ArtPlantae Today

The Botanical Artists Group, Western Australia was formed in 1991 by a group of botanical artists hungry to participate in a supportive environment where ideas and resources can be shared with peers. The future founding members of the Botanical Artists Group met at an exhibit held by the Art Gallery of Western Australia that brought attention to the historical and contemporary botanical art of this region. This group of new acquaintances met the following day and loosely formed the Botanical Artists Group, Western Australia. Since then, the Botanical Artists Group has made significant contributions toward increasing appreciation of the local landscape, as well as the conservation of this landscape for future generations. The book Brush with Gondwana highlights the group’s history and the contributions made by each member.

The Botanical Artists Group is comprised of seven members. Each member’s section in the book contains a biography and several examples of each members’ artwork, some of it dating back to 1933. The conservation-minded artists in the Botanical Artists Group are listed below. Our few sentences about each artist does not do them justice. Their interesting biographies should be read in their entirety. The media listed in parentheses refer to the media used to create the artwork included in this book.

Rica Erickson
A lifelong interest in nature, plants and human history was recognized in 1996 when the government of Western Australia created the Rica Erickson Nature Reserve. This 124-hectare reserve is located on the Victoria Plains north of Perth. (watercolor and pencil)

Pat Dundas
Pat received a copy of Rica Erickson’s Orchids of the West when she was a child. Pat became intrigued by the small orchids and it became her lifelong dream to paint each orchid species in Western Australia. It took 17 years for Pat to accomplish this goal. Her monumental undertaking has become a book titled, Orchids of Western Australia. (watercolor)

Ellen Hickman
Ellen is a biological consultant who does biological assessments on land slated for development. Ellen’s lifelong interest in art and science is evident in her detailed and descriptive colored pencil paintings. (aquarelle; aquarelle and graphite pencil)

Penny Leech
Finding beauty and nature in all aspects of life, Penny collects inspiring items and sorts them according to their color, texture, and form. Able to paint only two days each week, Penny finds painting to be a meditative experience. (watercolor)

Philippa Nikulinsky
Philippa’s interest is “painting the natural history of hostile environments” and she can spend weeks painting in the desert. Philippa fills her sketchbook with dissected plant parts and notes about a plant’s color, form, and habitat. (pencil, watercolor, and gouache; pencil, wash and dried specimens)

Margaret Pieroni
Inside the custom-made rammed earth home she built, Margaret paints in a studio filled with natural light. She has illustrated several publications, including Discovering the Wildflowers of Western Australia. (watercolor on tinted paper; watercolor)

Katrina Syme
Katrina’s interests are fungi and she brings attention to Australian fungi through her painting. Australia is home to thousands of species of fungi. Many of Australia’s fungi have yet to be described and named.

Brush with Gondwana serves as an inspiring example of how a harmonious group of botanical artists can educate the public and bring awareness to the conservation of local flora.

Brush with Gondwana can be ordered at ArtPlantae Books.