Botanical Art entries 2024

GOLD
AMELIA GRASS: Overlooked: Wildflowers in the restored meadows of Glyntaff

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Amelia is a senior lecturer in Natural History at the University of South Wales, specialising in the taxonomy of species and wildlife conservation. Through her work, she hopes to highlight the beauty and complexity of some of the common wildflowers observed during the restoration of the wildflower meadows on the Glyntaff campus at the University of South Wales (Prifysgol De Cymru).

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BRONZE
ANN SAWARD: Sarracenia – Trumpet Pitcher Plants of North America

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Following her retirement from being a professional potter, Ann realised a long-held ambition to take up botanical art. She is a keen gardener and totally captivated by Sarracenias. She finds them to be strange, complex but beautiful carnivorous plants. Ann loves the precision required for recording the details of a plant in botanical watercolour.

GOLD
ANNE HAYES: Banksia Serrata

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Anne has been a professional botanical illustrator for over 10 years. Her work has featured in a range of scientific, geographic and art magazines and books. She regularly exhibits and teaches workshops across Australia. Anne has a fascination with the Banksia plant, her work reveals this plant in all its intricate detail and wonderful forms.

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SILVER
ANNIE CHEN: Woody Plants in the Amazon Rainforest

RHS Medal History: Silver-gilt 2022.
After working as a business consultant and entrepreneur for more than 20 years, inspired by a trip to the Amazon Rainforest, Annie began to teach herself to illustrate the plants she saw there. She is passionate about the importance of rainforest conservation and the unique ecosystem of the Amazon in particular. Annie enjoys creating complex compositions.

GOLD
BETSY ROGERS-KNOX: Looking Over the Overlooked – The Forest Floor

RHS Medal History: Silver-gilt and Judges Special Award 2019, Silver-gilt 2016, Silver 2013.
Betsy earned a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from the NYBG and is enchanted by the full lifecycle of plants and their habitats. Her work has been shown in the US including the 13th-26th ASBA International Exhibitions and the 3rd -5th NYBG Triennial Exhibitions. Her work is held in permanent collections at the RHS Lindley Library in London and at the Hunt Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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BRONZE
CLAUDIA LANE: Celebrating the Spider Flower

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Botanical art came into Claudia’s life 12 years ago and took over. She studies constantly, taking advantage of online classes with artists she admires. Claudia teaches coloured pencil and pen & ink drawing as part of the certificate programme at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

GOLD
DALEEN ROODT: South African Orchids: Specialised Pollination Interactions

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Daleen is a self-taught botanical artist. Since starting with freelance scientific illustration in 2008, she has developed her botanical art career and now specialises in indigenous orchids of South Africa. She has a passion for painting outdoors and portraying in-situ scenes, bringing to paper her experience of the botanical pursuit, and the harmony presented by nature’s complex interactions.

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SILVER-GILT
GIACOMINA FERRILLO: Memento

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Giacomina graduated in Scenography, Art of Printing Techniques and Graphic Design. She holds a master’s degree in Illustration, published several children’s books and worked in fashion press. For many years Giacomina has been completely dedicated to botanical art, in love with the discipline itself and the continuous sense of amazement that it is capable of awakening.

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SILVER-GILT
HYOJUNG KIM: Endangered Wild Plants of Korean Endemic Species

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
After graduating with a master’s degree in Fine Art, Hyojung began her career as a product designer for Adidas in Seoul. Since 2014 she has been a professional botanical artist and teacher. Her work has been exhibited in a range of venues across the Republic of Korea, winning awards from The Botanical Artist Society of Korea and Minister of National Institute of Biological Resources Award.

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BRONZE
HYUN JUNG KIM: Roses of Islan Lake Park at Goyang City in Republic of Korea

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Hyun Jung gained a Ph.D. Cand. in counselling in the Republic of Korea, following which she moved to the USA. In 2007, she began art classes as a hobby. Following her return to Korea in 2013 Hyun Jung studied botanical art in Seoul Women’s University “Flora Academy”. Her botanical artwork has since been exhibited widely at international exhibitions, where she has won a number of prestigious awards.

GOLD
HYUNJIN CHO: Succulents Studied in Stippling

RHS Medal History: Silver 2022.
Hyunjin trained as a secondary school teacher in Seoul, where she taught art and design. Following a move to the USA she undertook the Filoli Botanical Art Certificate Course, in California. Her work has been exhibited across the world. Hyunjin has gained numerous awards including Highly Commended and The Artist’s Choice for The Margaret Flockton Award in 2022.

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SILVER
INGRID ARTHUR: A Shetland Garden

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Ingrid was born and grew up in the Shetland Isles. She studied Tapestry Weaving at Edinburgh College of Art, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons) and completing a Postgraduate Diploma the following year. Family life and work forced her art to take a back seat, but as the years passed Ingrid became more interested in botanical art. She completed the Diploma course at the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh in 2021 with a distinction.

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SILVER
LINDA PITKIN: Native British Woodland Wildflowers

RHS Medal History: Gold 2019
Linda’s lifelong passion for the living world has been explored through both art and science. She pursued a long career in insect taxonomy at the Natural History Museum, London, while also achieving success as an underwater wildlife photographer. Her interests extended to botany, and she took up botanical illustration in 2007, studying with local artist Leigh Ann Gale.

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GOLD
LYNNE UPTIN: The Genus Richea: A Relic of Gondwana

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Lynne developed an interest in botanical art as a student at the National Art School, Sydney, Australia. She practiced as a leading illustrator before founding two art galleries, a ceramic and a glass art studio. Lynne taught at the Tasmanian School of Art before taking a position at Arts Tasmania where she became its director, for almost 20 years. She received the Order of Australia Medal in 2010 for services to arts administration.

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GOLD
MARIA LOMBARDI: Tillandsia Daughters of the Wind

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Australian born and bred though of Italian descent, Maria lived in Sydney until graduating in Art Education. After a career teaching English in Rome, she moved to the Umbrian countryside where she was able to dedicate her time to botanical art. Having graduated from the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course with Distinction, she went on to be a co-founder of the Committee for Botanical Art in Italy.

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SILVER
MASAKO TORII: Flowers and Butterflies of Suginami, Tokoyo

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Born in Hokkaido, Masako is now based in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from the Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo, Masako delved into the world of botanical art in 2005 when she attended a workshop at Joshibi. Since then, capturing nature’s beauty with painting has been her passion and she currently studies under Ms. Miyazawa’s tutelage.

SILVER-GILT
RIKA TAKANOHASHI: The Life of the Japanese Thistle

RHS Medal History: Silver 2018.
Rika was born in Saitama, Japan. She gained a degree in physics and went on to work as a systems engineer in a software company. After marriage, she obtained a further degree in oil painting and exhibited abstract paintings, whilst also working as a porcelain painting instructor and accessories instructor. Rika has been studying botanical art with Masako Sasaki since 2013.

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GOLD
SANDUNMALI KULASEKARA: Medicinal Plants Native to the Desert

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Sandunmali is a Sri Lankan scientific, botanical and natural history illustrator, with a particular interest in the native plants of her country, particularly those with medicinal properties. She has always believed that it’s our responsibility to save the plants and beautiful nature which is on the verge of extinction. She trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, becoming a specialist in Orchidaceous plants.

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GOLD
SUNANDA VERMA WIDEL: Ornamental Bananas from Southeast Asia

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Sunanda’s passion for art began in childhood, continuing at school and university. She graduated with a degree in Printmaking, which was followed by a long period in art education at international schools worldwide. After her career in teaching, she decided to combine a love of plants and painting. Sunanda’s botanical art has been exhibited internationally.

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GOLD
TONI DADE: Magnolia grandiflora: From Bud to Desiccated Seedpod

RHS Medal History: Gold 2021.
Living and walking daily in a Portugal’s natural landscape, abundant with so many different trees and plants has inspired Toni’s botanical art. This series of work documents the stages of seasonal development of the flora she sees on a regular basis. Toni’s work has been exhibited consistently in the UK and Portugal since 2017.

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GOLD
YUKO SAITO: Three distinct Groups of Celosia Based on Their Flower Structure

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Yuko graduated with a degree in oil painting in 1982, but it wasn’t until much later that she began her journey into botanical art. In 2009 she won the Grand Prize at the Japan Gardening Society’s Botanical Art Exhibition. Yuko is a currently a botanical art instructor at several culture centres in Kanagawa Prefecture, as well as organising exhibitions.

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SILVER
YUMI OHARA: Cherry Blossom: Winter Bud ~ Seed

RHS Medal History: First time exhibitor.
Yumi started to paint botanical art in 2001 and went on to win the botanical art contest at the Minister of Education Award at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo in 2012. She has dedicated her practice to painting cherry blossoms.