Eastern Spinebills on Banksia prionotes

Below is the second painting finished for the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens Botanica exhibition, which focuses on Pollinators. It opens 9 April - 3 May. There is an incredibly long lead-in to this, as works have to be submitted for selection early February.

Eastern Spinebills on Banksia prionotes

Art Experience Canberra - Summer School January 2016

I have recently returned from Canberra where I taught for the Artists Society of Canberra at their Summer School. As an artist, it is always a fantastic experience to work at Summer or Winter schools, to meet other tutors and artists and to swap information, aspirations and experiences. We often work in isolation so a social meeting ground often gives us all motivation and inspiration - as well as making new friends.

I teach all skill levels which ensures those that are not experienced at Botanical Art will have the same opportunities to learn.. This year I was blown away by the natural talent of some of my students, and definately by all the work that was produced at the end of the week, which I would like to share with you.

It was a unique programme beginning with a 2-day weekend workshop on Leaves & Greens - Technique & Colour. This workshop could be linked into the following 3-day workshop (with one day break in between) or either workshop could be done separately. It worked extremely well especially for those that could only attend on the weekend due to work committments.

Alex's leaves

Morgyn's leaves

Jann's oak leaf

Jean's amazing parsley

Naturally the following workshop on Form & Colour followed the Processes used in botanical art. These are the Master drawing (the blueprint for the painting), the Colour Study and Colour Match and then the final painting.

In my workshops I do not focus on students finishing a painting. It is all about following the processes, so when they begin working independently, they know the processes required to produce a fabulous painting. 

Here are a few paintings done in the three day workshop, which was amazing - and I was thrilled. Some of my group had never done any botanical art before and several had never drawn or done any watercolour painting at all, which makes the results even more special.

Beth's flowering eucalypt

Alex's chilis

Janet's finished painting

Jean's herb study (in progress)

New Paintings

It has been very difficult to find time to do my own work, as I have been extremely busy with travelling for work and a few holidays (absolutely deserved as I work seven days a week) and lots of workshops and art tours. Then of course there are my three Distance Learning Course in Botanical Art, Natural History and Travel Sketching.

Ideas spin around in my head and if only I had the luxury of months of painting.

Anyway, will share two of my finished pieces with you, which will be in Botanica 2016 in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens in April 2016.

When I was in New Zealand in December, I saw a Harakeke Red Flax (Phormium tenax). The colours were absolutely amazing, just glowing in the sunshine. The flax was also bursting with bees, eager for the ripe anthers.

While admiring the flowers, a New Holland Honeyeater flew down and landed on the flax. I thought "I just have to paint this" which is what I have done.

Initial washes

I will add the next painting on a new blog.

Botanical Art Processes

This article was published in January 2016 in Artists' Back to Basics. There are more pages to the article, but the images below provide valuable information.

The processes to botanical art are necessary to produce a faultless (we hope) finished painting, with no mistakes. By making a detailed drawing and a colour study which is basically practice pieces with colour matching, any issues will be addressed before the final painting is started.

Happy painting

Travel Sketching Art Tours - Australian Artist magazine

I have had a successful start to 2016 with two new magazine articles, both in January.

The first was a Holiday Sketching article about art tours, composition, making your own sketch book and step by step to a sketch from Nha Tang in Vietnam.

There are other pages to the articles, but these give you an idea of what the article contains.

Enjoy.

'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