'Painting with Leonie Norton'

I have just had a Collectors' Edition of my work published by Woodlands Publishing NSW.  It is available in most newsagents and can be found in the Art Section. If you are unable to locate it, just ask the newsagent to order some copies.

The magazine has a lot of information and step by step demonstrtions on Botanical Art, Natural History Art and Travel Sketching. There is something there for everyone.

Feet on the ground for a while

I have had an unbelievable year with travel and work, and love every minute of it. I have a great balance in my life so it is easy to juggle the many diverse things that I do, which are almost all art related. I have met so many wonderful people over the years through art and it is always a privilege to be able to share my knowledge with others.

Travels

This year I have been away or teaching for nine months (not all togther of course). Sometimes I even have to think where I went and when. Here is an overview:

 

• Lots of weekend workshops at WEA Sydney
• A week at Koro Sun Resort in Savusavu teaching Botanical Art and Travel Sketching. This is definately a holiday wrapped up in a workshop at the most incredible Fijian resort
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  Koro Sun Resort, Savusavu.  Some of the group enjoying morning tea.

• River cruise where I managed to do lots of my own sketching
• Visit to Prague which was an amazing experience. Really loved it.
• 2 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam taking a travel sketching group. This was such a wonderful experience with the most fabulous sketching opportunities. Doing Cambodia again 2016
• Teaching workshop for the Botanical Art Society Queensland at Mt.Cootha Botanical Gardens
• Talks for the Australian Historical Garden Society and the Vaucluse Garden Club
• Five day botanical art workshop at Mossman, far north Queensland 
• Two back to back workshops in Perth, WA
• Four days in beautiful Beechworth. I love that place and have done many botancial art and travel sketching workshops there over the years
• Coming up - two day botanical art workshop mid November at Sturt, Mittagong, southern highlands NSW

Here are a few photos from this year:

 In between all these engagements I have my Distance Learning Courses in Botanical Art, Natural History Art and Travel Sketching. This is almost a fulltime job on its own with hundreds of students, but it is just one aspect of my working life which gives me a lot of enjoyment. I just seem to fit it in somehow, or rather fit in my other committments.

I have just begun a new work for the 2016 Botanica exhibition which will be in the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. I will try to get three paintings done this year. I am working on birds as pollinators and have almost finished the initial drawing. Will blog the progress.

Here is my 'bird' painting from last year's exhibition - Eastern Spinebills (male, female and juvenile).

I am loving painting birds and insects in conjunction with my work as it gives me a new challenge, expands my repertoire and enhances the botanical subject.

Eastern Spinebill birds on Bongala Spinebill Grevillea

Details of birds

Natural History at the State Library

There is a fascinating exhibition currently on at the State Library of NSW - 'Artist Colony: Drawing Sydney's Nature' and it is on until 11 May 2014.

Over 100 natural history drawings and paintings from the late 18th century showcase this prolific exhibition.

It relates and reveals the colonial thirst for knowledge and our emerging cultural history. It is an incredible insight into the fascination the colonists discovered in the unique and exotic flora and fauna of Australia.

There are a total of six album volumes. Some of the work has been done by the colonial officers, others by convicts which would often be artists or counterfeiters.

 

There is an amazing history about the paintings, why, when, where and how they were done, and for what purpose.



 

 

I cannot recommend the State Library of NSW's website highly enough. The exhibitions and other collections are beautifully presented.

 

See http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2014/artist_colony/index.html. The website includes a film, images of the paintings including a facility for magnification of the exhibits, an interactive resource and other information pertaining to this exhibition.

 

Enjoy!!!!