A Brush With Nature

A Brush with Nature

Contemporary paintings, prints and cards from Amicus Botanicus

The group of eleven botanical artists known as Amicus Botanicus will be showcasing their work in an exhibition at The Gallery, Chelsea Old Town Hall during the week of the Chelsea Flower Show, 25th – 30th May 2010.

The exhibition will feature detailed botanical paintings of a variety of plants and flowers, on paper and on vellum, as well as other natural history subjects. There will also be prints for sale and a wide choice of cards available

There are strong local connections as the artists all graduated from the English Gardening School in Chelsea and who will be returning from all over the UK, Japan, USA and Singapore to a part of London they got to know well while studying at The Chelsea Physic Garden.

Artists are collaborating with Park Walk School in Chelsea and have arranged a competition for the children to paint natural history subjects. The winning paintings will also be shown at the exhibition and a donation given to the school to be used for art or gardening materials.

Botanical painting has taken the artists on many different paths; for instance, Shirley Slocock is currently Vice Chair of The Hampton Court Florilegium, Mary Ellen Taylor has been to Galapagos to paint their five most endangered birds and related plant habitat and Elaine Searle has become a much sought after teacher here and in the USA.

This is the second London exhibition by Amicus Botanicus whose members have exhibited internationally. Some of their work has been selected for inclusion in The Highgrove Florilegium and The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh.