I am very pleased to announce that one of my paintings from the Orchids series, Eria lasiopetala, has been selected for the 16th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration at the Hunt Institute — and has entered the permanent collection.
Venue: 5th floor, Hunt Library Building, Carnegie Mellon University Dates: 17 September – 18 December 2019 Reception: 17 October, 6–8 pm Opening Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 am–noon and 1–5 pm; Sunday, 1–4 pm (except 20 November and 24–27 November) Admission: Free
The 16th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration features 41 artworks by 41 artists from 14 countries, on display from 17 September to 18 December 2019, with a reception on 17 October (6–8 pm).
Participating artists: Juan Luis Castillo (Spain), Maria Alice de Rezende (Brazil), Mary Dillon (Ireland), Peggy-Ann Duke (United States), Caroline Dumuÿs (France), Melinda Edstein (Australia), Nadia Farotti (Italy), Jane Fisher (United States), Susan T. Fisher (United States), Keiko Fujita (Japan), Bridget Gillespie (England), Margot E. Glass (United States), Jarnie Godwin (England), Işık Güner (Turkey), Christiana Hale Webb (England), Andreas Hentrich (Germany), Yuriko Homma (Japan), Sumi Kim (South Korea), Mitsuko Kurashina (Japan), Louise Lane (England), Claire Leroux-Daublain (France), Craig Lidgerwood (Australia), Patricia Luppino (United States), Beth McAnoy (Australia), Clare McGhee (Scotland), Simonetta Occhipinti (Italy), Chiyoko Ohmi (Japan), Sylvia Peter (Germany), Penny Price (England), Deborah A. Ravin (United States), Vivienne Rew (England), Janne Richardson (Scotland), Mitsuko Schultz (Japan/United States), Derek Setford (England), Lucy T. Smith (England), Keiko Soga (Japan), Susana Ferreira de Souza (Brazil), Yasuhiro Takeuchi (Japan), Claire Ward (Wales), Chiyo Watakabe (Japan) and Poyong Yi (South Korea).
From the inaugural exhibition in 1964 through to this 16th edition, the Institute's International series has now represented 1,212 artists in total.
The 41 artists have created a magnificent body of work encompassing a wide range of compositional approaches — symmetry, asymmetry, tension and harmony. The images offer many perspectives on the natural world, from diagrammatic scientific renderings and habitat studies to surface magnification and expressive representations of plants both in their prime and in graceful decline. Watercolour remains the most widely represented medium, though the exhibition also includes works in pen and ink, graphite, 14-karat goldpoint, ballpoint pen, coloured pencil and acrylic, as well as printmaking techniques including wood engraving and polymer plate etching with chine collé. While the Institute does not collect digitally produced artwork, it acknowledges the process used by many botanical illustrators and is pleased to include a digital print in this exhibition.
The American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), celebrating its 25th anniversary, will be holding its annual membership meeting and conference in Pittsburgh from 17 to 19 October 2019 — as it does every three years, to coincide with the Institute's International exhibition. In connection with the conference, the Institute has scheduled a talk on florilegia by Assistant Librarian Jeannette McDevitt, a Q&A in the gallery with some of the participating artists, and a temporary display of artworks and books from the permanent collection. Curator of Art Lugene Bruno and Assistant Curator of Art Carrie Roy will also be involved in a range of conference activities, including a panel discussion, a critique workshop and individual meetings with artists.
We very much look forward to welcoming many of the participating artists at the reception on 17 October, alongside conference attendees. It is a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet botanical artists from around the world, and for the artists themselves to connect with kindred creative spirits.
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
It was an honour to exhibit alongside so many remarkable artists from around the world.
