One of the delights of the Beckler’s Botanical Bounty Project is going out into the field to find our plants. The habitat here, in the arid areas of outback New South Wales, always looks so desolate. Driving along in the car all you see are salt bushes, Sennas and sometimes the white bobbing heads of daisies.
As soon as you step a few metres away from the car you see a different world. Tucked away are little plants. Some are pretty like the blue wahlenbergias, some are stunning like the patches of Sturt Desert Pea. There can be swathes of purple swainsonia or poached egg daisies.
There are many that you wouldn’t look twice at, or think they may be weeds, only to find out that they are little treasures. Believe it or not, this little one, nestled in the takeaway coffee cup, is actually a daisy.
So looking takes time. We wander around, with our heads down, admiring, wondering and identifying.
Then we take samples so that we can identifying the plants correctly in the hall. (We have permission to collect, and we collect according to strict herbarium guidelines, including only taking 10% of the population in the local environ.)
Life was busy lately, organising the house and packing the van to get away to Menindee. Organising the house so that my friends could move in while we are away. But now I am up here. If you have followed my blog for awhile you will know that I am up here as part of the Beckler’s Botanical Bounty Project. I am part of a group of botanic artists who are collecting the plant specimens that were collected by Dr Hermann Beckler on the Burke and Wills Expedition of 1860. Our intention is to have paintings of each of specimens. We have been coming here for a few years now, so we are the pointy end of Beckler’s list. (If you would like to find out more, click on the Beckler’s Botanical Bounty category on the right hand bar. Normally I would give you the link, but it is a little hard to do at the moment.
Next time I will post some photos of us collecting in the field and working in the Civic Centre, but for now I will just give you some photos of the water. Menindee is in the arid outback region of New South Wales, near Broken Hill. Normally it is dry up here. Last year there were grave concerns about having any water in the Menindee Lakes system. However, the rain further up the Darling River is gradually making its way down, and now Lake Pamamaroo and Copi Hollow are well over half full. Lake Menindee will begin to fill soon. Recent rain in the area has added to the water, with big puddles and mud patches around. A most unusual sight!
Copi Hollow, over 60% full
Below is a photo of Lake Pamamaroo from last year, 2015. The plant I collected and painted was growing about 30 metres from the sandy shore if the lake.
With all my prattling here on the blog, I don’t think I have told you about my Tuesday mornings at the Herbarium.Today I just want to fill you in on the importance of herbaria; next time I will be a little more personal.
A herbarium is a scientific institution that houses dried specimens of plants collected in the field ~ not a place where herbs are grown! The following quotes are from the website of the National Herbarium of Victoria
A herbarium is a repository for dried plant specimens that underpin research on taxonomy, systematics and conservation. In many ways it is similar to a library, but the information is stored in biological form rather than in book form. The first herbarium was established in Kassel, Germany in 1569. Today there are herbaria in most major cities around the world.
The State Botanical Collection at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (MEL) comprises a collection of approximately 1.5 million dried plant, algae and fungi specimens from all around the world. The majority of the collection is Australian, with a particular emphasis on the flora of Victoria. MEL’s collection is rich in historical specimens and foreign-collected specimens: about half of the specimens were collected before 1900, and one third were collected overseas.
These specimens provide a permanent record of the occurrence of a plant species at a particular place and time and are an invaluable resource for scientists, land managers and historians. The State Botanical Collection also includes a library of botanical literature and artwork.
Collectively, the dried specimen collections and the library collections comprise a rich cultural and scientific resource in the State Botanical Collection and is a dynamic collection with new material continually accessioned, and access to the collection is assured by ongoing curation and databasing.
A cultural and scientific treasure! A potted history of the Herbarium is
The National Herbarium of Victoria at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is the oldest scientific institution in the state. It was founded by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1853 when he was appointed the first Government Botanist of Victoria. Mueller was an outstanding botanist and a prolific collector. He named and described more than 2,000 new species, and acquired over half of MEL’s existing collection.
The first Herbarium building was situated in Kings Domain near the Shrine of Remembrance. It was built in 1861 after Mueller repeatedly petitioned the government for space to house his collection of 45,000 specimens. The new building had room for 160,000 specimens, but was filled within a year of its construction.
The Domain building was used until 1934 when it was demolished. The collection was transferred into the current building within Melbourne Gardens, which was a gift to the state from Sir Macpherson Robertson to mark the centenary of Melbourne. An extension was added in 1989 to house the ever-growing collection.
And so ….
Among the Australian collection are plants collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander at Botany Bay in 1770. Other historical riches include over 2,000 specimens collected by Robert Brown during Flinders’ circumnavigation of Australia (1801–1805), and several hundred specimens collected on Burke and Wills’ expedition. Important twentieth-century acquisitions include the herbaria of Raleigh Black, Cliff Beauglehole and Ilma Stone, and a collection of wood-rot fungi from CSIRO.
The bust of von Mueller in the Royal Botanic Gardens
(Von Mueller is one of my scientific heroes. However, like all of us, he did make some booboos. Apparently as he walked the bush he spread blackberry seeds!)
This short video shows how the specimens are processed, and also touches on some of the ways the Herbarium makes the information from the specimens available for wide use.
Plants are collected in the field, pressed and labeled on site. Detailed information about location, habit, habitat, soil type and so on is also collected, and accompanies the specimen to the herbarium. I know this because part of our work with the Beckler’s Botanical Bounty Project is collecting the plants we are painting. The specimens have to be collected to the high standards set by the National Herbarium of Victoria. We were delighted to hear that all of our specimens have been accepted into the Herbarium.
The pressed specimen for the National Herbarium of Victoria. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
A plant press
Tying up the press in the field
The vouchers where we record information
Here are some links to other aspects of the Herbarium and research, if you are interested in finding out more.
Australia’s Virtual Herbarium is a fascinating site that allows you to search for specific plants, including being able to find the plants collected on different historical expeditions.
I am so excited! On Thursday we confirmed that our exhibition for Beckler’s Botanical Bounty is going to be held in February, 2018, at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
The magnificent foyer of the Art Gallery of Ballarat (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2016)
Typical of the Outback habitats we explore for our plants. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
For 6 years we have headed up to Menindee, an hour out of Broken Hill, Outback New South Wales. An exhibition has always been a priority for us and Ballarat was always at the top of our wish list. It is a wonderful, innovative gallery, with a strong interest in botanic and natural history art. Last year we finalised our exhibition proposal and sent it off to the Curator at Ballarat. And that’s where we have ended up!!
I must admit, as I was standing in the room our exhibition will be in, I thought “What have we done? Can we actually pull this off?” And then I thought “Of course we can, because we have a whole swag of supportive and knowledgeable people behind us!”
It seems like a long time away, but we have lots to do. I will certainly keep you informed. For now my first task is to get my painting finished!
Cullen cinereum, close up of an area, to show the stalks going in front and behind the leaves.
My work space in the Civic Hall (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
Don’t we just love to see how creative projects are progressing? I have been following the progress Kate’s Cloth of Heaven, a beautiful quilt she is making as a special present. So, I thought you might like to follow the progress of my painting of Cullen cinereum.
Often I draw feathers, which I sell in my Etsy shop. I am also working on other, looser watercolour paintings. However my C. cinereum painting is a larger, more precise botanic art painting that I am painting for a special project.
I am one of a group of botanic artists who go to Menindee each year to collect plants that were first collected in the area by Dr Hermann Beckler, a member of the Burke and Wills Expedition of 1860. Our aim is to collect all 120 of his specimens and then do a painting of each of them. You can find out more about the Beckler’s Botanical Bounty Project on our website.
This October was the fifth time the Fella and I had journeyed up there. I was looking specifically for this plant, C. cinereum. Beckler collected four plants in the Cullen genus. I have collected and painted the other three, now it was time to search for this one. Below are my paintings of the first three.
Cullen palladium (Image copyright: Anne Lawson)
Cullen discolor (Image copyright: Anne Lawson)
Cullen australasicum (Image copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
I found it easily enough, on the dry bed of Lake Pamamaroo. So I collected my specimens [and yes, we have permits to do this] and set up my work space back in Menindee’s Civic Hall.
Cullen cinereum growing (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
My work space in the Civic Hall (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
The dry bed of Lake Pamamaroo (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
The first stage of painting is not any art work at all, but a lot of research. Accurate identification of the plant is crucial and that means working through the species key provided in reference books ~ what makes this plant Cullen cinereum and not C. discolor or one of the other species? What are the features of the genus? As well there are structural things to look at ~ how does the leaf join to the stem; are all the leaflets the same size? What is it’s habit and what identifying features do I need to include in the drawing?
Some artists move on to doing microscopic work and produce delightful drawings of the tiny parts of a plant. Unfortunately I am not very good at doing this. I do enlarged drawings of different sections, such as leaf joints and flower buds. Such drawings help me understand the plant and are a great reference.
Once I have a good understanding of the specimen before me, I begin a measured line drawing. Botanic art is done at size. Any enlargement, such as microscopic work, is indicated, for example x2, x10 and so on. Tracing paper is great for line drawings as you can rub out as often as you like and not destroy the paper.
The line drawing on tracing paper (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
Line drawing on tracing paper
Tonal drawing on tracing paper
This time I also managed to get a tonal drawing done. I laid another piece of tracing paper over the line drawing and shaded in the darker areas I could see on the specimen. Aside from colour matching, that’s all I have time to do up in Menindee. [You may remember the story of the little ladybird that hatched on the plant as I was drawing it.]
So, back home and it was time to transfer the line drawing to the good sheet of paper. I am using Fabriano watercolour paper, 300gsm. At this stage I had to consider the composition of the painting. I am fortunate that the specimen I used had a very nice shape to it. You can see the nice flow in the line drawing. It has a gentle curve that nestles into the corner of the paper and then the strong diagonal across the page. As well this composition shows the identifying feature of the habit ~ that it grows along the ground a little way and then becomes more upright.
To trace it I went over the drawing on the back of the tracing paper with pencil. After placing the tracing on the good paper I went over the whole drawing again to transfer the pencil on the back to the paper. Your really get to know the drawing well when you do it this way!
The drawing traced onto the good paper with some of the washes on the leaves
The next step begins, laying down washes on the leaves, and the tonal drawing comes into its own. I have lots of photos, but they don’t guide me at this early stage. It would be too easy to get carried away and not leave the lighter sections.
First washes on the leaves
This is where I am up to. Most of the leaves have their first wash. I have begun to add in some of the stems and flower stalks as I need to know whether they go in front or behind the leaves.
Close up of an area, to show the stalks going in front and behind the leaves.
Even though I have travelled up to Menindee for five years now I am always surprised by the diversity in the environment.
Menindee/Broken Hill Road (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2011)
Silver City Hwy, (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
As I have said a few times, you look out the car window and see a flat, dry, uninteresting landscape. Is it an arid area? I guess so, although Philip Moore says in the introduction to his invaluable book A guide to plants of Inland Australia
…arid and dry not only mean parched but have connotations of uninteresting, dull, barren, unproductive and lacking spiritual or creative life. Those are not the feelings engendered in most Australians who, according to surveys, describe our natural and wilderness areas as happy, friendly, sacred, huge, roadless, pure, remote, alive, exciting, unique, wild, challenging, inspiring, valuable, restful, free and unspoilt. [p12]
Wow, that is some list of positives. He goes on to say
While we acknowledge that these are perhaps rose-tinted views from the workplace and the city gridlock, they nevertheless do reflect our regard for that large inland portion of sparsely inhabited and starkly beautiful country we affectionately call the outback.
That notion of the Outback is a curious one too. Something I read, and I think it was in Alex Miller’s Autumn Laing, made me stop and think. When a character, who lived in remote Queensland was asked where the Outback was, he said that it was further out. Many would consider his station in the Outback, but for him it was home and the Outback was further on.
I understand that. Before I went to Broken Hill and Menindee the Outback was much of inland Australia. Having explored the fringes of the Inland, including the Flinders Ranges, I tend to think of the Outback as the land further over, over the distant horizon. It’s the area that is unfamiliar, undiscovered and unexplored by me. The Outback has become a concept rather than an actual place. What do you think? And I wonder what those who live in these remote places think.
Menindee/Ivanhoe Road (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
Around Menindee (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
Along the pipeline, between Menindee and Copi Hollow (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
The Old Homestead area, Kinchega National Park (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
The Old Homestead area, Kinchega National Park (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
However it is far from being a dry, barren environment. You only have to walk a little way into the landscape to see the diversity.
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
Every plant is doing what it can to survive and reproduce. You see the plants that flourish when the season is right for them, the plants that creep or climb on others, that put on a marvellous show like the poached egg daisy. You see the ones that shelter in the shade of the bigger plants or thrive out in the open. You notice that not every bush is a saltbush and that even the saltbushes have beauty and difference.
This is just a small gallery of species that grow there.
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
Then there are the animals — fortunately no snake photos! There are many species of birds that live along the banks of the Darling River. They move so quickly that often you only catch a flash of colour, so unfortunately photos are very difficult.
Kookaburra (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
Emu (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
Swallow fledglings (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
Stumpy tail lizard (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2011)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2014)
Look how well camouflaged this magnificent fellow is, as he strolls through Kinchega National Park.
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
(Photo copyright: Anne Lawson 2015)
And speaking of camouflage, can you see the animals in the photo?
The first step was to find the plants on Beckler’s original list. (Please remember that we collect plants with permits. It is illegal to remove plants without it. We also collect according to strict herbarium guidelines, which say that only 10% of a plant population may be collected.)
Out in the field (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Then the plant needed to be identified. We are so lucky to have Andrew, a botanist who is very familiar with the plants in Kinchega National Park. Without him we would still be floundering around!
We use a written key to help identification and often a microscopic is necessary. To give you an example for my plant one of the distinguishing features was that the pod protruded a specific number of millimetres from the calyx (the green sheath that surrounds the flower). This was much easier to measure under the microscope.
Identifying plants (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
This year I was looking for the fourth species in a genus. I have found and painted the other three, but this one Cullen cinereum had been elusive. But, oh happy days, this year there was a good size colony growing out on the dry bed of Lake Pamamaroo.
The dried bed of Lake Pamamaroo (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Cullen cinereum growing in Lake Pamamaroo (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Cullen cinereum growing in Lake Pamamaroo (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Fortunately there were lots of plants and I was able to collect my 10%. We collect four specimens which we press. One goes to the National Herbarium of Victoria, because that is where Becker’s original collection is held. One goes to the NSW Herbarium, because we are collecting in NSW. The third is for our project’s reference collection and the fourth is the plant we actually draw.
Cullen cinereum growing quite happily in a take away coffee cup! (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
The pressed specimen for the National Herbarium of Victoria. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Close up of C. cinereum (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
Close up of C. cinereum (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
The next step in the process varies from artist to artist. Many of the others do beautiful microscopic drawings, dissections showing male and female parts, cross-sections of seed capsules and so on. I find that very hard to do, so have to find other ways to tell the plant’s story.
I did a detailed drawing of the C. cinereum on tracing paper. Tracing paper is smoother than paper and the surface doesn’t mark when I rub out. It also allows me to transfer the drawing to the good paper more easily. Then I do a tonal drawing on another piece of tracing paper, over the top of the line drawing. This gives me a good reference when I get home. No matter how good the photos are, they are never quite the same as what you see. I don’t have any close ups of those drawings but I can show them to you when I get home.
My desk, showing the line drawing on tracing paper (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2015)
The last step for me was to do the colour charts. Then it was Friday, the last day in the Hall; it was time to press my plant and clean up, hoping that I have enough reference material to work on at home!
I have just come back to Menindee after spending a few days in Mutawintji National Park. It is a couple of hours north east of Broken Hill.
Have you ever seen the movie “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”? It was filmed in Broken Hill. So if you have seen it you can visualise the landscape we were travelling through. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do, as it is a fabulous film!
We were following in the footsteps of Burke and Wills. Our guide was Garry, a member of the Burke and Wills Society who had been this way a few years ago. He was so knowledgeable about the area, even arranging for us to go onto private land to see where some of the paintings from the expedition were painted.
I have mentioned that I am up here, with other botanic artists to paint the plants collected by Hermann Beckler on the Expedition. The naturalist and artist on the Expedition was Ludwig Becker (similar name, but without the ‘l’). He was a very talented artist, producing some gems on the journey. Unfortunately he was one of the men who died during the trip.
The photo shows a copy of Becker’s landscape with the original view. It gives a good idea of the terrain. Difficult enough to travel through in a car — imagine how much more difficult on foot leading camels and horses.
Beckler also produced sketches on the journey, although not as good as Becker’s. I can just see them both sitting on the banks of the Darling River sketching and painting this scene. The first photo is Becker’s watercolour and the second Beckler’s sketch.
They headed to Mutawintji because they knew that it was a permanent water source. ‘Permanent water source’ in that environment often simply means a pool of water. There was certainly no flowing water in either the Homestead Creek or the Mutawintji Gorge when we camped there, although there were a couple of waterholes in the latter.
The National Park is the tribal area of the Malyankapa and Paadjikali People and there are many examples of their rock art. People have been gathering at this oasis for thousands of years for celebrations and ceremonies. The gatherings still go on today. In September 1998 the Mutawintji National Park was handed back to its traditional owners.
After the peace and isolation of Mutawintji I have come back to the Big Smoke of Menindee– and to the lovely hot showers in the caravan park!
(Hope this post works okay — it is difficult to preview. Fingers crossed!)
I am creating a flurry of activity, getting ready for our annual trip up to Menindee.
I am part of a group of botanic artists who go to Menindee each year, and I drag the Fella along as support crew. Menindee is a little town an hour out of Broken Hill, in the Outback of New South Wales. It was there that the Burke and Wills Expedition stopped for a while. It is also where Hermann Beckler, the doctor on the Expedition, collected plants. Although German, he was fascinated by Australian plants, and collected 120 different species in the area. These preserved plant specimens are now in the National Herbarium Melbourne.
The Beckler’s Botanical Bounty Project is about finding the same species in the area, and then creating a watercolour painting of them. This September will be the fifth year that we have been going up there. We are also organising an exhibition of the paintings and the project.
There is lots more information about the Project and the Burke and Wills Expedition on our website. Or you might like to look at my category Beckler’s Botanical Bounty, which shows my earlier posts about my involvement in the Project.
The Tourist Information Centre (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2013)Post Office (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2013)Heads down, finding lovely plant treasuresCarved poles (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2013)
The Fella and I are packing up the van. It suits us to take a lot of food with us. So I have been cooking and freezing meals, as well as packing the perishables. We have checked the things we keep in the van, like crockery and cutlery and pots and all that other stuff. Naturally I have lists and more lists to make sure we have everything and get everything done. The Fella is ‘belts and braces’ man, so we have more than we could possibly need!
Today I am checking the most important things ~ my art supplies. When I went to Flinders Island earlier in the year I was hampered by a small luggage allowance and I wasn’t sure what I would be doing there. This trip I have the van and the car to fill up with things! Also I know what I will be doing and what I will need, and not need.
My work table in the Civic Hall in Menindee (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2014)
Hard at work in the Hall (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2014)
Work spaces. (Photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2014)
So there is organising the things we need to take. As well there is sorting out things at home. I have to leave things tidy for my nephew who is house sitting, and it would be good to get him a little bit of wardrobe space! You know the usual “I’m going away for a little while” things ~ organising bills and catching up with friends and and finalising other projects and so on.
Another on my “need to make sure I do before I go”list was to organise my paintings for an exhibition. The drop off date was when I was away, so I am asking a friend to take them for me. That meant making sure I had them from the framer, checking the paper work, getting them to her. I will leave you with photos of the paintings. I decided that these frilly oyster shells needed a more ornate frame that usual, and I think I was right.
Cullen pallidum (image and photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2014)
“Botanic artists make science visible.” That’s not just a quote from my friend and tutor, Mali Moir, but also a tenant of her art work. Drop over to her website to see the beautiful work that she does.
Last week was National Science Weekend I thought I would draw out the connection between botanic art and science a little more.
As a genre botanic art is more than flower paintings or still life. The main goal of a painting is scientific accuracy so that the plant can be recognised and distinguished from other species. However, it is an art form and should be as visually pleasing as possible. The elements of all good paintings, especially composition, very important. I like the way that it is expressed on the Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s website
Many great artists, from the seventeenth-century Dutch masters to the French Impressionists, such as Monet and Renoir, to modernists like Georgia O’Keeffe, portrayed flowers; but since their goal was aesthetic, accuracy was not always necessary or intended. In the hands of a talented botanical artist, however, the illustration goes beyond its scientific requirements.
The Golden Age of botanic art was at the time of the great explorations, when the world was being opened up. Voyages usually included naturalists and artists, who had the responsibility to collect and record the flora and fauna that were seen in these new lands. There was always the search for the next big thing, like tea, and spices. It was this search that drove many expeditions. After the expedition collected plant specimens were eventually housed in herbaria, only available to a few. The paintings of plants could be printed into books which were more accessible.
Not co-incidentally it was the time of many important developments in science. Linnaeus had revolutionised the botanic and zoological worlds by creating a classification system that worked at all levels. It allowed the newly discovered plants and animals to be systematically collected and recorded.
The botanists and artists were an important part of the voyages that were being made. There have been many fine botanic artists over the centuries, but I will show you two.
Sydney Parkinson accompanied Joseph Banks on Cook’s voyage in the Endeavour in 1770. Parkinson died of dysentery on the journey, but back in England his illustrations were used to create Bank’s Florilegium. He was also the first European to create images of Australian Aborigines. Unfortunately there was a lengthy dispute between Banks and Parkinson’s brother on the return to London.
When the Endeavour returned to England in 1772, a dispute arose between Joseph Banks and Sydney’s brother, Stanfield Parkinson. As his employer, Banks claimed rights to Sydney’s drawings, papers and collections made on the voyage. Stanfield claimed that Sydney had willed them to his family. Banks lent the Parkinson family Sydney’s journal and drawings with instructions that they were not to be published, however Stanfield disregarded this and arranged for A Journal of a voyage to the South Seas to be printed from Sydney’s account of the voyage. Banks managed to suppress Stanfield’s publication until the official account of the voyage, edited by John Hawkesworth, appeared. In return for Parkinson’s papers, Banks paid Stanfield Parkinson 500 pounds for balance of wages due to Sydney, but the dispute did not end there. Stanfield further accused Banks of retaining items collected by Sydney which were intended for his relatives. Stanfield Parkinson was declared insane soon after the publication of Sydney Parkinson’s Journal and died in an asylum. [From the NSW State Library]
By Sydney Parkinson and John Frederick Miller [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsThe accurate detail from Parkinson’s painting of Banksia ericifolia allows the plant to be distinguished from other Banksia species.
The second botanic artist is Ferdinand Bauer. He was the artist on Matthew Flinders’ expedition of 1801 in the Investigator, to survey the coast of New Holland. Bauer worked with the naturalist Robert Brown. Flinders had orders to allow them time on land to do their work and they were given a specially constructed room on the ship to house their specimens. Unfortunately the ship was leaky and damp.
Bauer wan’t able to complete his paintings on board because of the mould and damp. He created intricate colour charts that helped him to work on the paintings back in England. He stayed in Australia for a couple of years after the voyage, bringing home over 2,000 drawings.
By Ferdinand Bauer (1760–1826) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsLook at the amazing detail that Bauer has achieved in his Banksia coccinea.
Naturally botanic art has changed over time. Perhaps the Art has become more prominent than the Science. But there are still many artists who do the detailed dissections and microscopic work. It is not something that I am very good at but I love to marvel at the work of those who can. Even without the microscopic detail the art work aims to have the identifying features of the plant. Jump over to the website of the Botanic Art Society of Australia to see some beautiful modern botanic art, such as Helina Steele’s stunning eucalypts.
And so to the question of photography. I’m sure you have been wondering why do we still need to identify plants from paintings when photography is so good these days. There are some artists, like Niki Simpson, who use digital photos to create works of art.
It is true that many identifications would be done through photographs, although examination of the real thing would be best of all. Art has a few advantages. Again, let me quote from the Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Although photography and perhaps particularly microscopic photography, may help inform botanical work, there is certainly still a need for botanical illustration because it can represent clearly what may not easily be seen in a photograph. Outline drawings for example, distinguish elements that cannot easily be made out using reflected light alone. Also, the composition of the image can be manipulated more fully in illustration, and features displayed together which may not easily be shown simultaneously in nature.
While much of my work that I have been showing you lately isn’t true botanic art. So I will leave you with one of mine. It is a plant I have painted as part of a project, Beckler’s Botanical Bounty, a project that has a strong scientific component.
Cullen pallidum (image and photo copyright: Anne Lawson, 2014)
Anne Lawson Art 