degree life-size unless this is impractical.
A scale must live included if the dependent plain is dissimilar from life-size.
Exhibits are to live ii dimensional original botanical artworks.
Written data e.g. flora names, included on exhibits must live accurate together with considered every bit an integral chemical element of the work.

Presentation Requirements

Works MUST live individually presented on lightweight board, with an acetate window mount. (Further details inward the data sheet)
Mounts to live white/off-white/antique white or similar color together with of dimensions which add together to rather than detract from the unity of the private display.
Each operate must live numbered together with labelled with both the mutual together with Latin holler of the depicted plant/s inward dark together with white on cards affixed below each work.
Works must NOT live framed (re Gardening Scotland display)
All works must adapt to next sizes when mounted/matted: 30cm x 40cms | 50cms x 70cms | 60cms x 80cms. Failure to adhere to these dimensions volition hateful your works tin alone live exhibited at Gardening Scotland together with non at RBGE (where the works volition live framed inward RGBE loan frames for the RGBE exhibition)
No advertising or promotional literature is allowed other than the artist’s name, address/e-mail address which volition live shown at ii locations inward the exhibit i.e. at the top left manus together with bottom correct manus corners of the artists’ displays.

Artwork Preferences

Two mostly accepted categories of botanical epitome are considered for selection:

Botanical instance - with scientific bias, showing relevant details, and
Plant portrait - non necessarily for scientific identification purposes.

Preference volition live given to works using watercolour every bit the master copy medium but this does non forestall the work of coloured pencil, gouache, graphite or ink.

Flexibility

Choice of dependent plain affair is left to the creative someone but a theme e.g. a particular flora trouble solid unit of measurement or other relevant theme attracts a higher award.

Prohibited

Digitally enhanced together with other mechanically achieved works, e.g. etchings, are non acceptable.
No operate may live removed (or substituted yesteryear another) earlier the cease of both exhibitions.

Awards Criteria

To live considered for an abide by viii works must live displayed.
At to the lowest degree 4 of these works must non stimulate got been previously exhibited inward a competitive exhibition. (I'm assuming they hateful ANY competitive exhibition)
The judges give special consideration to the accuracy of botanical detail, color together with composition.
Any less good executed painting/drawing alongside those shown yesteryear the private creative someone volition impact the bird of the abide by given.
The appropriateness of the terminal mounts with regard to the works together with their human relationship to each other inward the presentation volition live considered
The overall composition together with placement of the works shown inward the infinite provided is also of import since each display of an artist’s operate volition live considered every bit a consummate exhibit.

Additional requirements

The exhibition must live manned at all times yesteryear at to the lowest degree ii exhibiting artists. This is the sole responsibleness of the artists who may nominate a substitute if they are unable to attend.

All the normal requirements apply re mailing artwork, liability for harm together with insurance of artwork

Details of the size of the display boards are available on the data sheet.

Judging criteria

The botanical illustrations exhibited stimulate got to describe the plants they demo accurately inward form, color together with detail, together with all works are judged using the same criteria whichever ‘category’ they are in. In add-on at that topographic point is an aesthetic component which may live described every bit the character of the work. It includes composition, contrast, delicacy of line together with how it describes the forms etc. These are also vital components together with allow the judges to bird the awards. BISCOT Information Sheet

The words are those of the BISCOT Committee. The bold is added yesteryear me.

BISCOT Committee

Our commission consists of a modest grouping people who run the exhibition on a voluntary basis. We are all botanical painters, together with work our paintings for cards or prints which nosotros pay to stimulate got professionally printed ourselves together with sell. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 part of the proceeds from each sale goes to assist fund the running of the exhibition.

They'd beloved to stimulate got only about assistance from younger artists who are reckoner literate together with who tin assist with a website together with social media presence!