Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Tendrils Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

(L to R) Telopea mongaensis (Monga ); (NSW Waratah); (Tasmanian Waratah)

Editor’s note Page Tendrils is an online newsletter distributed Contents across . Commenced in 2017 by artists News from Regional Groups 2 from Bowral, Canberra, the Shoalhaven and Sydney, it aims to share ideas and information in Exhibitions 6 regional and metropolitan locations, among those Looking Back and Looking Forward 8 who share a passion for the botanical art genre. Talking About Botanical Art 11 We welcome news and articles from individuals and groups across the country. You are Artist’s Profile 13 encouraged to advertise workshops, events and Book Review 14 exhibitions free of charge. Traveller’s Tales 16 Please just send text contributions in a regular email. Images need to be jpegs that are easily Sketchbook Stories 17 emailed. Workshops and Events 20 Enquiries and contributions to Cathryn Coutts, Websites 23 at: [email protected]

Issues are published in March, June, September and November. Deadline for contributions is the first Friday of each month of publication.

1

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

News from Regional Groups Central Coast Botanical Art Group Vale Rosalind Gordon (1940-2019) NSW - BDAS Botanical Artists Some members of our Bowral group knew Ros By Cathryn Coutts Gordon well. She contributed work for some of Our coordinator, Rosie Wade, has stepped aside our exhibitions and joined us for excursions, e.g. this year and her job is currently being shared by visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens Library in Jo Matthews and Janet Hicks. Many thanks to all Sydney in 2015, to see the collection of antique three people. We greatly appreciate the books and prints. She is remembered with great wonderful work you do for us. fondness and will be sadly missed. In March 2020 we will be having a two-day workshop in Mt. Annan Botanic Gardens, Sydney, with Barbara Duckworth. Planning has begun for our third ‘For the Love of ’ exhibition, to be held in October 2020. More details about this next year. Some of our group have become involved in a project at Ironmines Park, Mittagong to survey native plants there and collect specimens for the Janet Cosh Herbarium at the University of Wollongong. An earlier collection was BDAS Botanical Artists at the RBG Library undertaken in the 1990’s and those specimens (L-R) C Coutts, L Niyogi, R Gordon, I Willis, G Levy donated to the Herbarium then. This time we are recording which species are still there from 25 years ago, which are new arrivals and which By Cathryn Coutts species are no longer there. We have been My trip to Tasmania this year included some surprised and delighted by the diversity still wonderful opportunities to meet other botanical evident on the site. An exhibition of art works of artists and appreciate the work they are doing. I the plants will be held when the survey work is encourage all our readers, when travelling, to finished in a year or so. call in if possible on various groups around the A site visit to Bundanoon NSW, on 1 October, country. It’s great to see what others are doing. involved some of our group. Once again we were - Meeting Tanya Scharaschkin visiting sites where the late Janet Cosh had A wonderful artist I met while in Tasmania is collected specimens. We were joined by Patsy Tanya Scharaschkin. We met up at Collinsvale Nagle, Curator of the Janet Cosh Herbarium. just outside of Hobart. Tanya is an inspiring and The visit was organized by local Bundanoon innovative artist who brings a strong scientific Field Naturalist, Sylvia David. Many thanks to background, coupled with great enthusiasm, to Sylvia, whose excellent planning meant that our her work. day was a great success. We found several species collected by Janet Cosh in the 1970’s and She started her science career as a vertebrate 80’s, which was very encouraging. paleontologist but changed to evolutionary history of plants. She is now a free-lance botanist Our meeting dates for Term 1, 2020 are: Monday and artist, who really enjoys teaching and being February 10, Monday March 9, Monday April able to combine art and science, which she says 20. is proving to be very a rewarding experience. We meet at Bowral Art Gallery, 1 Shepherd St. We can look forward to hearing more from Bowral, in Studio 3, from 10am to 4pm. New Tanya in Tendrils issues. In the meantime, she is members are always welcome. Bring your own shown below with one of her pictures. work, art materials, and lunch.

2

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Hobart during my visit. They are an active and dedicated group, who are engaged in a number of exciting projects. Their work contributes greatly to our record of Tasmanian Flora. While in Hobart I visited Botaniko’s beautiful exhibition, Frederick Mackie: Quaker Plantsman at the Narryna Heritage Museum, Battery Point, on until February 22, 2020. More on this in the Exhibitions section of this issue (p.6) Leonie Norton Workshop in Hobart by Jean Henley What lies within? Pigment cells in native violet petals, Ink and Coloured Pencil, by Tanya Scharaschkin Nine ladies from near and far attended Leonie Norton’s workshop Contemporary Botanical Devonport – Meeting Brenda Haas Art: Bigger is Better at Fern Tree, in the foothills Just before boarding the Spirit of Tasmania ferry of Mt. Wellington, from 29 November to 1 to return home, I had the delightful opportunity December 2019. The workshop gave us the in Devonport to meet Brenda Haas, a remarkable opportunity to enlarge and paint our subjects botanical artist and one of our Tendrils readers. with some amazing results and a unique Brenda and I spent time discussing our shared botanical painting. The four days proved a huge interest in Tasmanian plants. Some of the success and offered an enormous and exciting rainforest plants I am familiar with here at home challenge. in the NSW Southern Highlands, also grow in and the Exhibition continues… Tasmania. Botaniko’s exhibition celebrating the Royal Brenda is currently completing a beautiful Tasmanian Botanical Gardens bicentenary in drawing of the Wollemia nobilis, Wollemi Pine. 2018 is set for what we believe to be its last She has used an interesting concept in her showing at the Morris Miller Library at the composition, putting coloured detail inserts into from 9 January 2020. the picture. I look forward to hearing more from Brenda about her work. It is fitting that the exhibition ends its tour in this location as the Library holds the Royal Society of Tasmania Collection - the Gardens management was under the auspices of the Royal Society for 40 years. The Society’s early documents record the valuable plants introduced to the Gardens from throughout the world. These plants make up a large proportion of the significant plants in the Gardens today.

Brenda Hass with her Wollemia nobilis drawing I was also very fortunate to be able to join the Botaniko group and work with Leonie Norton in

3

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

climbing plants in our local region, including the rainforests - Botanica 2019 - Jeepers Creepers. The ‘Jeepers Creepers’ botanical art exhibition focused on colourful, curious and captivating flora which are commonly known as Vines, Scramblers, Climbers, Creepers or Lianas. All are plants with long flexible climbing stems that have specialised structures or climbing strategies to support their growth, usually upwards. Some wrap, some adhere and some curl by way of - twining stems, petioles or leaves, clinging stem roots, tendrils or hooks and thorns. Other exciting news is that Janet Matthews will be doing a workshop with us on the weekend of 26/27 September. If you are interested in presenting a workshop we would love to hear from you and get it in our schedule and budget. Following are a selection of works from the Jeepers Creepers exhibition.

Photos taken during Leonie Norton’s workshop. Passiflora sp. Passionfruit. Watercolour & Graphite, Julie Inkson Queensland Mackay Botanical Art Interest Group By Pamela Finger The Mackay Botanical Art Interest Group will have two exhibitions in 2020. The exhibition dates are: Banks and Solander - Wednesday May 27- Sunday June 28. Our Favourites - Wednesday 30 September - Sunday November 1. As always we would love to have visitors during (L) Smilax australis Barbwire Vine. Watercolour, Thelma Farmer the exhibitions or anytime of the year. Please call (R top) Elaeagnus triflora Millaa Millaa Vine. Watercolour, Pamela Finger. and come and join us. (R bottom) Freycinetia excelsa Climbing Pandanus Graphite & In 2019 we had an exhibition inspired by the Watercolour, Margaret McLean. name of this newsletter and the multitude of

4

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Museum from May 1 to July 19, 2020. The committee is hoping that the exhibition can tour over two years to locations in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, if funding is available. More news on this next year. Following is a list of the Society members who are represented in the exhibition: Gillian Alfredson | Catherin Bull | Edwin Butler | Robyn Douglas | Naomi Florence | Sandra Ford | Jennifer Foster-Hamilton | Maria del Carmen (K- le) Gomez Carbrera | Julia Hancock | Anne Hayes | Cassandra Hodgins | Tanya Hoolihan | Beverley Irwin | Florence Joly | Diane Lois Kelly | Nita C Lester | Dorothee Nijgh de Sampayo Garrido | Minjung Oh | Ann Phillips | Colin Price | Pauline Putland | Eva Richards | Beryl Robertson | Inger Rowe | Louise Saunders | Ann Schinkel | Liz Showniruk | Marcelle Stirling | Kay Sullivan | Ellen Terrell | Penny Watson | Lindsay Watts | Gwenda White Aristolochia tagala/acuminata Native Dutchman’s Pipe The Redcliffe Museum is featuring the Ornithoptera euphorion Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Digital and Watercolour on Paper, by Kate Bruner exhibition on its website, and the exhibition will also be featured in the printed Museums & Gallery Guide for the first half of 2020. Go to: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Galleries- Museums/Events/RM/Artistic-Endeavour Workshops planned for 2020, include: Botanical Drawing with Cassandra Hodgins, 8, 15, 22, 29 February; Sunshine Coast Introduction to Colour Pencils, with Florence Joly, 7 March; Art and Botany with Nita C. Lester. Both beginner and progressing classes available. Scraperboard Workshop with Kay Sullivan, 24 Second and third Wednesdays every month, March; 9am-1.30pm. Sessions held at Maroochy Leaf-shading/modelling using Graphite Pen Bushland Botanic Gardens in the Arts and and Ink with Anne Hayes, 14, 21, 28 March and Ecology Centre. Contact: 4 April. [email protected] More details on page 20, or see the BASQ website: Botanical Art Society of Queensland (BASQ) www.botanicalartqld.com.au As usual lots of events and workshops are happening in 2020 with BASQ. Exhibitions will be listed in more detail on page 7, and workshop details on page 20 of this newsletter. The Banks, Solander and Parkinson Committee have advised that the ‘Artistic Endeavour’ exhibition will now be held at the Redcliffe

5

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Exhibitions Current Exhibitions Tasmania By Cathryn Coutts Frederick Mackie: Quaker Plantsman Botaniko’s exhibition at the Narryna Heritage Museum, Battery Point Hobart, is still showing until February 22, 2020. This exhibition was inspired by Frederick Mackie’s (1812-1893) journal written during his stay with George Washington Walker and his family at Narryna, in Hobart, from 1852 to 1854. Crataegus monogyna Whitehorn/Hawthorn Mackie kept a daily journal of his travels which Watercolour by Jena Henley contains detailed descriptions of plants, gardens and native flora of the places he visited in Tasmania. Narryna is now the Narryna Heritage Museum at Battery Point. The Botaniko exhibition features work by the following artists: Annie Rushton, Janet Thompson, Jean Henley, Jill Chuckowree, Mauryeen O’Connor, Debbie Collins, Marie Master, Leida Williams, Susanne Thompson- Hill, Gillian Ward, Chantal Delrue. globulus Tasmanian Blue Gum, Correa backhouseana Velvet Correa. Mixed Media by Annie Rushton A fascinating and varied collection of works are included, such as watercolour paintings, artist books and mixed media works. Also on display was the paint box used by the late Olive Pink who was born in Tasmania. (see article by Gillian Ward on page 13), Unfortunately, I was unable to take good quality photos with my phone of most art works because of reflections in the gallery. Here is a selection that I managed to get. It is, however, an excellent exhibition and I recommend it to those of you who can visit Hobart while it is still on.

Paint box belonging to Olive Pink (see article page 13)

Juglans regia, Walnut. Watercolour by Mauryeen O’Connor

6

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Coming Exhibitions Queensland Tasmania Artistic Endeavour. Redcliffe Museum, 75 Anzac Avenue Redcliffe, Qld. May 1 to July 19, Botaniko exhibition celebrating the Royal 2020. Tasmanian Botanical Gardens bicentenary in 2018. Showing at the Morris Miller Library at the University of Tasmania, from January 9. Flora 2020 The Art and Science of the Plant. November 19 to November 24, 2020. Salamanca Gallery, Salamanca Place Hobart. ACT Native Wildlife Exhibition. The ANBG Friends’ Botanic Art Group Canberra. Australian National Botanic Gardens, Visitor Information Centre. Artistic Endeavour: Contemporary botanical December 14 to January 12, 2020. Daily from artists’ response to the legacy of Banks, 9.30am to 4.30pm. Solander and Parkinson, marks the 250th Seeds From The Bank. Australian National anniversary of the HMB Endeavour’s voyage Botanic Gardens, Visitor Information Centre, along the east coast of Australia. Scientists Canberra. March 5 to April 12, 2020. This art Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, together with exhibition is inspired by the conservation illustrator Sydney Parkinson, gathered and collection of Australian native seeds from the recorded many “curious plants (they) met with National Seed Bank. Daily from 9.30am to on shore”. 4.30pm. Showcasing new works by members of the Botanical Artists’ Society of Queensland, the exhibition is an innovative exploration of the artistic, scientific, environmental and cultural significance of this chapter in Queensland’s botanical heritage.

For details see Redcliffe Museum’s website The Legacy of Banks and Solander. The ANBG Friends’ Botanic Art Group Canberra. Australian https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Galleries- National Botanic Gardens, Visitor Information Museums/Events/RM/Artistic-Endeavour Centre. April 18 to May 17, 2020. Daily from Floressence 2020. The Botanical Artists’ 9.30am to 4.30pm. This exhibition is part of the Society of Queensland (BASQ). November th celebrations of the ANBG 50 year anniversary 2020. Dates and venue to be confirmed. and the Friends 30th anniversary. Mackay Two Worlds, Native Plants from Korea and Australia. Australian National Botanic Gardens, Banks and Solander – Venue to be confirmed. Visitor Information Centre. August 15 to Wednesday May 27 - Sunday June 28. The September 13, 2020. Daily from 9.30am to Mackay Botanical Art Interest Group 4.30pm. A joint exhibition with the ANBG Our Favourites – Venue to be confirmed Friends Botanical Art Group and Korean Wednesday 30 September - Sunday November 1. botanical artists. The Mackay Botanical Art Interest Group. Flora 2020 The Art and Science of the Plant. For more details about the Mackay Group’s Fitters Workshop, Kingston Arts Precinct, exhibitions, contact Pamela Finger at: Canberra. September 29 to October 11, 2020. [email protected]

7

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Victoria Looking Back and Looking BASA Exhibition at Melbourne International Forward Flower and Garden Show, 2020. March 25 to 29. Royal Exhibition Building Carlton, Carlton Celebrating Gardens, Melbourne. by Cathryn Coutts The Art of Botanical Illustration 2020. Friends While travelling in Tasmania, during November of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. and December this year, I was inspired by all the September 19 to October 4, 2020. Domain amazing flora of that island. There was so much House, Dallas Brooks Drive, Melbourne. to see it was hard to know where to look first. NSW On one occasion, as we drove through the The Margaret Flockton Award. Joseph Maiden Central Highlands, my husband said ‘what’s that Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney - enter red thing growing beside the road?’ We stopped via Woolloomooloo Gate on Mrs Macquarie’s and turned back, where to my delight, it saw it Road. May 8 to May 24, 2020. was the Telopea truncata, Tasmanian Waratah. I knew they grew there but had never seen one. The Margaret Flockton Award is unique amongst Lots of photo taking ensued before we moved international art awards, focusing exclusively on on. If you don’t like to stop a lot when travelling, contemporary scientific botanical illustration, as then don’t travel with a plant enthusiast! Luckily distinct from botanical art. my husband is happy to stop for photos of plants. Illustrators from around the world submit Waratahs are amazing flowers which have scientifically accurate drawings that accompany fascinated plant collectors and artists since the the published taxonomic description of the plant, first Europeans saw them in the late 1700’s. clearly highlighting all of the distinctive features Botanical artists still enjoy painting them today of the species. Original taxonomic illustrations and that’s not an easy task. are highly detailed black and white drawings primarily undertaken in pen and ink, pencil or They are so wonderful that they deserve an digitally rendered. article here all to themselves. The 2020 exhibition will also be shown in two Two early artists who painted the Waratah other locations, dates to be confirmed. The include firstly, Thomas Watling (1762-1814). He Australian PlantBank at The Australian Botanic was perhaps the only convict artist to have his Garden Mount Annan, and Visitor Centre at The work form the basis of botanical scientific Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. publication. Trained as an artist he was Cost: Free entry - selected works for sale direct transported to New Holland for fourteen years from the artist. Enquiries to: Ph. 02 9231 8111 or for forgery. He arrived in 1792 and was employed to paint the natural history and Email: [email protected] landscape of the colony. Watling received a conditional pardon in 1796 and left the colony in 1797. Watling’s work was used by James Sowerby and James Smith in the work A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, 1793-95. It is Australia’s first Flora. The engravings and descriptions were based on plant specimens and drawings done in Australia.

Monstera deliciosa Edmundo Saavendra from Mexico. (From Australia: 300 years of botanical illustration, Helen Hewson, CSIRO, 1999, pp 35-37.)

8

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

During 2019 I have been fortunate to have encountered three species of these wonderful flowers, either in the wild, or in my home garden, where I grow the Telopea speciosissima. The Telopea mongaensis (pictured) is from a site near Meryla Pass (in the NSW Southern Highlands). Mostly it grows near the town of Braidwood, not far from Canberra. I saw it during a field trip with the Bundanoon Field Naturalists this year. This specimen, our guide told us, was at the northern end of its range. Telopea speciosissima, Watercolours by Thomas Watling The second person worth mentioning here is botanical artist Margaret Anderson Hope (1848- 1934). She was born in Tasmania and worked as an artist and teacher. Her lifelong passion was Tasmanian wildflowers, with the collection of her paintings, the Wildflowers of Tasmania acquired by the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts in Hobart in 2014. I visited the Museum in 2016 to see an exhibition of her work and purchased the catalogue, Character of the Blossom: Wildflowers of Tasmania, published by the Museum in 2015. Illustrated in the catalogue is her watercolour of the Telopea truncata Tasmanian Waratah (p.11). The precise date for this painting is not given, but it may date from the 1880’s, when she most likely assembled her folio of thirty-seven botanical watercolours for the Wildflowers of Tasmania collection.

Telopea mongaensis

Telopea truncata Tasmanian Waratah Watercolour by Margaret Hope, c. 1880’s. Her style is described in the catalogue as: Telopea speciosissima …bold and confident, in a style of realism unusual for the The Telopea speciosissima (above), is from my period. Her colour was often applied heavily to the page. own garden where it grows as a vigorous Evidence of fine pencil underneath the colour reveals the shrub/small tree. careful drawings from which she worked. (pp.5-6).

9

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

The Telopea truncata (below), is the one I I was inspired in my own work a few years ago mentioned earlier, growing beside the road near by the leaves and seeds. Here’s an etching I did Liffey Falls in the Central Highlands, Tasmania. in 2017. I saw more near Mt. Wellington in Hobart.

Waratah Leaves and Seeds, Photo-etching, 2017,

by Cathryn Coutts Telopea truncata Botanical artists today are still as much in love I confess I haven’t been brave enough to attempt with waratahs as they were over two hundred to paint the flowers, and have no plans to do so, years ago. The differences in the flower shapes despite having them in my garden. There are also and structures are fascinating, and hopefully easy other waratah species besides the ones shown to see from my photos. here and some are in other colours. During my time spent with the Botaniko artists If they appeal to you, I encourage you to get in Hobart this year, working with Leonie Norton, busy painting some of the less common ones. If we had several discussions about the various you need more photos to work from let me know waratah flower shapes. In addition, if painting and I’ll send them to you. I have pictures of the flowers is not your preference, the leaves and white ones, but not the yellow. Also I can send seed pods are equally interesting, as I hope you you some seeds and leaves. can see in the picture here. I’d love to see your efforts and publish them in a future issue. Let’s have a collection of paintings to celebrate the waratah!

White Waratah in my garden Waratah seeds and dried leaves,

10

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Talking about Botanical Art it was best to go and have a look. At Holloway’s Beach just north of Cairns in Far North Combining Art and Science Queensland Mikey showed me a Bruguiera that The following articles are by two fascinating and was very different to other Bruguieras I knew. I very different artists, whose work combines art had illustrated seven known Bruguiera species in and science in a totally integrated way. The Australia and considered I knew them quite well. notion that art and science are mutually Dr Norm Duke, a world expert on mangroves, exclusive is finally put to rest here. These artists was alerted to Mikey’s discovery and after demonstrate that the long tradition of plant inspecting the tree, he admitted that he was also images produced for scientific study and puzzled. Dr Duke put scientific practices to work research is still very much alive and well today. taking samples for his own microscopic inspection and some for DNA testing overseas. It wasn’t until December 2018 that news arrived that the tree Mikey had discovered in September 2016 was indeed a new species of mangrove not seen before in the world. It was found to be a hybrid between Bruguiera exaristata and Bruguiera gymnorhiza of the Rhizophoraceae family. Dr Duke named it Bruguiera x dungarra after indigenous people of the Cairns region from whence it was first identified. A paper was published in Blumea scientific journal on 14 December 2018, authored by Dr Norm Duke and Hidetoshi Kudo as second author. A significant achievement and recognition for a citizen scientist with a passion for mangroves. The paper can be found online here: https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.03.03 My watercolour painting, Bruguiera x dungarra, is informed by accurate drawings made Bruguiera x dungarra: a new mangroves species found in following my field trip with Mikey in September Australia, by Deirdre Bean 2016. Before undertaking the painting, I waited By Deirdre Bean for confirmation of its status, finally completing it in 2018. In 2016 a new mangroves species to the world was discovered in Far North Queensland. It [email protected] wasn’t the result of diligent fieldwork by November 2019 mangrove ecologists or scientists of any discipline, but of Hidetoshi Kudo, also known as By Tanya Scharaschkin Mikey, a citizen scientist living in Cairns who has a passion for mangroves. I understand his I am a botanist and an artist. After a career in passion as I also have this affliction; it motivated academia as a plant systematist, I decided to me during seven years of researching Australia’s “retire” two years ago. Instead of retiring, I have mangrove species. embarked on a new career combining art and science. My research focuses on the structure, I first met Mikey in Cairns in September 2016. evolutionary relationships and geographic He told me he had found a species of mangrove history of plants. I have taught biological that wasn’t familiar to him. This pricked my sciences for over 30 years, and more recently, attention, because if Mikey couldn’t recognise it, have been teaching botanical drawing and

11

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN) illustration. A lot of my own botanical art is in group and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The workshop graphite or pen and ink. was fully subscribed, with 12 enthusiastic I conduct a variety of workshops for scientists, participants. non-scientists and artists as a way of sharing my An area of botanical research that I am especially enthusiasm for plants. I especially enjoy fond of is plant anatomy. I am keen to share the communicating with the general public about awe-inspiring world of plant cells with others. I scientific topics and exposing people to the sheer ran two workshops in Hobart (Tasmania) during beauty of plants. One way in which we can make which participants learnt to make their own science interesting and relevant to the broader slides, view them under microscopes and take audience is through art. I hope my art will inspire images. One of these workshops was at Friends’ others to not only admire plants but also develop School for Year 10 students and the other at an understanding and appreciation for the Elizabeth College as part of National Science biology of plants. My workshops combine Week activities. Over the past few years I have skills, knowledge and techniques from science been creating artwork inspired by the little seen, and art. but aesthetically stunning, world of plant cells. I undertook a three-week art residency at the Cooroy Butter Factory Art Centre in Sept-Oct 2019 to devote time to this. I had close to one hundred visitors during the residency who stopped by to look at my work, have a chat and use my microscopes. I ran a Masterclass “Design Inspiration from Plant Anatomy” during the residency which was a wonderful experience. I simply love the excitement and amazement of the participants when they start exploring a whole new world of little seen plant cells.

I am currently running a 4-week, Beginner In July 2019 I ran a 3-day residential workshop Level, Botany & Botanical Art course from my on Moreton Island, Queensland combining residence in Collinsvale (Tasmania). The botany and botanical art. Food, accommodation maximum number of students is six, so class and transport was organized by Moreton sizes are small. The time is split between Experience. We had time for an excursion to drawing and botany. I think the combination Cape Moreton and some walks to look at plants works well as we get to observe the plants in their natural habitats and understand their carefully and learn some of the associated ecology. We visited a nursery and a revegetation botanical terminology. site managed by volunteers and MIPC (Moreton Island Protection Committee). Some of us were I was fortunate to receive Regional Arts Funding fortunate to see whales and dolphins over the for a project “Communicating science through three days. The relaxed environment, and not art and vice versa”. This project will bring having to worry about what to cook, allowed the scientifically and artistically minded workshop participants to focus on studying and communities together through two workshops drawing plants. that I will be running in Wellington, New Zealand in November 2019. The “Basics of A few days after the Moreton Island workshop, I Illustration” workshop will enable scientists to ran a masterclass “A Botanical Study” at the communicate their observations through the Cooroy Butter Factory Art Centre (Queensland). production of simple line drawings. The “Botany This three-hour class focused on examining and for Botanical Artists” workshop will enable drawing plants from the family (e.g., artists to appreciate plant diversity and plant , ). This is the first time I have biology and incorporate scientific detail into limited a workshop to a particular taxonomic their art. As a botanist and an artist, I bring

12

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN) together a combination of skills to enhance Artist’s Profile communication using attributes from otherwise disparate fields of study. Olive Pink Recognised Participants in both workshops will get an By Gillian Ward opportunity to cross over between disciplines Cathryn’s visit this year to Central Australia, to that are not conventionally brought together. the Olive Pink Botanic Garden in Scientists are often reluctant to draw and will reminded us at Botaniko that Gillian Ward, one rely on photographs or words to communicate of our members, has written an exhaustive their observations that could be presented more biography of Olive Pink published last year – effectively as simple line drawings. As a scientist Olive Pink: Artist, Activist and Gardener – A who learnt to draw late in life, I am in an ideal Life in Flowers (Hardie Grant Books, 2018). position to negate this perception. Artists are often intimidated by the terminology and details of scientific descriptions and yet botanical artists need to understand this information to be better informed about their subject matter. I can simplify botanical terminology and make technical information more accessible for non- scientists. As if this wasn’t enough, the final workshop for the year will be something completely different and new to me and not related to plants! It will be a patchwork quilting workshop “Aperiodic Patchwork: Using the Penrose Pattern” based on some quilts that I have designed and made. Writing the instructions for this project has been quite a challenge but I have had a lot of encouragement from the Tasmanian Modern Quilt Guild and support from Frangipani Fabrics Gillian first became interested in ‘Miss Pink’ in Hobart. A future goal is to design quilts when she curated an exhibition at the University incorporating botanical themes, such as of Tasmania in 2004, in conjunction with the Tasmanian flora and plant cells. Tasmanian Herbarium, of Olive Pink’s arid land Please get in touch with me if you happen to live plant paintings and sketches which she had in or are visiting Tasmania. donated to the University before her death in Email: [email protected] 1975. Olive was born in Hobart in 1884 and from a young age had a passion for painting and flowers. She studied art in Hobart for several years before teaching art and participating in art exhibitions. In 1910 she moved to , Western Australia where she gave private art lessons and continued painting. A career change occurred in 1914 when Olive moved to Sydney and qualified for a Town Planning Diploma. During this time she also continued attending art classes at the Julian Ashton School and entering her work in art exhibitions. She was employed as a tracer with

13

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN) the Railways. This position gave her access to cheap rail fares and she went on several expeditions by train and painted the local flora.

Swainsona Formosa (Fabaceae) Sturt’s Desert Pea by Olive Pink 1930 (From Olive Pink: Artist, Activist and Gardener – A Life in Flowers by Gillian Ward, page 200) Two Book Reviews By Helen Thomas

The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Olive’s passion for outback Australia was ignited Botanical Terms. Michael Hickey and Clive when in 1926 she stayed with at her King. Cambridge Press in 2000, 208 pages. Still camp on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain at available on the Amazon and other websites. Ooldea, South Australia painting the wildflowers and experiencing Aboriginal culture. In 1930 Olive embarked on a sketching tour of Central Australia by train and furthered her interest in Aborigines. This inspired her to study anthropology at the . From 1932, Olive spent long periods of time in the desert until moving to Alice Springs in 1946. Her humble corrugated iron hut housed Aboriginal artefacts and over 200 of her watercolour paintings and sketches of wildflowers. Olive’s passion for wildflowers of Central Australia saw her lobby for a small area of land near Alice Springs to be preserved as an arid flora reserve. The Australian Arid Regions Flora Reserve was gazetted in 1956 with Olive as honorary curator. She lived and worked at the Reserve until her death on 6 July 1975 when the Government assumed control of the Reserve and continued Olive’s vision. The Garden opened to the public in 1985 as the Olive Pink Flora Reserve and was renamed Olive Pink Botanic Garden in 1996.

14

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

This was an excellent find at the Lifeline Book fair in Canberra. It begins with a list of General, Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes and a list of Taxonomic Ranks from Kingdom to Subform. Next is the alphabetical glossary which runs for 50 pages which includes wonderfully descriptive words like drupaceous (resembling a drupe – of course) and myrmecochorous (having seeds that are dispersed by ants). The rest of the book (over 150 pages) is taken up with illustrations. These are line drawings of every part of a plant imaginable and are beautiful and very detailed. Section 7 is devoted to leaves and covers leaf arrangements and points of attachment to the stem, and every possible leaf shape. Similar sections cover Flowers, Fruits and conifers. My copy is soft cover but I am aware that it is now available as an ebook which may be useful for more serious botanical students in the field for describing specimens. First Fleet Artist – George Raper’s Birds and Plants of Australia. Recently Discovered First Fleet Masterpieces. By Linda Groom. National Library of Australia, 2009.

This book tells the story of George Raper who was a midshipman on a ship in the First Fleet. Raper was 17 years old when the voyage started

15

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN) and recorded his travel in paintings of the flora and fauna he saw. The story begins with some history of his family and how he came to be on the crew of the ships. The story of the voyage of the ships and crew is an exciting read and beautifully illustrated. There were no paid artists with the fleet so it was good luck that Raper at that age had the skills to paint, and the income to buy and take his own paper and painting supplies on the trip. It is interesting to speculate what artistic or botanical training Raper had as he joined the navy at about age 14. The pictures of many of the plants include some flower and stem and often part of the root system as separate paintings on the same page. Again many of the bird paintings include some flowers which may have been close to where he observed the birds. The second half of the book is comprised of prints of Raper’s paintings of birds and flowers. The condition is excellent as the watercolours were in a private collection and so were not Traveller’s Tales damaged by light over the course of over 200 years. The colours of the paintings are still By Janet Hicks vibrant and beautiful. Are you aware of what lies 50km due west from Raper’s paintings were re-discovered in a Geraldton, Western Australia? collection in 1991 and were acquired by the Here's the answer...... The Houtman Abrolhos National Library of Australia which completed Islands. the authentication. There are four groups of islands, North Island, Wallabi Group, Easter Group and Pelsaert Group. Sea surface temperatures are noticeably stable at the Abrolhos, mostly due to the Leeuwin Current, which runs along the Western Australian coast and brings warm tropical water to these reefs. Also, nutrient levels are higher than the Geraldton coastal waters. Nutrient upwelling and the accumulation of seagrass detritus, which releases nutrients as it decays, help to support the diverse marine life in the Abrolhos. My husband and I were fortunate enough to enjoy a 5-day cruise recently, run by Eco Abrolhos, out of Geraldton, and would highly recommend this company and trip, to anyone interested in the history, landform and wildlife of the west coast of Australia.

This is the location of the well documented

16

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Wreck of the Batavia, a ship of the Dutch East India Company. We were able to snorkel over the wreck site and see anchors and cannon lying on the seabed, the actual wreck being in the Maritime Museum in Freemantle. The story is quite a gruesome one, but is part of the history of the area. There are over 140 species of native flora on the Islands and all are classified as protected. Unfortunately, some unwanted plants have been introduced. One of these is the Ice Plant, a succulent ground cover with fleshy, crunchy, slightly salty leaves, quite tasty to eat. Perhaps a visit to Geraldton and this fascinating group of islands could be organised to coincide with a trip to the West to catch the Wildflowers, late July to October. Sketchbook Stories Cathryn Coutts and Paula Peeters I first heard about the work of Paula Peeters from the ABC Gardening Australia program on TV in August 2019. Straight away I was keen to learn more about her approach to nature journaling. Paula very generously shares a great deal of information about her work on her website, which is definitely worth viewing. Her free book, Make a Date with Nature: An introduction to Nature Journaling, can be downloaded from: www.paperbarkwriter.com

17

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Her website is a rich and endlessly fascinating experience for the reader as she shares her thoughts and feelings on sketching trips in the field. She has kindly given permission for me to reproduce some examples of her work here.

‘I had a very lovely time nature journaling yesterday morning at Woonoongoora/Binna Burra. The ink sketches and notes on the above spread took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete. Adding colour took another hour (see picture below). I felt very calm after spending this time looking/listening/sensing closely, but all senses feel sharpened and the wondrous complexity The Queensland Lacebark Tree Brachychiton discolour. of the rainforest has been brought to life once more. I ‘Along a path strewn with brown fire-killed leaves; dried, keep seeing more and more amazing things that could be drought-killed leaves, and scattered with charcoal and ash added. But the journal is closed, and I say goodbye until the next session.’ – I find this: Opulent pink flowers, freshly tumbled, two hundred or more. While above me springs the parent tree. Leafless, its bare slender branches adorned with pink blooms. Clustered fecundity, gaiety in this dry burnt landscape. Queensland lacebark tree, butterflies tremble before your pink flowers. Lewin’s honeyeater dips his whole head in, embraced by generous furry petals, spread wide in welcome. The lacebark tree (Brachychiton discolor) is cousin to the flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) : survivors of both are still flowering wildly in these dry, fire-blasted mountain forests. And supping the flowers of both is the extravagant Richmond Birdwing Butterfly. Usually rare (and still listed as vulnerable to extinction in Queensland), it has been unusually abundant in Beechmont this spring. Perhaps the heat and dryness agree with it?’

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Ornithoptera richmondia on a Flame Tree Brachychiton acerifolius

18

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

‘A yellow-tailed black-cockatoo wails sadly from afar. or picture that will be yours: your unique response to the But nearby is a flash of bright yellow as a robin surveys world.’ the party of pink lacebark flowers, the wedding spree, the Christmas cheer, seemingly cast with joy and abandon. In her recent email to me she adds: ‘I am also slowly putting together a follow-up book on nature Telling us that life springs anew, it always does. In ways journaling, which will further emphasize the wellness/self- unexpected. discovery aspects of this wonderful practice. This is the We just need to go out and look.’ result of the therapeutic ‘moments’ I’ve observed in my workshops, repeatedly, over the 3 years that I’ve been Paula describes nature journaling in the teaching nature journaling. Something about getting following way: people outside, in nature, slowing down from their busy lives, and responding by drawing and writing, in a ‘Nature journaling is the practice of drawing or writing in supportive environment… this seems to be something that response to observations of nature. This practice results in agrees with people very much the creation of your own unique nature journal. Both the practice and the end product are important. To this end, I like to encourage people to relax more about what the ‘final product’ of their journaling will look like. I The practice slows you down, increases your mindfulness think this is a major difference between nature journaling (or clears your mind), and increases your attention to detail (as I define/teach it) and the type of natural history and appreciation of beauty. It helps you to notice the illustration that strives for a high degree of realism. Of details in nature, and improves your recognition of course nature journaling can result in realistic pictures. But different species, and your understanding of where and my point is that it doesn’t have to. Many people are how they live. With time, it also improves your ability to anxious about their ability to draw. But if I can help them observe, to draw and to write. It allows you to spend time to reduce or remove that anxiety… wonderful things seem in nature just sitting or standing quietly, and being. When to happen.’ you are quiet and still, the animals become less scared, and sometimes forget you are there. Often you will get to Paula has a number of workshops and events observe animal behaviours that most people don’t get to planned for 2020. Details are shown in the see, because those people are too hasty, too noisy, or are Workshops section on 20. Worth checking out distracted by something else. for those of you who are enthusiastic nature In the product – the actual words and pictures of your journalists or feel you’d like to try it. nature journal – you end up creating something unique that is between you and the nature you responded to. No-one Contact details: else will have a journal like yours. Ask 10 people to make a journal entry about the same flower and 10 different Dr Paula Peeters, Writer │Artist │Ecologist creations will result. PO Box 1136 Nerang QLD 4211 Australia The entries in your journal will give you inspiration and material for other creative projects, such as writing, Mob: 0408 242 888 painting, textiles, music, other crafts… the opportunities Email: [email protected] are endless. Web: www.paperbarkwriter.com A journal allows you to capture the moment (a sunset, a view, a critter, a flower, a fungus…), and recall observations which would otherwise be forgotten. It doesn’t matter how simple your drawing or words might be. And it’s not just what’s recorded on the page: there is something about the act of writing it down, or making a sketch, that will help you to remember the scene. A nature journal should never be an onerous chore, one that you feel under pressure to complete everyday, or that you feel needs to contain perfect pictures or writing. That’s not a journal, that’s a rod for your back. A journal should be a playful, helpful, adventurous, extension of yourself. A sandpit for exploring your responses to the world. Something a bit frowsy, a bit lop-sided, a bit ramshackle at times. But at other times it will resonate with a rare quality. It might be beauty, it might be insight, it might be as simple as two lines that perfectly capture the bird you glimpsed flying by. But you will catch your breath, and be quietly amazed at what you’ve created. A sentence or story

19

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Workshops and Events Working in graphite only, over four sessions. Participants learn the fundamentals of botanical Queensland drawing, learning to observe the botanical world, and discuss botany to understand the Nature Journaling - Paula Peeters underpinning structure and function of botanical January subjects. All skill levels Beechmont Market, Beechmont Community Introduction to Coloured Pencils - Florence Centre, Beechmont. 8 am to 12 pm, Sunday 19th Joly January 2020. I’ll have cards, books, prints and other goodies for sale. Drop by and say hello! Saturday 7 March 2020 – 9:30 to 4:30 February Location: S.P.A.C.E. Kenmore, Cnr Branton and Paley Street, Kenmore Hills QLD 4069 **To be confirmed** Introduction to Nature Cost: Members $90 Non-Members $110 Journaling workshop, Sunday 2nd February 2020 at Boondall Wetlands, as part of World Working with a selection of 20 pencils, Wetland Day. More details coming soon. participants will cover colour mixing techniques and go through various exercises to understand Introduction to Nature Journaling workshop, the medium and start a small project. All skill Wednesday 12th February 2020 at Beechmont levels. Pioneer Reserve, organized by Beechmont Landcare. More details coming soon. Leaf-shading/modelling using Graphite Pen and Ink - Anne Hayes Beechmont Market, Beechmont Community March 14, 21, 28 and April 4, 2020 – 9.00am to Centre, Beechmont. 8 am to 12 pm, Sunday 16th 12.30pm. February 2020. I’ll have cards, books, prints and Location: Mt Cotton Road, Capalaba (Full other goodies for sale. Drop by and say hello! address will be given to registered participants) May Cost: Members $150 Non-Members $200 Introduction to Nature Journaling workshop, Leaf shading/modelling using graphite and ink, Saturday 9th May 2020, Benowa, 9am – 11 am, stippling (flower subject). Looking at common FREE, Sponsored by City of Gold Coast. Click pitfalls with watercolour work, introducing here for more details and how to book. watercolour work flowers. Look at colour science of opaque, transparent, staining June watercolour and colour mixing. Introduction to Nature Journaling workshop, Saturday 13th June 2020, Burleigh, FREE, 9am Scraperboard Workshop - Kay Sullivan – 11 am, Sponsored by City of Gold Coast. Click here for more details and how to book.

BASQ Workshops Botanical Drawing - Cassandra Hodgins Feb. 8, 15, 22, 29, 2020 – 9:00am to 12.30pm Classes start at 9.00 am Sharp. Set-up time 8.45

9am, clean/pack up 12.30 – 12.45pm Tuesday March 24, 9.30 to 3.30 Location: Horizon Room (upstairs – no lift or disabled access), 1st floor Centenary Community Location: Arts and Ecology Centre, Maroochy Hub (beside Mt Ommaney Library), 171 Bushland Botanic Gardens, Palm Creek Drive, Dandenong Road Mt Ommaney, Qld. 4074 Tanawha. Cost: Members $150 Non-Members $200

20

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Learn the elements of botanical artistry using Scraperboard. This workshop focuses on learning the basic techniques of this fascinating art form. A small work will be completed. There will be opportunity to progress further for those with previous experience, e.g. Adding of colour to larger areas.’ Beginners or developing skills.

Material list will be supplied. Collagraph Plate Making Enquiries and registrations for all these Seraphina will start with an introductory lecture workshops to: on Collagraph printmaking followed by a display of print examples. An understanding of how Botanical Artists' Society Queensland Inc images are created using diverse textures onto a Email: [email protected] cardboard plate will be discussed with

demonstrations of impasto mediums application. Botanical Art in Fiji: Botanical Painting and Drawings or photographs can be used as Sketching in Paradise – with Leonie Norton inspiration for your artwork. July 11-18, 2020 More information will be sent on receipt of your A fantastic week of intensive tuition with deposit. Tea and coffee will be provided – renowned artist and popular international tutor, participants are asked to bring lunch to share. Leonie Norton, who is one of Australia’s most Enquiries and registration contact Liz Jeneid: experienced and highly qualified botanical [email protected] artists. There will also be optional sketching opportunities. All skill levels are welcome and Phone 02 42712460, or 0408421664 non-painting friends and partners are catered for, joining in all activities and excursions. Encaustic Mixed media with Gabriella Hegyes Enquiries to: April 18, 19, 20 2020, 10-4 each day. Marissa Brunner: [email protected] Cost: $330 + a material fee www.korosunresort.com Location: 29-33 Stones Road, Mt Kembla, NSW Australia or Leonie Norton: In this three-day workshop, you will experience [email protected] the joy and versatility of this rich, organic www.botanicalart.com.au medium as you learn some encaustic techniques. Explore encaustic collage, image transfer, www.holidaysketching.com.au incising, smooth and textural painting as well as Wollongong NSW - Some readers may be embedding techniques and other materials into interested in learning about different media other bees wax. This introduction will provide than watercolour in your work. Here are some participants with a foundation to further explore workshops that may interest you. the endless possibilities provided by this dynamic medium. Tea and coffee will be Collagraphs with Seraphina Martin provided – participants are asked to bring lunch March 7-8, 2020, 10-4 each day. to share. Enquiries and registration contact Liz Jeneid: Cost: $220 + $35 material fee [email protected] Location: 29-33 Stones Road, Mt Kembla, NSW Phone 02 42712460, or 0408421664

21

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

Draw, Print, Fold & Stitch: Bookmaking - with appear more than the sum of its parts. Anita Liz Jeneid Larkin will lead the class in working with their May 9-10, 10-4 each day own found objects to produce engaging sculptures. Cost: $220 + $25 material fee Enquiries and registration contact Liz Jeneid: Location: 29-33 Stones Road, Mt Kembla, NSW Australia [email protected] Phone 02 42712460, or 0408421664

ACT - NatureArt Lab NatureArt Lab in Canberra offers participants the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and immerse themselves in art inspired by nature. Select a series of courses to suit your interests, and consider developing your foundation skills through a better understanding of colour theory, drawing skills or use of water- A book for documenting a journey, a book for based mediums such as watercolour or gouache. someone special, a political issue, a book about Our team of experienced tutors will support your an idea you’ve had for some time and you want creative learning journey with expert instruction to explore this in a book form or a book about and guidance in a fully equipped art-science life experiences…yours or that of another space. person. 2020 promises to be another exciting year at We can use simple printmaking techniques, NatureArt Lab with a wide range of courses on drawing and stitching in the final piece. You will offer. There are courses for 4-6 weeks, be able to work on a small or large scale…there workshops of 1-2 days, tours and field trips. are many ways to make a book and we will explore as many as possible! Three are shown here as examples, but there are many more to choose from - too many to list Tea and coffee will be provided – participants here individually, so please go to the website for are asked to bring lunch to share. more details: Enquiries and registration contact Liz Jeneid: https://natureartlab.com.au/ [email protected] Phone 02 42712460, or 0408421664 Sculpture from the Found Object - with Anita Larkin July 18-19, and a bit of 17th to see Anita’s exhibition at the Wollongong Art Gallery. 10-4 each day Cost: $220 + a material fee Location: 29-33 Stones Road, Mt Kembla, NSW Australia Found objects hold a multitude of beginnings Nature Journaling: Using Art to Connect With Nature At within them for making sculpture. They also ANBG, Sunday 2 February 2020 Price$65.00 present lots of challenges in joining disparate materials together and making the sculpture

22

Tendrils Newsletter Issue 11, November 2019 Australian Botanical Artists Regional Network (ABARN)

New!! Insects in Pen & Ink, 14 March 2020 - Beginners - Intermediate Price$165.00 Tax Included.

Wolfgang Glowacki – Photographer While in St Helen’s, Tasmania recently I visited this photographer’s gallery, and was entranced by his masterful macro photographs of plants. We don’t often see work by photographers included in the botanical art genre, and this is a pity because we are missing out on some beautiful work. A whole world can open up to New!! Linocut Printing - Native Flowers, Term One 2020 our eyes through work like this. He writes on his - With Lesley Wallington website: Price$280.00 Tax Included. I particularly enjoy doing macro photography. I find All enquiries to myself looking at the world in a completely different way than with any of my other work. There is so much in the https://natureartlab.com.au/ small details of nature that can be missed if you don’t REALLY stop to take it all in. For this kind of work, you Websites have to sit back and absorb the wilderness a while, clear your mind from the office stress, the traffic and mobile Congratulations to the Botanical Art Society of phones you left behind and then the details begin to reveal Australia (BASA) for their beautiful new themselves. Sometimes I find, the beauty is in the little website which is bright, colourful and things. interesting. Lots to see and all easy to navigate. Learn more about this artist and see more of his More workshops advertised there as well, so work at: https://wolfgangglowacki.com make sure you take a look: https://www.botanicalartsocietyaustralia.com/

Rachel Newling, artist and printmaker has new work on her website. Her hand-coloured linocuts on handmade Japanese paper are glorious in their rich colour and striking design. Always worth a look. Go to https://www.rachelnewling.com/australian- flowers-linocuts-rachel-newling Banksia Flowers, Mount Field, Photograph by Wolfgang Glowacki Email: [email protected]

23