2007 - 2015
In those early years, I devoted my life to plant painting. The only way I could improve was simply to ‘paint’ at every possible opportunity, as I had no formal training or resources on this subject in Turkey. I painted a great deal. I tried to portray the unique beauty of plants without pause — first to understand them, and then to convey that understanding to others. Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic Garden offered us wonderful opportunities. They have a remarkable collection of bulbous plants from across Turkey, and we were given access to this collection. I still remember the excitement of those painting marathons in this extraordinary botanic garden during the early days of my journey as a botanical artist.
Then, through the collaboration of Nezahat Gökyiğit and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we visited here on our first trip in 2007 to develop our skills. That year, Martin Gardner, the project director of ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’, led us into an incredible adventure in which we would discover our talents, develop our skills, and encounter remarkable plants from different climates.
"I clearly recall sitting in the RBG Edinburgh staff canteen in early September 2007 and noticing, across the room, three visitors whom I remembered from two years previously, when I had participated in a UK government-funded Darwin Initiative fieldwork training programme in Turkey. These visitors were the artists Gülnur Ekşi, Hülya Korkmaz and Işık Güner, who in Turkey had been illustrating bulbous plants for a publication on the Turkish flora. For almost 20 years there had been a plan to produce a book on the flora of Chile using newly commissioned botanical artwork, but nothing had materialised due to a lack of funding. However, the reacquaintance with these artists and a reminder of the quality of their work reactivated the idea — which to some may seem a rather curious link between Chile, Scotland and Turkey. This serendipitous meeting was the first of many important stages in the process of producing the book Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile.
Today there is a remarkable revival in botanical illustration, and this book with its inspiring artwork clearly bears testimony to this. Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile represents the labour and observations of highly talented modern-day artists who have painstakingly and accurately recorded the minutest of details to bring alive the beautiful plant life of Chile. The paintings have of course been the work of the three Turkish artists, Gülnur Ekşi, Hülya Korkmaz and Işık Güner, who were trained in Turkey by the highly accomplished botanical artist Christabel King. Over a period of seven years, between 2008 and 2014, the artists visited RBG Edinburgh for varying lengths of time in order to prepare the plates for the book.
The aim of the book has been to capture and present, in a stunning format, the sheer beauty and rich biodiversity of Chile's forested habitats. The species illustrated have been chosen to show the great diversity found in the woods and forests of Chile, and the authors have tried to present some unusual facts about the plants. It is hoped that those who perhaps know little about the plant life of Chile will be surprised, fascinated and intrigued by the great beauty and diversity of the plants depicted in this impressive book. For those who are familiar with the richness of Chile's flora — especially the people of Chile — it will remind them just how extraordinary and precious the woods and forests of Chile are. "
Martin Gardner
This adventure, which started in 2007, continued until 2015 and the book ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’ has been published. During those years, my colleagues and I played our part in this ambitious project by travelling the routes between Chile, Scotland and Turkey — reaching the locations where the plants grew, observing them in the field, noting their flowering times, waiting for their fruits to ripen, and bringing all our skills to bear in painting these beautiful subjects.
Now, I am really pleased to announce the publication ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’. This single volume of high-quality botanical art depicts the rich diversity and beauty of Chile’s unique forested areas, where for the past 25 years the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has engaged in research and conservation initiatives.
The book includes 81 unique commissioned watercolour paintings, 39 of which were illustrated by me. This is a limited-edition book. There are 450 copies of the English edition and 350 copies of the Spanish edition.
Authors of the Book:
Martin F. Gardner
Paulina Hechenleitner V.
Josefina Hepp C.
Book Launch – Edinburgh
October 2015
After eight years of hard work, ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’ has finally been published. A remarkable book launch was held at the Gateway, RBGE. It is difficult to put my feelings into words — I was deeply moved and tremendously excited. It is a limited-edition book with only 450 copies. During the launch event, more than 300 copies were sold.
The book itself was awarded for "Excellence in Botanical Art and Illustration" in 2017.
Book Launch - Santiago
April 2016
One of the notable qualities of ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’ is that it is available in two separate volumes in two different languages. It was not only created to be a fine book; it was made for the people of Chile — to help them learn about, be inspired by, and share knowledge of their native plants with others. It was therefore essential that a Spanish edition be produced, even though the project originated at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The project team travelled to Santiago for a second book launch, held at the National Library of Santiago. There are only 350 copies of the Spanish edition, available to purchase at the event. The book launch took place on 28th April at 19:00.
Seminar for Friends of Botanics
September 2015
Following the launch of the book ‘Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile’, the RBGE organised several events, one of which was this special occasion for the Friends of Botanics. Jacqui Pestell and I gave a talk summarising the eight years of the project. The stories behind painting some of the plants featured in the book give the project a wonderful sense of life and depth. It was a thoroughly delightful event — and I am very proud to say that I did not faint during the talk!
