Review: 30Th Annual Exhibition Of The Club Of Botanical Artists

Entrance to the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists

The Society of Botanical Artists is relatively immature compared to those national fine art societies which started life inwards the 19th century. However this tike is inwards robust wellness as well as currently going from strength to strength.

As it reaches its 30th Annual Exhibition it seems an appropriate fourth dimension to receive got stock of the progress made promoting botanical fine art as well as inwards displaying botanical artwork at its annual exhibition.

30th Annual Exhibition - In Pursuit of Plants

The theme of this year's demo is In Pursuit of Plants. You tin meet it inwards the Aldersgate Room, inwards the basement of Central Hall Westminster until sun 26th Apr 2015. The exhibition is opened upward every 24-hour interval betwixt 11am as well as 5pm as well as admission is free.

This is a brusk video of the opening address past times Sandra Armitage, the President of the SBA nearly this year's exhibition as well as the preparation for side past times side year.

The topic for side past times side year's exhibition is "Shape Pattern as well as Structure" which volition live on 15-24 Apr 2016.

Highlights of the exhibition

I intend the thing most worth commenting on is the improvement inwards the touchstone of the educatee work. The operate of students inwards their finally twelvemonth of the Distance Learning Diploma Course is, equally always, exhibited inwards a corner of the exhibition. (The students graduated from their course of instruction finally Fri evening). Every twelvemonth I've seen some stunning operate amongst operate which appeared real promising.

This twelvemonth I was amazed to uncovering a display which is genuinely outstanding inwards the breadth as well as depth of the character of the work. So much so, that much of the educatee operate on display was an awful lot ameliorate than rather a lot of the artwork I used to meet inwards the early on days when I outset started visiting this exhibition each year. (I started coming inwards 2006 as well as you lot tin instantly uncovering links to all my past times weblog posts nearly the SBA exhibition on the Botanical Art as well as Artists page of this blog.)

Work inwards coloured pencil past times Linda Preston - a Diploma Student
Apparently she was the educatee with the highest marks
This makes me real pleased equally good equally it reinforces my reputation for 'spotting the proficient ones'! :)

A duo of assignments from students but halfway through the course
past times Nita Sculthorp as well as Darren Sleep
exhibiting some fine skills inwards drawing as well as inventiveness inwards choice of dependent champaign matter

I approximate ane tin exclusively conclude from this that the initiation of the Diploma Course past times Past President Margaret Steven has helped both to drive upward the standards of botanical fine art as well as improve the touchstone of operate on see inwards the exhibition.

It's likewise evident that the students of leading botanical artists are likewise doing real well. Overall I conclude that the emphasis on educational activity as well as grooming is leading to a real high touchstone of botanical art-making.

However it's non but downwards to to a greater extent than entries from the Diploma students as well as the efforts of those who instruct botanical art.

The overall touchstone of operate has improved. It seemed to me that scrutiny past times the selectors has likewise travel to a greater extent than rigorous. I constitute the consummate make of artwork which tin traditionally live on seen at this exhibition - non all of which is 'strictly botanical'. However weaker pieces seem to receive got been eliminated for the most part. In purpose I intend that's because the let on of works exhibited has been reduced.

I get together that Jonathan Parker saw the exhibition finally calendar week and commented that it was a completely dissimilar from the finally exhibition he saw some 10 years ago. I'm real much of the same opinion.

(Incidentally Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery - but off the Fulham Road inwards Chelsea - has a botanical art exhibition Work from Botanical Artists inwards the Collection of Dr ShirleySherwood OBE opening side past times side calendar week on 23rd Apr - then those planning to live on inwards London for the goal of the calendar week tin receive got inwards 2 botanical fine art exhibitions!)

View of the SBA Exhibition #2
(left) wall of operate past times Susan Christopher Coulson
(right) Part of the 'Red Section

The hang likewise looks much ameliorate - I liked the color theming which seemed real evident this year.

This is the pinkish wall. I nonetheless receive got some reservations nearly the lighting which is nonetheless real intense at the top of a wall as well as leaves operate inwards the lower one-half of the wall somewhat shaded. This I approximate is a occupation which is ever introduce when lights receive got to live on fixed to the top of the stands.

View of the SBA Exhibition #3
Part of the "pink section"

I'm non going to highlight yet ane time again the operate I liked a lot inwards terms of the operate which won prizes and those awarded certificates of botanical merit - rather I'm going to highlight another artwork which caught my eye.

I intend some of the monochrome as well as nigh monochrome fine art is actually proficient this year. Particularly noteworthy are the trees of Pamela Taylor (and nosotros don't meet a lot of trees which is a pity).

Pen as well as ink drawings past times Pamela Taylor BSc, PhD, Assoc SBA
(top left) Taxus baccata - The Ankerwyke Yew £400
(top right) Faxinius excelsior - Common Ash £300
(bottom left) Tilea x europeae Common Lime with Viscum album - Mistletoe £350
(bottom right) Carduus nutans - Musk Thistle £350

I likewise loved Rachel Munn's pen as well as ink operate with express improver of coloured pencil. I especially appreciated the fact she drew a collection of long as well as leggy plants inwards a tall portrait format then ane time tin appreciate ameliorate the nature of their growth. (Rachel is the creative mortal whose drawing graces the Diplomas of those graduating from the Diploma Course)

Pen as well as ink drawings with coloured pencil of long as well as leggy plants past times Rachel Munn
(top left) Helianthus annus - Sunflower £600
(top right) Anemone hupehensis - White Japanese Anemone £600
(bottom left ) Digitialis Purpurea - White Foxglove £600
(bottom right) Echinea Purpurea - Purple Coneflower £600

I exercise similar to meet a proficient collection - as well as in that place were diverse takes on how to exercise this on display.

My favourite collection creative mortal is Susan Christopher Coulson who invariably has ane or to a greater extent than paintings involving collections. It's rather equally if she creates mini florilegia inwards ane artwork. This twelvemonth she had 4 on ane of the characteristic walls which I constitute absolutely delightful as well as I kept coming dorsum to it.

I did likewise wonder how many people walking inbetween operate past times Susan Christopher Coulson as well as Ann Swan (whose operate faced it) realised that they were seeing operate completed inwards coloured pencils.

Group of coloured pencil drawings past times Susan Christopher Coulson
I uncovering the dependent champaign affair fascinating every year
(top left) Cures from the Potager £1,200
(top right) Bean Counting: In Pursuit of Diversity £800
(bottom left ) Medieval Medicinals, from an Apothcary's Garden £1,200
(bottom right)Winter Greens: In pursuit of Form as well as Colour inwards the Winter Garden £1,200

This is a larger see of Winter Greens which I'm guessing is a topic which few other artists would receive got fifty-fifty attempted never take away heed made it equally interesting an artwork equally this ane is.

Winter Greens: In pursuit of Form as well as Colour inwards the Winter Garden
(coloured pencil) £1,200
past times Susan Christopher Coulson

This is Shevaun Doherty with her icon of diverse spices arranged within an invisible round down shape.

I'm pleased to state that I'm the mortal whose weblog posts inspired Shevaun to receive got upward a pigment brush as well as start icon plants! You tin read how I came to know Shevaun inwards my weblog send service from 5 years agone Why live on an fine art blogger?

The Spice Market past times Shevaun Doherty DipSBA(Dist.), SBA
(watercolour) £950

One of the changes this twelvemonth is that all operate had to live on priced higher upward £350 if it exceeded a certainly specific framed size. I idea this was a real sensible motility for an fine art social club which includes many professional person artists.

Robert McNeill DA(Edin) PF (Edin) SBA ASBA CBM (2013)
with his watercolour paintings
(top) Waratah £5,000
(bottom) Pinus wallichian £5,000

However I intend it would likewise live on actually proficient to meet fifty-fifty to a greater extent than high goal operate at higher prices inwards hereafter years - operate selling inwards the thousands - equally you lot need a critical volume of such operate to select inwards the collectors at that level.

That's non an invitation to position upward prices willy nilly but it is a proposition to make as well as introduce ambitious operate which would hold off proficient with an RHS Gold Medal side past times side to it or on the walls of (let's say) a museum exhibition.

Typically we're talking nearly the calibre of artists who receive got won an RHS Gold or had operate bought past times Dr Sherwood or acquired past times the Hunt Institute.

On the correct is Robert McNeill with his 2 paintings.

and finally......

I'll live on real sorry never to meet whatever to a greater extent than operate from Wendy Cranston - who sadly died finally year. I've ever loved her operate as well as exclusively discovered relatively belatedly that she commonly started from dark paper.

The Memorial Exhibit for Wendy Cranston FSBA

More nearly this exhibition

2015 - In Pursuit of Plants

More nearly Botanical Art

See my novel website Botanical Art as well as Artists and larn nearly resources for botanical fine art as well as for artists as well as students

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