Blog

A change is as good as a rest they say. Recently I needed to take a short break from the botanical art and blogging, and take time out to catch up with my life.

Change is good. It gives you a chance to re-evaluate
your work and to plan the way forward. Some plans need careful nurture, whilst others delight you by appearing unexpectedly. Right in the midst of my paperwork, my butterflies finally emerged! Despite having studied the caterpillars closely and knowing all about their transformation, I was still so surprised to see them! What a miracle! 

These ugly black caterpillars have magically transformed into the most beautiful creatures. I took them down to the riverbank where the nettles grow in abundance, and set them free. What joy!

The Pollinator Plan will be officially launched next month and I’m excited about that too. It’s a national plan to tackle the growing decline in pollinators, and to “make Ireland a place where pollinators survive and thrive”.  

When I attended the Pollinator Symposium at the National Biodiversity Data Centre in February, I came away bursting with enthusiasm and pride, having listened to experts from every field (science, agriculture, horticulture, government, bee keeping) talk passionately and knowledgeably about what the problems are and how to address them. 

Positive thoughts lead to positive changes. 

You can read the draft plan here http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/projects/irish-pollinator-initiative/all-ireland-pollinator-plan/

Change can also lead to new opportunities. Next month I am heading down to the beautiful Bantry Bay in Cork to give a botanical art demo at Bantry House. It’s to commemorate the bicentenary of Ellen Hutchins, Ireland’s first female botanist and extraordinary woman. A gifted artist, she produced wonderful detailed illustrations of the plants that she found, and made many new and exciting discoveries. She was especially known for her work on seaweeds. It’s an honour to be asked to take part in the activities. If you are in the area, come along! You can read more about it here- http://www.ellenhutchins.com/events-ellen-hutchins-festival/

Yesterday I attended a meeting for the new Irish Society of Botanical Artists project. As always, it’s wonderful to visit the Botanic gardens and to catch up with old friends. The ISBA’s last project, ‘Aibitir, The Irish Alphabet in Botanical Art’was a huge success, travelling widely to much acclaim. It’s currently being exhibited at Waterford Cathedral. 

This time the ISBA are collaborating with the Irish Garden Plant Society to produce a book of botanical portraits of new Irish Garden Plants. I’m sure the book will be stunning. There are over 60 artists involved. There will also be a three week exhibition in the Botanic Gardens next year. My plant is a snowdrop, a plant that I have always wanted to paint. White flowers are always a challenge, so I look forward to Spring!

My visit to the Botanic Gardens also gave me a chance to check out their beautiful Agapanthus flowers. Big, blue and ever so slightly daunting, the Agapanthus flower is next on my studio list. Having never painted such a tall plant, I found myself with the dilemma of how to set it up so that I could see the flower properly! So the biggest change this week has been in my studio. Everything came out (so much dust!) and my architect’s table was installed in it’s new position. Suddenly I have so much room! I can’t wait to get started now!