I completed my Diploma with the Society of Botanical Artists, and was very pleased to achieve a Distinction. This is one of pieces in my final portfolio, a head of a Romanesco cauliflower. I love the fractal effect of the florets as the grow – botany and mathematics in one!
I am delighted to say that I had a place in the 2021 RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, which was at the Saatchi Gallery, London in 2021, covering the dates of the Chelsea Flower Show. The Saatchi Gallery was used as the usual venue, Lindley Hall, was being used as a vaccination centre.
My exhibit was titled ‘Tomatoes: Fruit and flower development’. My six paintings showed examples of how cascading mutations in the genes of tomatoes have generated the changes from the tiny pea-sized fruit in Central America, to the variety and size of fruit grown throughout the world today. The picture above is of the variety ‘Tlacolula’ which shows mutations in the LC and FAS genes, resulting in a multi-locule tomato, and also a mutation in the OVATE gene resulting in a pear-shaped fruit.
To my suprise and pleasure, I was awarded a Gold medal for my exhibit.
Tomato ‘Lemon Tree’
24 x 32 cm
Watercolour
The seeds for these were in a pack of ‘heritage’ tomatoes, and I loved the intensity of the golden colour of the ripe fruit.
This is one of the four pieces submitted to the Royal Horticultural Society Picture Committee and considered to be Silver Medal standard.
Red apples
Watercolour
12 x 23 cm
I loved the deep red glow of these apples. As I painted them, I noticed more and more the variations in colour and the pattern of spots all over the surface, making each apple unique.