Winter 2016 Scattered Seeds - The Society of Botanical Artists · scope and allow for increased...

Scattered Seeds

Heriera litaralis

By Sally Bunker DipSBA(Dist) AssocSBA

Broadcasting ideas and information from

Winter 2016

2 THE SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS WINTER 2016 NEWSLETTER

President’s Piece

A s the year draws to a close I look back with pleasure and pride on the SBA year’s achievements. From January to December the team council

keep busy making plans for the Society’s future. So much is happening in botanical art these days and technology continues to advance at an alarming rate so we need to stay alert on your behalf.

An Annual Open exhibition in October will be a fresh experience for the SBA and the new title ‘Changing Seasons’ should give plenty of scope and allow for increased productivity.

Despite the change we intend to start our marketing early in the year; a chance to spread the workload and ease the stress!

Janie Pirie is our chosen artist to produce the catalogue image and she is already hard at work so that the necessary marketing literature can be designed early. We intend contacting advertisers both old and new, so please play your part by notifying Pam of any potential or previous advertisers.

The implementation of digital submissions will extend to members next year and should reduce the need to store rejected work and will also speed up the selection process. I know that ‘technology’ fills the less technical of us with dread, but we have to fully embrace this if we are to stay current and up to date as a Society.

A New Members page on our website will be ready by Spring and clear instructions will be available in plenty of time to make it as easy as we can for you all and give you time to work on your uploading skills. (Me too!)

Despite moving the exhibition, we are obliged by our rules to hold the AGM within 15 months of the previous one. We have therefore chosen April 20th for this. There is important information to impart so I hope you will attend to hear all our news and join us for an early afternoon buffet afterwards. Keep the date free in your diaries, so you can hear at first hand our future plans for the Society. We hope to improve the structure of the Society and safeguard our future and, of course, lay the foundations for a smooth transition for new Presidents and Directors.

Much has been achieved since 2013 and still there is more to do. Palmengarten was expected to end for us this year, but as we are now an important part of their calendar we have accepted their invitation to return in Autumn 2018.

It seems that unlike Britain, the SBA exhibitions are extending our presence through Europe from Frankfurt to Madrid as we plan the exciting Tulipmania show there in Spring 2018. This promises to be a well organised event and plans are progressing well, so I hope you have planted tulip bulbs and notified Marta.

We recognise that not everyone will wish to exhibit overseas so if possible we hope to offer a London show as well, but possibly in a different format or location. There are a number of alternative options under discussion. If anyone has any interesting suggestions, please let us know. Make sure to offer us some factual research and background information, rather than just an optimistic idea please! We have ideas in abundance so we would welcome some well researched suggestions with facts and figures and offers of help of course.

Before I sign off, I want to remind you that we will be taking part in the RHS London Botanical Show in February 2017 so we hope to see you there - volunteers to help will be gratefully received via the editor. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a successful New Year wherever you are in the world.

Sandra Wall Armitage PSBA

WINTER 2016 NEWSLETTER THE SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS 3

Editor

4 Your Letters and On the Grape Vine

5 Interview with Joanna Craig-McFeely SBA

6 Short Reports

8 Palmengarten Report

10 Palmengarten Historical Papers

12 Exhibition Reviews

14 Update from Sally Bunker AssocSBA

15 Reinhild (An Exhibition) and Membership fees

16 Christmas Luncheon

18 Fabriano Paper - An update

19 DLDC

D id you see the Georgia O’Keefe exhibition at the Tate modern? I have known and enjoyed O’Keefe’s landscapes for many years but was

strangely ignorant of her flower paintings. What blew me away at the exhibition though, were the paintings of little ‘Kachina’ dolls in the 12th room. Many of us use feathers in our paintings – frequently as small, glossy, bright little accents. However, the feathers portrayed here, were like the ancient treasure-box re-discoveries of our childhood experiments with crow feathers as quill pens. All soft, fluffy and broken - so evocative!

It is very interesting to compare O’Keefe’s work with that of Maud H. Purdy. They were almost exact contemporaries. Both worked in New York. Both painted flowers in considerable enlargement, with very individual styles. Yet Purdy, with her

Important Dates – 2017AGM - April 20To be held at The Artworkers Guild at 11.30 a.m. for a Noon start. This is to allow those of you from further away from London to attend. It will be followed by an early afternoon buffet.

This is your Society - Please do make an effort to attend

Exhibition

Hanging starts 8 OctoberPrivate view 12 OctoberExhibition 13 - 21 OctoberTake-down 22 OctoberHand-out 23 (Sunday) and 24 October

In this Issue

glowing colours, interesting layouts and scientific rigor, is almost unknown to the artistic world. Do look her work up on the internet. Exhibitions and exhibition reviews are the theme for this issue you are a very busy lot!

Merry Christmas, Penny

[email protected]


Your Letters

From Karen Bailey SBA“…would there be any interest in producing a 2018 calendar to be on sale at the 2017 Exhibition in October next….”

Yes, there would, and Council are examining the possibility. Ed

From Katherine Tyrrell SBA Friend“… noticed in the Newsletter – which I really liked (very smart) – is that some of the items ask for help or assistance from members but don’t go on to identify who people should contact.”

Thank you for your kind words, your point regarding identification of contacts

is well made and noted. Ed

On the Grape Vine

Tassiana Teireira DipSBA (Course 11) Had a painting Calliandra tweedii (Brasilian Flame Bush) selected for exhibition at the 'Focus on Nature X1V' exhibition.

Korea Botanical Arts Cooperative - This vigorous group founded by DLDC graduates are issuing a book for coloured pencil users due to be issued in February 2017 and are preparing one for watercolour users.

Marta Chirino SBA is having a solo exhibition at Gallery Lucea Mendoza (Madrid) from 12 November to 14 January 2017. The title is 'Florilegium'.

Julia Trickey SBA who is painting 'Leaves from Bath Botanical Gardens' was selected for the American Society of Botanical Artists 19th annual International Exhibition, has been awarded the Richmond & Lil award for excellence in recognition of an artist by a fellow artist.

Mayumi Hashi SBA has two paintings hung in the Flora Japonica exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew which runs till 5 March 2017. Mayumi has also had a painting hanging at the Japanese Embassy .

No fewer than 6 Members and Associate Members plus two DLDC students are all exhibiting with the Heritage Irish Plants Exhibition.

Christina Hart-Davies Honorary Retired Member SBA: Has published a book “A Wild Plant Year” a charming collection of lavishly illustrated country and household lore connected with British wild plants. It will be on sale at the SBA Exhibition 2017

A Wild Plant Year, history, folklore and uses of Britain's Flora

by Christina Hart-Davies

Published by Two Rivers Press

ISBN 978-1-909747-13-5

£14.95 plus £2.50 p&p (total £17.45)

ORDER ONLINE:

tworiverspress.com/wp/wpy

OR BY TELEPHONE:

Two Rivers Press +44 (0)118 987 1452

Congratulations to you all! Ed.


An interview with Joanna Craig-McFeely SBA

How did you ‘discover’ the SBA? It was such a long time ago I really

do not remember but I first had two paintings accepted for the annual exhibition in 1998, so think that it must have been by word of mouth before this.

Can you tell us what made you want to become a member? That is not difficult, I was aiming for

the top and that was the top as I understood it. I was not art trained and needed to see and understand other artists work and see if I could learn from them and reach their standards.

When did you become a member? On the 10 February 2002, having

had five pictures accepted for the annual exhibition two years running and having been awarded a silver-gilt medal from the RHS, I was invited to kiss the president, Suzanne Lucas, and received a very large 24” by 18” Diploma to say I was a member and entitled to the privileges of the society, I am not quite sure what these are!!

There have been a few changes within the Society since you and I used to bring our rubber gloves along to the Christmas lunch for the washing-up detail! Can you pick out some of those you feel have made the most difference/have improved the society? Without any doubt, Margaret

Stevens must come top of the list in every way, leadership, books and especially founding the DLDC a

lasting legacy for the future of the society. Of course, our patron Dr Shirley Sherwood who has been responsible for a renaissance in Botanical art and has always supported the society. Pam has been a tower of strength and continuity, she has dealt with problems, a mass of work, kept the council in order and made it all fun. Then must come our best Artists who have and still do raise the standard and competition year by year. I was most sad the day that our most gifted council member from north of the border Fiona Strickland left our sides. (I see that now she is no longer even a member) an enormous loss. Lastly those tutors and students who are carrying the mantle forward for the future. Of course, major sponsorship would make a great difference.

You have very kindly given the Society a Rose bowl as a new prize to be in some way directed towards strictly Botanical work. (Although you have left the precise award description to Council). Why did you feel the Society needed a Botanical award in addition to the CBMs? No, not a 'botanical work'. This is a

gift to the society to say 'thank you' for all it has done for me and I in no way want to dictate what it is awarded for, however, when I was asked for suggestions I thought that there was a need for a strictly Botanical Illustration award. I do not know what the criteria are for the CBM awards but I feel that they are not always given for very precise observation, scientific accuracy, and artistic composition. Some have just been for a botanical picture or flower paintings of merit.

The quest for perfection is relentless. I think that it was Chesterton who said ‘The object of the artistic and spiritual life is to dig for the submerged sunrise of wonder’.

Joanna Craig-McFeely SBA


Short Reports

L ast month, I was asked to teach Watercolour Painting, to two groups of seven, eight and nine year olds from two schools in the "deprived" areas of Wisbech. It

was financed by the big St Peter's Church, in the centre of town, with a grant won by an inspirational Australian Vicar, and the Archbishop of the Diocese who together, worked hard for five years to gain the backing which now funds weekly sessions, on photography, puppet making, icons, creative writing, painting, etc! (Monday thru to Friday)

The theme was “Autumn Harvest” which allowed me to provide a host of colourful flowers, fruits and veg. For the first three days, we tackled all sorts of techniques, and tricks......ready for their

A Residency, in Cambridge

major painting, on A3 "Watercolour Board", to be completed on the fourth day. I wanted to 'frame' their works (you all know how pictures are massively improved by a mount) before the two groups came in on Friday so, of course, I stayed behind till I'd completed them ALL!

The kids were agog, as I produced every painting. We discussed which skills, each child had used.

(THEM telling ME!) That talk showed how much they'd learned, and enjoyed it all especially after the negative remarks I'd been met with at the start. They were all AMAZED, at their finished product!

For the finale on Friday afternoon they had to carry their Easels, plus all the 'Harvest bounty', over to the Church, to set up their Exhibition down the aisles. The 'Show' complete with Buffet and drinks was opened, at 4pm, to the general public, the Staff from both Schools, and the Parents.

It was an enormous success (within the first half hour, three people asked if they could buy one) though I was exhausted, I was ecstatic at the results!

And, Oliver (the boy who said he HATED art) had tears in his eyes, when he came up to me.... hugged my hips and simply said ......."Ooooohhhh, Miss - I'm SOOOOOO HAPPY!".........

Lucille Carter SBA


Short Reports

The stylist looks at an unusual shot.

Brenda Green SBA

Every year for eons I have had an Open Day in November or December, but this year I hadn’t dared to think so far ahead! As some of you may, or may not know, I had a breast scare in April and life went on hold from that point.

However, after a straightforward op., I needed no further treatment, for which I was very thankful. This is a strange introductory paragraph, but the reason will be revealed as you read on!

Our church in Little Horkesley, (where I have been a chorister since I was fourteen!) is set in a beautiful rural landscape and is amazingly light and airy. The reason for this is that the original 12th Century church was totally demolished by chance one night in 1940, when a presumably damaged German aircraft, returning from a raid in London, jettisoned its load before attempting its flight back across the North Sea. The villagers of this

tiny, rural hamlet determined to see the church rebuilt and the present church was consecrated in 1958. There is no stained glass, save for the east windows. It has light oak woodwork throughout and the walls are rendered and painted cream. It occurred to me what an excellent venue this would be, especially this year! At the PCC meeting I asked permission to hold an Open Weekend there and it met with total approval, so as I write this I am gathering momentum for the 19 - 20 November!

My pots, botanic drawings and other artefacts will be for sale over the whole weekend as a special celebration and thanksgiving in the church, hopefully shared with all those who, in previous years, have humbled me with their compliments, generosity and their friendship.

Sadly, this article had to be written before it happens and you will be reading it after the event. Perhaps next time things will work out better?

I was lucky enough to be contacted in Spring this year by someone working with an American magazine called Victoria, helping set up photo shoots and stories for their September issue which was to have a British focus. The editor was interested in doing a piece on an artist with a studio for the issue. The stylist had found me online and shared my work with the editor

who said that she would like to include me in the issue. The stylist visited me in Derbyshire in early April to discuss how we would go

ahead and to see my studio and my work and this was followed up by a photoshoot and an interview by email!

The photographer took lots of photos and it was interesting to see her and the stylist work together to bring together what they wanted to show; my studio was a whirlwind for the few hours that they were with me!

Cheryl Wilbraham SBA

A Village Affair

Studio Shoot

Stop Press! Sales ‘Just tipped £2,000’

Congratulations Brenda!


Palmengarten Report

(Above) Men at work

(Below)

One of the delicious lunches

C harlotte Linder and I were happy to be part of the set-up team for our SBA Exhibition at Palmengarten Botanical Gardens, Frankfurt,

in October. We joined Sandra Wall Armitage, husband Paul and Susan Christopher-Coulson and her husband Ian. We were later joined by Enzo Forgione and his partner. Not forgetting Sue Hénon and her friend Bill. Sue is our invaluable link between the SBA and Palmengarten. We were very lucky to have the support and help from Friends of the SBA, Jenny and Steve Ball who had the mammoth task of getting the pictures to Germany, not forgetting that their starting point was Guernsey. It was owing to great teamwork that by Wednesday evening all the pictures were displayed, the jewellery was on view and shop in place. We had excellent support from the Gallery as always. Jonas Glaser who organizes this, always ensures that it is clean and that picture lamps on the screens are replaced as necessary. He even had his team going around and giving the pictures and display vitrines a wipe so that everything looked great all the time.

Volunteers from "The Friends and Supporters Society" of the Palmengarten were helping at the cash desk and keeping an eye on the pictures, along with the blue jackets (Palmengarten Visitors Service) who also go through the exhibition just to see all is in order This year’s exhibition is being labelled here as one of the best we have ever presented, that is coming from both the Palmengarten staff and the general public. We have sold 45 exhibits, despite the fact that we reduced the numbers of exhibits by about thirty from last time. Cards and other goods have also done very well as usual. Even though our Botanical Painting Book was in English, it completely sold out. We are attracting attention from all over Germany and Sue has seen people from Berlin, Stuttgart, Heidelberg and Cologne. Two bus-loads of people came especially for the exhibition and they arrived from East Germany. This exhibition is proving to be a focal point for our Society and everyone is looking forward to the next one in 2018. Our opening was particularly exciting this year, as our special guests were Floria von Hessen (Landgräfin) and The British Honorary Consul, Dr Andreas Fabritius. Faber Castell were also present and very interested in what we are doing. As with the last exhibition here, we had a competition for the Public's Favourite Picture. First place went to Billy Showell with Semi Shades (Watercolour). She won the Faber Castell Prize which was a presentation box of coloured pencils. Second place went to Susan Christopher-Coulson who won a Schminke Watercolour Set and the new book from Billy Showell! It was interesting that many pictures took votes, which goes to show how varied the tastes of people are. We also had another competition this time, it was for the category of best use of technique and materials. This was judged by a prominent Frankfurt Galerist and the Palmengarten. Denise Heywood won this and she will be receiving £250 worth of vouchers from Great Art. It was great to see some visiting ›


Palmengarten Report

Dr Matthias Jenny

Director of Palmengarten

Landgräfin Floria von. Hessen Karin Wittstock

Cultural Manager

of Palmengarten

Now the

speeches are

over you

can see

the relief on

Sandra’s face!

Our President

(In fluent

German)

(Below)

The rest of the team

members of the SBA there, Sue Williams came and helped out along with Pam´s sister Sandy. Diane Sutherland and Mary Dillion also popped in. Next time we will no longer have Karin Wittstock (Culture Manager) with us as she is retiring. Her current assistant, Franziska Schmalhorst will probably be her successor (a very able and creative person). Dr. Jenny (Palmengarten Director) has already invited us back for 2018 and is asking us what the next exhibition title will be. Thinking caps on folks! We now belong to the Frankfurt Culture scene, we are a part of their calendar and nothing is more fitting than in the home town of Maria Sibylla Merian and the Palmengarten.

Extra note from Sue Williams: It was a pleasure to hear the enthusiastic comments about the range of styles and media in general, and the very high standard of the work on show. Sue Hénon’s demonstrations always attracted the interest and admiration of visitors. (I would also highly recommend indulging in the delicious hot chocolate and exquisite cakes, or bratwurst and beer, at the two cafés on site.)

Sheila Etchingham SBA

Sue Hénon SBA


Also At Palmengarten

Excitement when the first of the loaned historical

paintings is revealed by Karin Wittstock

(Pho

to ©

Sus

an C

hris

toph

er-C

ouls

on)

For many artists, there is nothing to equal the treat of being able to study the creative hand and exploring eye of another artist in close up. When the other artist is

from a different era there is perhaps an added sense of cultural and historic significance to contemplate too.

At this year’s Palmengarten exhibition the SBA has been privileged to have an area dedicated to a display of historic botanical work with significant cultural links to the city on loan from The Christian Senckenberg University Library in Frankfurt. Apparently, the books and paintings on display rarely - if ever - leave the University so it is a measure of how highly our exhibitions are regarded in Frankfurt that the artifacts, ranging in date from the fifteenth century, have been loaned for display alongside our contemporary botanical artwork. And yes – my curiosity was triggered so I had to discover more …

From the Renaissance, art and science often ran in tandem. The observation, investigation and meticulous depiction of natural subjects became an important component in art, particularly in central and northern Europe, developing into the predominant style of still life by the seventeenth century. Increasing trade and exploration provided access to unusual and more exotic specimens for artistic depiction – shells, insects, animals, birds, sea creatures, plants from the spreading trade and collection of plants.

From the turn of the seventeenth century one of the most competent exponents of this style was Georg Flagel, who migrated to Frankfurt from Moravia, one of the Czech lands, and had a particular influence on still life painting locally.

Historical connections at the Palmengarten exhibition

Frankfurt is understandably a city that takes its art and culture very seriously and has much to celebrate. The invention of moveable type in the fifteenth century in Mainz, a town close to Frankfurt, revolutionised printing and book production, with significant cultural repercussions in the Renaissance period and beyond. It didn’t take local booksellers long to establish a book fair in Frankfurt which became the most important in Europe until it lapsed at the end of the seventeenth century. However, it was revived in the mid twentieth century and has gained worldwide importance. We were fully aware that it was in full swing whilst we were setting up our exhibition! ›


Also At Palmengarten

Display of Curtis magazines in bound volumes

(Photo © Enzo Forgione)

Late 19th C botany student’s journal

(Photo © Enzo Forgione)

In1627 one of Flagel’s pupils was Jacob Marrel, who had also moved to Frankfurt. After studying with Flagel, Marrel trained further in Utrecht where flower painting was richly rewarded but returned to Frankfurt, where he married the widowed mother of Maria Sibylla Merian and taught pupils including his stepdaughter. He spent further time in Utrecht, returning to Frankfurt to establish a school of flower painting.

Due to a revival of interest in her work towards the end of the twentieth century, we are probably all aware of the work of Maria Sibylla Merian, A name very familiar to those of us who enjoyed the study days to the British museum recently organized so well by Janet Pope.

The loaned paintings hung at our exhibition are by two later Frankfurt artists: Louise von Panhuys, was working about seventy years after the death of Maria Sibylla Merian. Having married a Dutch husband who became Governor General of Surinam, Louise not only admired Maria’s style but also followed in her footsteps! Her works include landscapes and in 1824 she presented 87 of her Surinam paintings to the Senckenberg Natural Sciences Society.

The second artist, Roland Anheisser, was born in 1877 and became a painter, graphic designer, art teacher and writer after initially studying zoology and botany. Some of Anheisser’s design work is in the contemporary organic style of Art Nouveau. He established a studio and printing press near Frankfurt but sadly much of his artistic output was destroyed in a fire there during the Second World War.

Also on display in two vitrines are several books: The oldest, an illustrated herbal, has a magnificent leather binding with ornate metal clasps and dates from 1542, referencing the connection to early printing and book production in Germany. Susan Christopher-Coulson VPSBA

There are some bound volumes of Curtis’s Botanical magazines. The magazines were first published by apothecary William Curtis in the late eighteenth century as illustrated journals on gardening and botany and were held in high regard as the premier journal to showcase botanical art. Over the centuries, it featured the work of many well-known botanical artists including Walter Hood Fitch for forty years during the mid nineteenth century and Lillian Snelling during the second quarter of the twentieth century.

There is also an interesting original journal/sketchbook produced during the late nineteenth century, which includes drawings and notes. One of the captions beside the sketchbook on display reveals ‘Cryptogames for the lecture by Eduard Strasberger’, who was one of the most famous botanists of the nineteenth century.


Review

Ifirst encountered the wonderful collection of illuminated manuscripts held in the Fitzwilliam Museum when I was a research student in the Botany School in Downing Street and

sometimes went to look at them during my lunch break. The gleaming gold and brilliant colours of the beautifully detailed illustrations amazed me.

The current exhibition, Colour, at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, gives a fascinating insight into the techniques used in producing the pictures for the medieval illuminated manuscripts between the tenth and sixteenth centuries. It explains the importance of colour in the medieval world, not just as a palette, but in terms of light, texture and depth. There is a display of the pigments, some derived from organic sources and others from minerals and ores, that were available to the artists, and how the range increased as the trade routes, such as the spice routes and the Silk Road, became established.

The manuscripts and leaves from them are arranged to highlight the changing availability and fashions in colours and techniques used. These are incredibly diverse, and pre-empt many styles of painting that we can recognise today. The developments in ideas about light,

understanding of perspective and how to create three dimensional images are also explained alongside the manuscripts. Several manuals compiled by the artists are displayed. They describe how the artists made their colours, and contain examples of the colours painted out, both plain and showing how they could be shaded, in much the same way that a modern artist might make notes for future reference.

By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries whole families, the men and the women, were sometimes employed in making these beautifully detailed artworks both for the church and for private patrons. There are several of the detailed and complex illustrations by Simon Bening, who worked in the sixteenth century, and was one of the last artists involved in producing these manuscripts. His drawings were either framed by a border, often depicting flowers, or created as a detailed scene surrounded by its setting - almost a picture within a picture.

The exhibition runs until the end of December, and is well worth a visit to discover just how skilled the artists were, and how many of their techniques are still relevant today.

Pamela Taylor SBA

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge


Review

On 27 October, 2016, I had the opportunity to go on a tour of the 'Flora Japonica' Exhibition led by Masumi Yamanaka. Masumi, herself a botanical artist based at Kew, had spent five years planning the exhibition. Her vision was to portray Japanese botanical art, concentrating on native Japanese species. Thirty-five contemporary Japanese artists were asked to contribute paintings.

Traditionally Japanese art concentrates on representing the character of the plant rather than botanical accuracy. To ensure that the works were

botanically correct they were examined at regular intervals by Japanese botanists. The result is a stunning array of beautiful paintings capturing the character and beauty of a range of Japan's native species.

Japan is a long chain of islands, ranging from cool coniferous woods in the north to tropical vegetation in the south and everything in between including alpine habitats. The artists had to find their chosen species growing and flowering, which may not happen every year, and then select their specimens to draw.

There are some beautiful conifer studies of the needles and cones, pictures of acers and delicate cherry blossom. One artist, now in his eighties, specialises in vegetables, and there is a lovely botanical study of a Japanese carrot. Another portrait is of the satsuma, which originated from Japan. Many of our common garden plants, such as wisteria and camellias and hydrangeas, are native to Japan, and these are not forgotten.

The exhibition also traces the history of Botany and botanical drawing in Japan. During the Edo Period (1603 - 1868) Japan was closed. Only the Dutch East India Company had a base there at Nagasaki. This meant the first European botanists to visit Japan were German. Thunberg, a pupil of Carl Linnaeus, visited Japan in August 1775 and named many of the plants he saw. There are several volumes of Honzo zula,

an illustrated manual of Japanese medical plants published from 1828, on display. This was illustrated by Kamen Iwasaki, and was one of the first times western names were used for Japanese plants. The entire manual runs to 96 volumes and Kew holds one of the few complete copies - there is not even an entire set in Japan! Dr Tomitaro Makino (1862 - 1957) was credited with introducing scientific systematic Botany to Japan. He insisted all his Botany students at Tokyo University learnt botanical illustration, and there are some of his beautiful lithographs, which he used for teaching, on display in the exhibition, which runs until 5 March 2017.

Pamela Taylor SBA

Flora Japonica, Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens

Magnolia sieboldii - Mayumi Hashi SBA

Magnolia

Mayumi Hashi SBA


Update

It has been an extremely rewarding project; lots of field-work, help from PhD students, learning Latin names, and hours upon hours of planning, sketching, and painting. My motto has become “OPP” - Observation, Patience and Persistence.

Each plate records the yearly cycle of the tree – 100 have been studied out of the 390 indigenous, significant, native and endemic trees we have here in Hong Kong and Southern China.

At present my work is being reviewed by Botanical Professors to ensure correct representation of the tree species, and then we move to a completely new area for me – publishing…… which should be another interesting learning curve.

My decision to start a new career at 60 after having been in education, and head of a school, has proved a most exciting, rewarding, and totally satisfying change in my life.

I am now ready to undertake a new project…. What next? fungi have a certain allure, and will also be an excuse to spend more time walking in our beautiful hills and woodlands, with all the wonderful biodiversity we have.

Sally Bunker AssocSBA

It is with great feeling of satisfaction and relief that I have now completed 160 paintings for this tree book that I have been working on for the last three and a half years.

For many years I had the desire to record the flora of Hong Kong but having no botanical skills, apart from sketching plants and dabbling in water colour painting, I decided to hone my skills by taking the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course a few years ago.

After researching extensively botanical works in Hong Kong I found to my surprise no detailed botanical books anywhere! Trees have been an important factor of Hong Kong’s history, with many deforestation and reforestation cycles; and I have also always had a love of trees. Trees are so reliable, adaptive and add so much to the enrichment of an environment – if not tampered by humans!!

After networking extensively in Hong Kong I was invited to the HK University to the School of Biological Sciences, where to my delight the head of this department was interested in the idea of a botanically illustrated book on the trees of Hong Kong and Southern China, with the script written by him. I was thrilled.

Trees of Southern China and Hong Kong

Schefftera heptaphylla


Wild Flowers - our National Heritage Membership

SBA 2017 Annual subscriptionsFirstly a reminder to all that the SBA Member-ship Fees for 2017 onwards are increasing. From January 2017 Full Members will pay £175.00 Associate Members will pay £150.00

Please pay your membership fee AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in the New Year, and definitely BY THE END OF MARCH.

The easiest way to pay is by online bank payment to the following account:Bank Name: LloydsAccount Name: Society of Botanical ArtistsAccount Number: 026 129 30Sort Code: 30-99-98 Please make sure you include your name in the Reference box so that we know who the payment is from.

Alternatively, you may send a cheque made payable to: The Society of Botanical Artists Limited to the address below:Anne Lawton, Membership Secretary SBA13 Blenheim Mews, Minehead, Somerset TA24 5QZ. UK Please note my new postal address!

If you pay by Standing Order, please make sure that you change the amount you are paying. If you are not resident in the UK, and are paying by Paypal, please send me an email to let me know you have done so. Email: [email protected] Please note that we no longer send out Membership cards, nor do we send acknowledgments of payment or receipts unless you send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Finally, I would like to gently remind all Members that responsibility for paying your fees lies with you - PLEASE do not wait for me to chase you! Trying to track down people to remind them to pay by phone and or letter takes a lot of time, effort and expense which neither I nor the SBA have.

Anne Lawton SBA

An exhibition of Botanical Paintings by

Reinhild Raistrick SBA

At the Edmund Gallery, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

May 20 – June 1 2017

I am mounting an exhibition of my wildflower paintings together with a series on fungi.I have always been fascinated by these mysterious and illusive subjects, suddenly appearing in the Autumn and then just as

quickly vanishing. I have been leading several workshops on painting fungi over the years and this autumn I led a course at the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens which tied in with the special week on the Fungi Kingdom led by the British Mycological Society. We had some amazing specimen brought in for the students to work on. I am hoping to exhibit some of my fungi paintings at our own SBA exhibition 'Changing Seasons' in October 2017. Sandra, our President, informs me that there is still a special place for paintings of the Fungi Kingdom at our exhibitions. So, will you join me in making a colourful display of fungi paintings at our Autumn exhibition next year?

Reinhild Raistrick SBA

Boletus chrysenteron


Pre-Christmas Lunch

It was a delightful event, and we thank Elspeth of The Artworkers Guild for her time and welcome.

We were spoiled again with a magnificent spread this Christmas at The Artworkers Guild. The caterers that Sandra has

been able to organise for us outdid themselves, and the staff were very helpful – to the extent of washing up and manning the tea/coffee urn during the afternoon.

Extra tables had been unearthed for us and so everyone had a bit of table to use instead of laps. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, and we were able to chat with friends and introduce ourselves to new members in comparative comfort. It was a pleasure also to be able to greet so many SBA Friends.

Our speaker was Clifford Burt, Manager R.K. Burt & Co. After a quick nod at historical paper content, we were brought up to date with a short film of a modern paper press, which we were talked through. I was astonished to learn that the film of pulp extracted from the tank of pulp at the beginning of the process, is dried out by steam as it proceeds through a complicated system of rollers. We learned that the same machinery will be used for all sorts of grades of paper as well as fine art paper. Indeed, we were perhaps rather deflated to find out that fine art paper is frequently a very small part of the work done by any one press, so that the recent change in Fabriano papers are unlikely to be corrected soon.

However we were told that other (and probably more local) companies are hastening to fill the gap. A variety of papers were available for us to hold, rub and check out. So, the answer we are left with unfortunately, is that those of us with a well-established taste in paper, will probably have to go back to experimenting again. (See Katherine’s article on page 18).

We then fell upon the sweet temptations awaiting our attention, and started to move between tables. The chat rate went right up.


Pre-Christmas Lunch

Clifford Burt, Manager

R.K. Burt & Co

Paper Testing

Notice Board

It was a pleasure to meet so many SBA Friends at the Christmas lunch, and as a result, I am considering a Friends Page for this Newsletter. It will depend upon receiving sufficient material from Friends of the Society! You obviously enjoy joining in with the members, do give us ideas you think would extend these opportunities.

There are also plans to have a space allocated to members who, over the years, have acquired or experimented with equipment they no longer use – which might just be what a newer member or student is looking for! We will charge £5.00 per advertisement. This plan is in its early stages and at present I expect each advertisement to be allocated about three square inches of page space. We do not expect to do more than make space available on our pages. Contact and exchange of goodswill be between buyer and seller.

Due to our constant attempts to improve our professionalism, as from thenext issue of this Newsletter, we will be inserting copyright notes by photos. (See Susan Christopher-Coulson's article pages 10 and 11). Please could all photos sent to illustrate articles in future include the name of the photographer (even when sent by the person who wrote the article).Thank you for your help. Ed

Reminder: We will be taking part in the RHS London Botanical Show in February 2017 so we hope to see you there - volunteers to help will be gratefully received via the editor.

Penny Stenning SBA


Fabriano Paper – an update

Blind Testing

In July, Clifford Burt of RK Burt (Fabriano distributor in the UK) and I organised a meeting to explore reasons for the problems being experienced by artists following changes in the surface

and performance of Fabriano hot press watercolour papers (Artistico and Classico).

Those attending the meeting were: Giuseppe Prezioso (Head of Marketing) and Chiara Mediolo (Marketing Director) for Fabriano; Clifford Burt, Manager, R.K. Burt & Co.; various invited artists: Sandra Wall Armitage, Gael Sellwood, Billy Showell, Dianne Sutherland, Ann Swan, Sandrine Maugy, Polly O'Leary, Elaine Searle, Morryce Maddams and myself.

Giuseppe Prezioso explained how fine art papers made by Fabriano have a relatively low profile within their total paper product portfolio due to the vast differences in tonnage produced. Their product range makes the firm more resilient to changes in the marketplace. Unlike some other paper mills, it is unlikely to disappear. However priority must be given to the needs of higher tonnage papers. Two years ago a change was made to the machine used to make fine art (and other) papers (to draw out water faster, reduce energy required to dry paper and help the machine run faster). Priorities for addressing a problem with paper are influenced by profitability and how long a machine can remain set up for a specific paper run. Productivity is reduced and profit affected if a machine is taken out of production to make changes between settings and products. Hence a production run for an art paper with a small tonnage in relative terms is typically only done once every 12 - 18 months.

Quality tests done in the factory indicate no difference in the paper after the machine change. Clifford Burt suggested that techniques used by most watercolour artists means most won’t notice any change. Fabriano wanted to understand how botanical artists paint and see examples of the problems with smoothness and quality of the surface. Examples of problems were brought to the meeting. We also showed Fabriano photos/videos of problems experienced

by artists not at the meeting. Artists also blind tested a range of samples by Fabriano and other paper suppliers (including old and new Fabriano). Fabriano now know much more about the demands made on paper by botanical artists and how they paint and test watercolour paper for performance e.g. wet on wet, glazes, working back into dry paint, how water reacts with paint on the paper. They concluded that botanical art techniques are the most exacting and demanding of certain characteristics of the paper!

They also wanted to know which factors in terms of paper characteristics are most important to artists. The aim was to reverse engineer and work out how to reproduce the previous surface in order create a new paper run with the old surface.

Fabriano have done some trials since the meeting. To date they have been unsuccessful at identifying what needs to be different to produce the old surface. This means no prospect of a change back to the old surface in the near future.

We’ve now agreed to go through the same exercise with St. Cuthberts Mill. They recently produced two new papers as a response to the problem. This Mill only produces fine art paper and has an incentive to produce and/or refine paper to meet the needs of a group of artists with specific requirements.

Meanwhile artists continue to test other papers and more now use vellum!

Katherine Tyrrell SBA Friend


Distance Learning Diploma Course

T he DLDC has continued to progress through some difficult times of late. Not only with alterations being made to course marking which enables

each one to run smoothly and effectively but also with the financial effects of the British exit from the European Community and the world economy.

Course 14 commences in January and has had a pretty good intake of applications this year with just over 60 in total. Not all have been offered a place and some applicants don’t always take up their offers but what has been interesting is the increase in overseas applications. A total of 56 offers have been made, of which 41 are out of the UK. For the first time, there have been applicants from Latvia, Turkey, and Thailand as well as India, Korea, America, Australia and Europe.

With the SBA ‘changing seasons’ it has been a disappointment to hear that there may not be a central London SBA exhibition for 2018 when the DLDC relies so much on being together with the show. However, as times change and many societies are folding it is an ideal opportunity to propel the DLDC into a higher status. With a bigger pull on international students the future of the DLDC is looking very strong and the application samples are of a higher standard each year. I am sure that with a good support structure within the DLDC new venues and separate seminars can be in the pipeline for the not so distant future and students from further afield will be happy travelling to England.

I would like to give a special thank you to three tutors that are retiring from the DLDC. Brigitte Daniel retired earlier this year while Julie Small and Reinhild Raistrick will continue their current DLDC commitments and have given their notice thereafter. They have provided tremendous tutor feedback to students over many years and Course 14 will not be the same without their invaluable advice.

Retirement does bring in opportunities for new tutors. There were tutors added

Residential CoursesPlas Tan y Bwlch has had another successful year with the first

course back in May being tutored by Billy Showell and the second September workshop being tutored by Robert McNeill

and Simon Williams. September was the first time that a webcam and projector system were used to make the demon-

strations easier to see. While a bit of setting up was required and further adjustments to quality are still to be made for next year, it was a much better way to watch tutor demonstrations.

to Course 13 and throughout the year I have approached additional ones to sample their suitability for assessing various assignments. Claire Ward SBA has recently been included as a working in the field tutor. As a past DLDC graduate, Claire will have a good approach and I am sure new students will feel comfortable being taught by a tutor who has progressed through the course successfully. › continued on page 20

Distance Learning Diploma Course - continued

Plas Tan y Bwlch - View from workroom

DLDC -

Sept. 2016

Please note that the views expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Society

www.soc-botanical-artists.org

Dates for 2017 are booking fast with the 7 - 12 May being tutored by Shevaun Doherty and Simon Williams. Shevaun will be demonstrating

working on vellum and together both tutors will handle watercolour techniques and Simon will also cover gouache.September 17 - 22 will be the second course. Tutors to be confirmed.

The Plas courses have become increasingly popular and because of this 6 - 11 May and 16 - 21 September 2018 are already provisionally reserved. They are open to anyone interested to learn botanical art and not just students involved in the DLDC or SBA. So, if

you know of anyone that might like the opportunity then please spread the word. Bookings or inquiries are to be made through Plas and all information can be found through their website at www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/study-centre

Early booking is strongly advised as courses do fill up so take advantage of the date notification for 2018 and plan your botanical painting break in the beautiful and idyllic surroundings of Plas in North Wales.

Finally, the DLDC team would like to wish all Course 12 students approaching Diploma work the very best of luck and success. Remember, it is the most important time to showcase what you have learnt over the past 24 months but be realistic within your abilities.

Do not re submit any assignments for Diploma assessing or include fungi into your work and do make sure your work arrives by the deadline dates – Essay: 10 March 2017 and Diploma Parts 1,2,3 on the 17 March 2017. Failure to do so will result in a no grade and your work will not be marked until the following year. Paint subjects that feel comfortable and inspiring to you and most of all, enjoy the final stages of the course.

With best wishes, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Simon Williams SBA

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