"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home" (Twyla Tharp)

Botanical Art Worldwide ...



Santalum acuminatum - Quandong © Vicki Lee Johnston
Australian artists were invited to submit for the Australian exhibition of the Botanical Art Worldwide initiative, to be held in Canberra in May.  
This exhibition is featured in a Worldwide Day of Botanical Art on May 18.

Botanical Art Worldwide website

Our Botanical Art Society of Australia  sent out expressions of interest a long time ago and I had made a choice for the native plant I wanted to paint as my submission.  I thought I had plenty of time and did my research, notes, planning etc ... only to find that when the plant came into flower we had a lot of very late storms and inclement weather - my only available flowering subjects had been battered by the high winds and heavy rain.  I realised because of my insistence on painting this subject that I was now left with very little available - the deadline was looming and I had to choose another subject quickly.   Back to the drawing board ..... literally!



My lovely Quandong bush has fruited for the first time!



It was during a gardening session on our property that I discovered our Quandong had begun fruiting for the first time since planting!  We planted this tree five years previously after another artwork assignment for the SBA - a part of my diploma portfolio.  Here is the first quandong artwork and the backstory. I had bought the small plant to study the leaf structure and growth habit.  Once I had finished we planted the shrub with its host plant (it is hemiparasitic) .    Being a desert quandong, it was left alone to do its thing and I checked on it frequently but until this time, five years on, it had not fruited.  I couldn't believe my luck.


Some of the bounty!

I was so happy to see the fruit, it can be quite tart and fleshy with a large brain-like nut inside, however I really love the quandong (or native peach) taste as I am quite partial to tart rather than sweet fruit.   I have to admit I ate the majority of the fruit, we had around forty and they were delicious!  Full of goodness and not to everyone's taste which is fine by me!


 Quandong can be eaten alone, added to sweet or savoury foods and contain vitamin C, the nuts containing complex oils and are a valued ingredient used by our indigenous people.  They are now becoming more widely used in high end restaurants and catering.



Because of my easy access to the plant, I was fortunately able to stage
my subject right in front of me to quickly study and draw.


On to my painting ... after the initial excitement of having my very own indigenous plant subject right in my back yard, I set to work very quickly drawing and composing the artwork.  I only had a week from start to finish, with no room for error.  Despite the rush I enjoyed working with this subject.

I was also lucky to have my sketchbook from the SBA course and found my old study pages for reference.  This really helps with colour selection and shortcuts a lot of the time spent colour testing.




First washes on the leaves ....



Bringing in the fruits ... starting with yellows, greens, oranges and reds



Gradually building up the layers of colour with the yellows, greens, oranges, reds and mapping out the stems and branches.

Getting a bit messy!




I like to look at my almost completed works from different angles, to check the liveliness, tones and form of the artwork so that it looks like a real subject viewed from all sides. 





Once I was happy I scanned the original artwork myself and also managed to get a professional        scan done.  As this artwork was to be submitted online to the jury via digital entry, the professional scan was the better option.  This took a few days and once ready it was sent off to be judged. 




 The judging took a couple of months and I was very happy to be notified that my artwork Santalum acuminatum - Quandong had been selected to be shown in the Flora of Australia exhibition.  It will be held in Canberra at the Ainslie Arts Centre from May 18 until May 27.  I will post another blog update as a reminder closer to the opening.


BASA information


Once I had been informed that my painting was chosen, I had some months to get it fine tuned and framed.  I always struggle with framing choices but usually go for something neutral.


So many choices!

This time I decided to coordinate with the native plant aspect by choosing a wooden frame which blended in with the colours used in the stems and branches.  Once the framing was completed I had now run out of time and it was straight to Pack and Send to head off to Canberra!

Childhood memories x


This painting has truly been a labour of love!  So many memories attached to my subject choice and the artistic experience reminded me of the plant itself, the difficulty struggling to germinate and flourish and the time taken to come to fruition.  Worth the wait for sure ...

On its way to Canberra

All images © Vicki Lee Johnston

Forest Floor ...


'Forest Floor' © Vicki Lee Johnston

The painting 'Forest Floor' came about after a call to artists to advise of an awards exhibition being held at a local gallery.  I always try to be involved where possible, even if the exhibit is not strictly botanical.



I had just over a week to compose, draw and paint the artwork and these creative ideas don't happen instantly.  I did what I always do when my mind isn't able to co-operate and went for a long walk in the hills nearby.  One thing I always notice in summer are the leaves on the ground, while they may be terribly messy and hard work to keep under control, I always seem to get lost in their beauty even though they are well beyond their best.


On this occasion I gathered a handful of half dead and dying leaves, a couple of gum nuts and took them inside where I laid them out in a pleasing mandala style pattern.  It was easier to see how a drawing might come to fruition and how the colours and formation interplayed with the design.  Our suburb in the hills of Perth is known as 'a home in the forest' for the beautiful green belt and natural environment, so the name became obvious to me as everyone living here would see this as such a familiar sight at their feet on the ground, and I had been playful with the outcome.



Decision made, I drew the leaves and gum nuts and set about painting them in the most lifelike way, trying to show the highlights and deep shadows to assist the piece in looking more three dimensional.


This was a kind of stop-start painting, which is unusual for me.  Usually I become somewhat obsessed with my artwork and slave over it for hours on end to the detriment of both my enjoyment and the artwork.  I simply didn't have the time what with renovations, Christmas, New Year etc., and was only able to paint for an hour here and there.  I found this process much more enjoyable and allowed me to step away and see it with new eyes more often. 


The leaves were very earthy colours with a few still quite green ... all having fallen from the trees on our property, my poor husband spends hours raking them up and looked quite bemused when he saw me bringing them inside.  


I enjoyed painting the gum nuts immensely but really took my time building up the washes and leaving the highlights and shadows to unfold slowly so I didn't overpaint them.
They really needed to look rounded and solid to enhance the overall idea.



Looking sideways at the painting often helps me 'see' whether the painting starts to leap off the page.


Finally stepping away from the painting,  I placed it upright and visited it at different times of the day!  I like to look at a painting from all angles to see if it appears realistic enough, before settling on the finishing touches, unfortunately time was tight but thankfully the details weren't too complicated and I finished in the nick of time.


I chose a box frame this time, with a nice amount of depth and shadow to the overall effect, choosing a very neutral frame and mat to allow the leaves and gum nuts to take centre stage.



What an absolute joy to be informed that my painting had been announced Winner of the two dimensional category at the Annual Art Awards - I hadn't been able to attend the big launch party and while I was sad I couldn't be there this was a beautiful keepsake to all my work.


I think it is very important for botanical artists to spread their wings and become involved in exhibitions from all genres, allowing yourself to be more creative and share the beauty of the natural world through observation and detail, this was a wonderful endorsement of this art form.  I finally managed to visit the gallery and enjoy the whole exhibition, there are so many beautiful works of art in all mediums and styles and I feel very honoured to have been shown among them.



The exhibition is open all this weekend - at the beautiful Zig Zag Gallery in Kalamunda, 
Western Australia.


All images © Vicki Lee Johnston