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on botanical art pieces showcasing the beauty and cultural significance of native plant species that are bush foods medicinal and utilitarian plants the botanical art society of australia has focused on first nations uses of plants bountiful botanicals my chosen subjects include the banksia sessilis parrot bush this extraordinary shrub is indigenous to western australia and we have quite a few outcrops in the hills of perth where i live it was never a favourite of mine due to the painfully prickly leaves i would never have chosen to study draw and paint it as we would complain about it when walking in the native bushland after having spent quite some time researching its history and integral uses as an indigenous food source i drew pardon the pun to really love this very important native plant i really took my time with observation drawing especially colour studies to ensure i was able to capture light shadow form and contrast i usually paint subjects with colourful flowers in this case the shrub itself is quite insignificant looking in the wild but i wanted to show how incredibly beautiful a plant could be when you look closer and see the many elements i am working in a new studio and it took some time to get used to the light and space working carefully to portray this plant in a pleasing way to ensure the subtle shades and tones of green cream and yellow found a way to create contrast and depth i tried my usual method of converting a photo of the artwork to neutral tones to ensure there was a satisfactory amount of contrast for interest detail and wall appeal banksia sessilis parrot bush vicki lee johnston i completed and scanned the finished watercolour paintings and submitted for jury consideration to be included in the australian exhibition bountiful botanicals i was extremely grateful to learn this artwork and another painting of santalum acuminatum quandong had been accepted and were to be hung in canberra at the national exhibition my quandong painting was also chosen to be exhibited virtually at the worldwide galleries on worldwide day of botanical art santalum acuminatum quandong vicki lee johnston bountiful botanicals exhibition info above sneak peak of the worldwide video series of chosen artworks botanical art worldwide video a little footnote to this blog post the opportunity to observe study create and complete a watercolour botanical artwork is extremely finite and time consuming for most botanical artists it truly is a labour of love a love of nature science and a love of art for me it has been especially poignant as since i completed these paintings i have not been able to draw paint or use my hands for much at all for many months due to both wrists being fractured after a fall and limiting most functional abilities i am finally getting movement back in my hands and wrists and although i may need future surgery i am very excited to think it may be possible to draw and paint again i m not sure the art will be as detailed or finite as these for a while maybe it s time to try more loose work to get my hands working again if you ve managed to read this far thank you i often wonder if this blog is being read but it doesn t really matter as it was and always has been a visual diary for me to reflect on my art journey over the past years i hope it has been able to show how it s possible to try anything at any age as long as you have curiosity and wonder in this unique world botanical art worldwide 2025 thank you vicki lee johnston posted by vicki lee johnston 4 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels australian botanical artist banksia sessilis botanical art exhibition botanical art worldwide flora of australia parrot bush quandong pimelea physodes qualup bell pimelea physodes qualup bell recently i returned to my art studio inspired after finding two sought after qualup bell specimens from a local native nursery i have always loved these plants and they were on my wish list to paint but being endemic to specific regions sparsely located at great distance in western australia they were very difficult to study and illustrate without being in situ having found the plants i set to work carefully observing all the colourways which were many probably why i m so attracted to them as well as their showy nature despite being somewhat ordinary looking when not in flower i began by colour matching the the bell shaped flowers to ensure i was happy with my portrayal and then set to work adding fine watercolour layers taking care to work with a more dry brush approach to create the feel of a filmy somewhat transparent petal or bract i had been working seated in the conservatory area as i had really spread out to study the plant however i found it was taxing on my neck and shoulders when i was painting in a seated position i moved back into my art studio to my usual standing desk option and it was so much easier and more comfortable to paint and work closely for longer periods i highly recommend using a standing desk or sit to stand option as it is easier to move about and not get stuck in an awkward position i took regular breaks and brought the artwork into another room to check progress alongside the real subject in different light i find it s a good habit to look at the painting in different rooms and alternate lighting situations to create a more balanced i had underestimated the level of work involved in painting the myriad of leaves so it became much longer working period to enable me to meet the emerging deadline i finished the first watercolour layers of most of the painting and then spent a couple of days adding depth and finer detail thankfully i managed to complete the qualup bell with very little time to spare before having the artwork scanned and entered into a prestigious botanical illustration exhibition in melbourne qualup bell vicki lee johnston i was very happy to be notified that my botanical illustration of this amazing plant had been selected for the the art of botanical illustration in melbourne tabi 2022 i then set to work ensuring the paper was perfectly flat by dampening the back and resting under heavy books it worked beautifully and the artwork was ready to be framed i very much appreciated the local framer angela at white room studios who managed to help me meet the tight interstate deadline before sending the framed artwork across to melbourne thanks also to my sister in law who presented the artwork to the gallery on my behalf which was very much appreciated perth in western australia is a long way from anywhere and it gets very expensive to be included in the national and international exhibitions however with great support it can be possible for those also at great distance and unable to attend the gallery in person you can view this beautiful exhibition of botanical artworks by national and international artists online for a short period https tabi rbgfriendsmelbourne org the 16th biennial the art of botanical illustration tabi 2022 run by the friends of the royal botanic gardens melbourne is on show until october 2nd at domain house gallery in melbourne posted by vicki lee johnston 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels australian botanical artist australian native botanical art botanical art exhibition botanical artist flora of australia pimelea physodes qualup bell tabi watercolour west australian wildflowers iris iris vicki lee johnston a few years ago back in the days when we could travel the world more freely i was lucky enough to visit france and the provence region a highlight for me was to visit the hospital where vincent van gogh stayed the gardens were magnificent inspiring him to produce hundreds of beautiful paintings see my original post with all the lovely iris photos and backstory here art as therapy the irises were coming into full bloom and i couldn t resist taking loads of photos in the hope of painting one later in time i don t normally work solely from a photograph but to honour a special place and time it s important not to get too stuck on perfect circumstances for subject matter taking one of many photographic memories beginning the first stages of my painting with initial washes you can see below my setup with the chosen photo on my ipad for reference as i worked reference photo setup saint paul asylum in st remy more layers and detail wonderful display of irises getting there this was a fun painting to do because it gave me the opportunity to be a little more relaxed about the detail and features it became a keepsake of sorts to remember this special time in france it was intended for an exhibition but after a missed deadline i decided it could stay with me a while longer watercolour iris vicki lee johnston i hope everyone is keeping well and optimistic about days ahead when we can look forward to a return to travel and hugging and enjoying life at its fullest i have been blessed to spend this very unique time with my soul mate and precious family being grateful for the simple things in life and honouring the natural world vicki lee johnston posted by vicki lee johnston 3 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels australian botanical artist botanical art botanical artist iris iris painting provence st remy watercolour watercolour iris wip eucalyptus macrocarpa watercolour artwork mottlecah wip vicki lee johnston time to update the blog with a painting completed for an exhibition thanks to the challenging year we had in 2020 many botanical art exhibitions have gone online which is still a lovely way to explore and buy art especially for those at great distance from the usual venues i know from my own experience living so far from the art exhibitions makes it very expensive to participate with hefty shipping costs i welcome this new way of sharing art and enabling many more to come in contact with art in all forms my choice as a botanical subject for the art of botancal illustration was eucalyptus macrocarpa mottlecah it came about as i pass this unique small tree almost every day on my walks it is a wonderful subject especially being endemic to western australia and i have strong memories of being fascinated with the life cycle in my childhood in the country it usually looks a bit scraggly and leggy but when the tree produces pods and burst into flower it is a showstopper layering the leaves and developing flowers and buds vicki lee johnston it is quite a tricky colour to capture a kind of grey blue greenish hue different in all lights but i decided to show the transitions of colour to highlight how interesting the leaves are as the light hits them the flowers are very fiddly and this is the first time i have used masking fluid in a painting took a few practice efforts and now i may just be a convert it certainly widens the field of subject choice for the future the seed pods are powdery silver grey clutched tightly to the stem of the shrub once the flower is spent it becomes such an interesting subject to observe and illustrate woody and architectural full of nooks and crannies and so much character ageing seed pod coming to life vicki lee johnston building the depth vicki lee johnston scanned the large artwork and digitally sent to friends of royal botanic gardens melbourne the art of botanical illustration friends of the royal botanic gardens melbourne the friends of the rbgm is a wonderful organisation and there are many varied activities support for botanical art and illustration and a wonderful synergy with the natural world sincere thanks to the organisers of this beautiful exhibition my fellow botanical artists and hoping there will be many more opportunities for art to be viewed around the world in an online platform thank you for joining me again on my blog it is a visual journal for my art progression and started back at the beginning almost ten years ago i hope you find the time to create it s food for the soul posted by vicki lee johnston 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels australia australian botanical artist australian native botanical art botanical art exhibition eucalypt eucalyptus macrocarpa exhibiition mottlecah watercolour west australian wildflowers older posts home subscribe to posts atom about me vicki lee johnston i am a botanical and natural history artist working in graphite and watercolour i live in western australia and have a deep interest and passion for the natural world view my complete profile copyright information vicki lee johnston 2011 2026 please note that all original text and images on this blog are subject to international copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without my express written permission thank you copyright all rights reserved vicki lee johnston 2011 2026 leaves if you can paint one leaf you can paint the whole world john ruskin translate one must always draw draw with the eyes when one cannot draw with a pencil balthus total pageviews popular posts anne marie evans workshop in between all the chaos of the course i took up an invitation to attend a botanical painting workshop with renowned teacher anne mari making colour charts work for you vicki lee johnston i love colour lots of it however i realise perhaps i love it too much because i have acquired too many tube watercolour painting and colour charts prior to the sba distance course i have only worked with a limited watercolour palette of six colours cadmium yellow cadmium lemo travail de l amour a labour of love it has been really difficult to post here since my gracie passed away my last post was dedicated to her a featured post heartfelt vicki lee johnston anybody who knows me understands that i am a mad collector of nature treasures and in particular seashells search this blog facebook badge vicki lee galerie promote your page too copyright please do not pin my my images all images on this blog are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the artist s permission thank you all rights reserved vicki lee johnston 2011 2026 labels australia 7 australian botanical artist 14 australian native 4 banksia sessilis 1 botanical art 14 botanical art exhibition 12 botanical art worldwide 2 botanical artist 5 colour charts 1 diploma portfolio 3 eucalypt 3 eucalyptus macrocarpa 1 exhibiition 6 flora of australia 4 glasses for artists 1 graduation 1 gumnuts 1 iris 1 iris painting 1 kings park botanic gardens 1 leaf painting 1 leaves 1 mottlecah 1 nelumbo nucifera 1 organisation 1 parrot bush 1 pigments 1 pimelea physodes 1 prescription glasses 1 provence 1 qualup bell 1 quandong 2 rose 2 sacred lotus 1 santalum acuminatum 1 sba assignment 14 sba dldc 19 seeing 1 sketchbook studies 1 society of botanical artists 19 st remy 1 tabi 1 tips and tools 1 watercolor 3 watercolour 8 watercolour charts 7 watercolour iris 1 watercolour society of wa 2 west australian wil...