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Scientific illustrator
Anita Walsmit Sachs is passionate about plants. A respected illustrator and teacher, Anita has dedicated the past 25 years to educating people about plants through botanical art.
Prior to 1990, Anita studied fashion design in The Hague, worked as a costume designer and created oil paintings of small objects (mostly shells, mother-of-pearl and glass). Then one day she followed the advice of a horticulturist at the Hortus Botanicus Leiden and visited the National Herbarium of the University of Leiden. There she met with illustrator Jan Van Os who was the director of the Herbarium’s studio. Van Os became Anita’s mentor and when he retired, Anita became the studio’s director.
As years passed, Anita helped set up the Dutch Society of Botanical Artists and received international recognition for her work. She has earned two gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society in England and a Silver-Gilt medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in Scotland. She was awarded the Margaret Flockton Award, 2e price by the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, received the Certificate of Merit and the Margaret Granger Silver Bowl Memorial Award from the Society of Botanical Artists in London, and received the Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art by the American Society of Botanical Artists. Anita receives invitations to teach abroad and has taught in the US, Indonesia, Norway and Belgium. Anita’s work is in the collection of the Teylers Museum in The Netherlands, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University, the New York State Museum, the Highrove Florilegium of the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation and several private collections. Now retired, Anita volunteers at Museum NATURALIS (formerly the National Herbarium of the University of Leiden) and illustrates the plants and flowers of southeast Asia.
The author of several scientific publications, course books, magazine articles, and journal articles, Anita’s most recent publication is the book, Anita Walsmit Sachs: Observation with Pen and Brush. In her new book, Anita discusses the history of botanical illustration and shares how she prepares a botanical painting. Anita’s detailed scientific illustrations, oil paintings and watercolor paintings are featured prominently throughout the book and show her scientific and artistic approach to introducing plants to new audiences. Botanical artists and followers of botanical art will enjoy learning about the life and work of this dedicated illustrator.
ArtPlantae is pleased to introduce new audiences to the drawings and paintings of Anita Walsmit Sachs. Written in both Dutch and English, Anita’s book is now available at ArtPlantae’s online store. View sample pages from Anita’s new book and other distinguished resources about plants and botanical art here.
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