Botanica Exhibition 'The Birds & The Bees'

I worked to strict deadlines to finish my paintings for this year's Botanica Exhibition at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens which will open to the public on 18th April.

The theme is The Birds and the Bees. This produces some spectacular paintings with an enormous variety of pollinators. Lots of fun to do and as an artist, I love the opportunity to explore and expand into other areas of botanical art and to work with more diverse subjects.

Below are my two submissions for this years exhibition.

I love the designs that nature creates, and when I first saw this extremely large Japanese Spider Chrysanthemum I fell in love with it. It definitely chose me. The pollinator bees also lend interest and scale to the flower.

Japanese Spider Chrysanthemum

I loved the design and colour elements on the Eastern Spinebill birds, and also the complexity of the feather arrangements. It was a very rewarding painting for me and I thrived on the research and information gathering that went into the work.

Boongala Spinebill Grevillea with Eastern Spinebill birds (male, female, juvenille)

Juvenille Eastern Spinebill

India

In December I travelled through the Golden Triangle in Rajasthan, India.  This is the largest state by area and is in the north of the country. Such diversity. It is a country of intense sights, sounds, colours, culture and architecture. All the things I love.

Me on an elephant at the Amber Fort, Jaipur, one of my favourite places.

View from the Amber Fort

I managed to get some sketching done and could spend a year there, happily sketching and experiencing more of the country.

Reliefs and inlays of botanicals at the Taj Mahal

It was also interesting to discover botanical images nearly everywhere we went in India. The inlays were particularly spectacular with various gemstones used for the colour.

Here are a few of my sketches.

Agra Fort

Delhi street scene

Markets in Jaipur

 Will leave you with this colourful image - everywhere you go is an explosion of the senses.

Shoes, shoes and more fabulous shoes!