Magnolia virginiana painted by Keiko Tarver, a member of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Artists. The magnolia is one of the American plants sent to England by John Bartram whose garden was and is still in Philadelphia. Used with permission.
In honor of the show’s theme “Brilliant!”, the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators will present “Her Majesty’s Bouquet”, a botanical art exhibition featuring the flowers of Great Britain. Included in the exhibition will be paintings of hollyhocks and peonies, hellebores and daffodils — all flowers found in Great Britain. Many of the plants and flowers that will be on view were sent originally to England by Philadelphia naturalist, John Bartram.
Members of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators (PSBI) will be at the show daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm to conduct demonstrations, distribute coloring sheets to children, and to discuss the more than 50 paintings that will be on view during the show. These paintings were selected from more than 80 that were submitted. Three judges from the fields of horticulture, botany and art chose the final pieces for this exhibition.
Botanical art is an ancient art form whose original purpose was to accurately depict the herbs and flowers important to medicine. Today it continues to aid botanists, horticulturalists, and pharmaceutical scientists with their identification of new plant species. Contemporary botanical artists celebrate nature with not only precision, but also an appreciation of its beauty and intricacy. As Virginia Fitzpatrick, president of PSBI, says, “We combine intellectual knowledge of plants and experience with art materials into our paintings and drawings.”
About the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators
The Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators was formed 15 years ago and has over 75 members. The Society exhibits throughout the Delaware Valley. Past venues include The Station Gallery outside Wilmington, the Friends Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, and the Jenkins Arboretum in Devon. Their focus is “to bring botanical illustration to the attention of many audiences”.
For more information, contact Sarah Maxwell.
ArtPlantae Today 