Pop Up Studio at the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition

The RHS London Orchid and Botanical Art Show is open to the public on Friday and Saturday this week at the RHS Horticultural Halls (Lawrence & Lindley Hall) in Westminster, London SW1P 2PE. The Botanical Art Show is in the Lindley Hall.

This year there are going to be nearly 30 botanical artists exhibiting and hoping to win a much coveted Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal.   This show always has a strong international flavour and 2014 is no exception with artists flying in from Australia, Thailand, South Korea and the USA.

For the first time this year, the RHS has decided to have a Pop-Up Studio in the Lindley Hall where you can meet practising botanical artists - some of whom have won a Gold Medal or two!

What follows is a summary of the document who explains who's painting!

Julia Trickey - website http://www.juliatrickey.co.uk

• winner of four RHS Gold Medals
• botanical artist - working in watercolour She is particularly drawn to specimens that are less than perfect, especially autumn leaves, seed heads and fading flowers.
• experienced tutor  
• her work is held in the RHS Lindley Library and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, USA. 
• In 2014 Julia’s illustrations can be seen on Royal Mail Post & Go British Flora stamps.

Julia Trickey with her exhibition of Nature in Waiting which won an RHS Gold Medal in 2013

Jessica Shepherd - website http://inkyleaves.com | blog Inky Leaves

• a botanical illustrator who trained as a botanical taxonomist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
• currently works in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
• uses her scientific training when illustrating plants for publications and exhibitions. 
• currently involved in a personal diary project "illustrating every single plant I have used over a twelve month period."
• she enjoys challenging current perceptions of botanical art and how it can be used in the 21st Century. 
• a member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society
• she has two paintings in the Shirley Sherwood Collection of Botanical Art.

Emma Hardicker website http://www.emmahardicker.com

• a printmaker whose work has featured in the V&A and London Design Festival. 
• produces stylised floral designs as limited edition prints and fabrics. 
• She sketches her designs in the garden, then uses traditional silk-screen printing methods with a lot of experimenting and colour mixing to produce eye-catching designs.

Hannah McVicar - website http://www.hannahmcvicar.co.uk

• an illustrator and printmaker (screenprinting). 
• produces floral illustrations for books, magazines and packaging. 
• Her illustrations were recently compared to William Morris in a review in the New York Times.
• works on commission - clients include The Times newspaper, Gardens Illustrated magazine and Ebury Publishing. A Graduated from Falmouth College of Art, in 2004.
• exhibits colourful and vibrant collections of floral screenprints internationally and throughout  the UK.

Liv Healey - website http://www.livhealey.com

• initially worked with textiles, mixed media and layering digital designs. 
• has recently worked on a set of prints and paintings inspired by plants and nature. The works are a combination of watercolours, inks and acrylics - with strong ink outlines and vibrant colour splashes 

Ann Swan - website http://www.annswan.co.uk | Facebook

• winner of four RHS Gold Medals
• an internationally acclaimed botanical artist well known for her fine detail, vibrant colours and strong contemporary style.
• an accomplished teacher, always evolving and incorporating new techniques into her work. She teaches around the world and from her Wiltshire studio, and runs holiday workshops in Europe.
• Author of ‘Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils’,
• Exhibitions include The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 1994 and the Hunt Institute’s 8th International Exhibition in Pittsburgh USA. 
• Ann recently retired as a judge on the RHS Picture Panel 
• her work is represented in the prestigious Shirley Sherwood Collection and the RHS Lindley Library.