Category: Original Artwork

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The Iceni Botanical Artists (IBA) Fullers Mill Garden Exhibition is now up and running – Bury Guildhall, Bury St Edmunds

Another wonderful report from Doreen Taylor, IBA Member (and see Exhibition itinerary and a few photographs below:)

Preview of Iceni Botanical Artists Annual Exhibition at The Guildhall Bury St Edmunds “Fullers Mill Garden – A Jewel in the Forest”

After more than two years of dedicated and fascinating study, Iceni Botanical Artists were proud to present a very special exhibition—a celebration of all the beauty and calm of Fullers Mill Garden.

Three years ago Iceni were invited by Fullers Mill to record the flora and fauna of Bernard Tickner’s beautiful garden and we have been working on this unique project ever since. Twenty five artists, each with their own individual style, were given complete freedom to choose whichever plants they would like to paint from a list compiled by Fullers Mill.

Just like the garden itself the completed collection of artworks is a kaleidoscope of colourful plants and wildlife which have come together in one delightful and satisfying exhibition. In addition, most of these paintings have been made into a very beautiful and well designed book, with an interesting text written by Rod Leeds, a great friend of Bernard Tickner and his garden and additional script by Tina Bone (editor).

Our President, Isobel Bartholomew, opened the exhibition, explaining how the whole project came into being and invited Rod Leeds to present the first of three awards.

First, our prestigious Val Hesmondhalgh Trophy (a beautiful glass vase) for Botanical excellence was awarded to Isobel herself (and richly deserved) for her painting of the “Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense” (Giant Himalayan Lily). Rod commented that this life-size study in watercolour and graphite was a work of outstanding botanical accuracy showing every detail of the plant’s structure and life cycle.

Rod also mentioned the painting of Broussonetia papyrifera Laciniata (Paper Bark Mulberry), painted by Georgie Kuna saying that the overall composition was unusual and remarkable but also that Georgie’s depiction of this very complicated plant ran a very close second to Isobel’s work. He was most impressed with all the artwork in the exhibition and congratulated IBA artists on their wonderful achievement.

Then Isobel gave a very special award of a bouquet of flowers to our Chair, Tina Bone, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Iceni Botanical Artists. This was not only for all her hard work since taking the helm but above all for her highly professional work as project manager of our study of Fullers Mill garden and the creation of our beautiful accompanying book.

The third award, ‘The People’s Choice’ is in the hands of our visitors who have the opportunity to vote for their favourite painting. It is always exciting to see who will win.

So our project is complete and we can all now enjoy welcoming visitors to the exhibition, hoping it gives them as much pleasure as it has given IBA artists to study and paint all these wonderful plants. And above all it may inspire everyone to visit Fullers Mill garden and make it their own very special place.

Doreen Taylor, Saturday 28th June 2025

Cardiocrinum yunnanense (Giant Himalayan Lily) by Isobel Bartholomew which won IBA’s Botanical Excellence Award – the Val Hesmondhalgh Vase (chosen by Rod Leeds).
Broussonetia papyrifera (Paperbark Mulberry) by Georgie Kuna – a very close runner-up to Isobel’s painting.
Tina Bone’s stand showing a few draft versions of IBA’s new book about Fullers Mill Garden, as well as one of her own River Friend Series of published books all about rivers: “Drying Up”, with 5 versions of text and various illustrations used in her book.
Jan enjoying a coffee after a hard day’s toil on the exhibition floor!
Francesca and Louis ready to “pour” for the visitors.
Rosemary and Alison at the helm – in charge of the money, book and catalogue sales.
“Rob’s Corner” dedicated to our dearly departed member, Rob Dyke, who passed away in March 2025 after having completed 20 artworks for the Fullers Mill Project. Rob’s family were in attendance and had very kindly given permission for his paintings to be on display and for sale at this exhibition.
There are over 500 cards on sale as well as just 25 limited edition copies of IBA 2026 calendar commemorating this exhibition and project.
The fabulous Banqueting Hall showing half the collection of artworks during a lull in visitors!
Just a few of the fabulous paintings on show in the Court Room, where during the exhibition, the one-day workshops and demonstrations will also be taking place beneath the “Judge’s” seat.
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Only two days until Iceni Botanical Artists’ wonderful Book Launch at Fullers Mill Garden Friday 6th June 2025

IBA’s second publication, “Fullers Mill Garden A Jewel in the Forest”, will be available to purchase after 6th June 2025 in the Garden shop. See some of the beautiful paintings which have been done specially for the book below

IBA’s 2025 selling Exhibition at Bury Guildhall follows the book launch and showcases all the paintings done for the project. The new book will also be on sale here. The exhibition begins on Saturday 27th June and ends on Saturday 12th July 2025 (Open every day from 10.00am till 4.00pm). We also have a fabulous (posh) printed catalogue available as a visitor memento for £10.

The books have arrived and are all sitting patiently in their boxes under my staircase waiting to be distributed and sold. I noticed the desk on which I had piled them was sagging in the middle, so had to take most of the boxes off!!!! Fortunately, it did regain its shape:

Here are some of the stunning artworks published in the book and which will be for sale at the Bury Guildhall Exhibition from 28th June to 12th July:

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Iceni Botanical Artists 2025 Annual Exhibition of Fullers Mill Garden Saturday 28th June to Saturday 12th July 2025 – Bury Guildhall IP33 1PR

Along with 165 beautiful paintings of the flora and fauna in Fullers Mill Garden, IBA have a new book coming out on 6th June 2025.
The paintings and new book will be for sale at IBA’s Annual Art Exhibition at the Bury Guildhall, Guildhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1PR.

Exhibition Programme
28th June to 12th July 2025

Opening and Preview day Saturday 28th June 2025
ALL WELCOME. Exhibition opens from 10.00am to 4.00pm
Join us for drinks from 11.00am
Award of the Val Hesmondhalgh Trophy for Botanical Excellence
Prize for the favourite painting of the Special Guest
Vote for your favourite original painting

The Exhibition is open 10.00am to 4.00pm every day
except final day, 12 July, open from 10.00am to 2.00pm.

WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS BY IBA MEMBERS

Tuesday 1st July: Water Colour Workshop 11am to 4pm fee £40.00—“WHAT WATER COLOUR PAINT CAN DO FOR YOU” Rosemary Dodgson. Click for further information and to Purchase your Ticket

Friday 4th July: Coloured Pencil Workshop 11am to 4pm fee £40.00—“NATURAL FINDS IN INK AND COLOURED PENCIL” Vicky Hallam. Click for further information and to Purchase your Ticket

Saturday 5th July: Coloured Pencil and Ink Workshop 11am to 4pm Fee £40.00—“BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION IN GRAPHITE AND COLOURED PENCIL” Vicky Hallam. Click for further information and to Purchase your Ticket

Monday 7th July: Demonstration 11am to 1.30pm—“MEET THE ARTIST” Jan Toomer.

Wednesday 9th July: Demonstration 12 noon to 4pm—“FANTASY HARES AND SLEEPING WARRIORS” Sandra Pond.

Friday 11th July: coloured pencil workshop 11am to 4pm— “Painting in Coloured Pencil Using Solvents to Blend” Matthew Peace. Click for further information and to Purchase your Ticket

Exhibition duration: Non-selling exhibit—“THE BOOK PRODUCTION PROCESS”, and “LOOK TO PUT SOME PIECES IN THE FULLERS MILL JIGSAW PUZZLE” Tina Bone.

Below are some artworks in the exhibition and details of the book

IBA’s new book: “Fullers Mill Garden—A Jewel in the Forest” is a 200-page volume with over 160 illustrations. Hardback, 8″ x 11.5″, thread-sewn with ribbon marker retails at £36.99. The artwork of this project, and shown at this exhibition, showcases the flora and fauna of Fullers Mill Garden (West Stow, Suffolk). It is intended for anyone interested in gardens, flowers, and nature, and has been written and designed to appeal to a wide range of public—from watercolourists to home gardeners and horticulturists, to local historians, and those interested in botanical art. And of course those who just love the tranquil Fullers Mill Garden itself. Note the Epigraph to the book:

A truly magical and very special garden in a most inspiring setting, every corner of which reflects the passion and dedication of those who work to maintain and develop it. Fullers Mill Garden is a place to find peace and tranquillity amongst an array of interesting and beautiful plants at any time of the year; its atmosphere is truly unique. Simply a gardener’s paradise!”

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1201: Tayabak with Critters (Jade Vine) Jigsaw Puzzle progress

Having completed the “Puffins and Thrift” Jigsaw puzzle my very-good-at-puzzles friend has kindly agreed to work on the Tayabak with Critters (PICTURE PROFILE) one, which totally defeated me – and I painted the picture!

Here is the progress so far (whole picture below the puzzle progress pictures).

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“Bringing the Gardens Indoors” Artist Code numbers 2311 and 2312

This was an unusual commission to paint two wall panels on canvas to then cut and fit between wall beams in a lovely listed cottage. Way out of my comfort zone, it took four times as long to complete as I had envisaged. But a wonderful experience nevertheless. Both panels measure nearly 50″ tall and 16″ at the widest part.

The Story behind painting Panel 1 “Bring the Garden Indoors” can be viewed here

Similarly, Panel 2’s progress “Bring the Wild Garden Indoors” can be viewed here

Here are a few photographs of the two panels’ installation, which in itself was a steep learning curve for me as I had to make paper templates by pressing old lining wallpaper into the shape between the wooden wall beams, then transfer these shapes to my specially purchased canvas which was silky and smooth and took 6 weeks to be delivered! Then I had to research the best glue for the job and learned all about fish glue and its archival properties. It is water based so that the artworks can easily be removed from the wall if needs be, and it worked a treat. The wall surface was extremely pitted and uneven, which meant that some areas of canvas had to be left unstuck in order not to stretch and damage the canvas and painting. I do not think I shall ever be easy about using acrylic paints. I never enjoy painting with acrylic nor do I much like the results—it will definitely NEVER be my preferred medium. The most nerve-wracking time was cutting the canvas to shape. Fortunately both times it went well and both are now nicely stuck to the wall (I hope for many years!).

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2311-12 Wall Panels: Bringing in the Flowers of the Garden

Started a new commission over the weekend. Two wall panels both 48″ tall but varying widths, bringing the flowers of the garden into the dining room. Paintings in acrylic on canvas.

Panel 1: Preliminary sketch for layout plan and flowers to include in the design. Centre right is the panel shape which will be pasted between two wooden beams to the wall using fish glue.

Panel 1: Design sketch transferred to 48” canvas. Hollyhock is the centre piece surrounded left by various clematis varieties and right by roses, love-in-a-mist and harebells. Bottom sweet peas, dog daisies and honesty seeds.

Panel 1: Painting started: top right hand corner as I am left-handed. Climbing dog rose – preliminary leaves.

Panel 1: Climbing dog rose – second coat leaves.

Panel 1: Climbing dog rose – Roses started.

The day light has been awful since I started this painting, and does not allow much time each day. Very frustrating. And I am out of sorts trying to paint standing up!

Roses completed.

On to Hollyhock buds! But the light has beaten me yet again today. I really must get used to painting by artificial light, but so far I have had much trouble actually seeing my work even under “day” lights!

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People’s Favourite Painting at Autumn RAS Exhibition 2023

Site logo imageROYSTON ARTS SOCIETY

Exhibition success & half-price membership offer

Royston Arts Society held its Annual Autumn Exhibition in Royston Town Hall over the weekend of 29th September to 1st October as part of the Royston Arts Festival. From all points of view, the event was the most successful in a decade. We displayed a total of 330 paintings and 515 greeting cards created by 65 artists. Sales amounted to almost £4000 and two thirds of the exhibiting artists sold something.

  

The exhibition was very well received by the visitors and the favourite picture award was won by Tina Bone for her painting entitled “Blue and Gold Macaws and Swamp Hibiscus” (see picture).

Members of Royston Arts Society can enter paintings into both the Autumn exhibition and the Online Members’ exhibition plus the ongoing exhibition in Royston Library.

They can also attend painting sessions twice per month and an art demonstration given by a professional artist most months.

At the moment, new members can join RAS for half price; £12.00 for adults and £7.00. This membership will run until 31st March 2024 giving new members ample time to sample the art demonstrations and painting sessions; also to exhibit some work in Royston Library.

For joining details click HERE

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1501 Macaws voted People’s Favourite 1st October 2023!

Thank you so much to all those lovely people who voted for my Parrot painting as their favourite in show at Royston Arts Society Annual Exhibition in the Town Hall at Royston this last weekend. Wonderful – I am on “Cloud 9”!

…UPDATE 1st October 2023: This painting was hung in Royston Town Hall as part of the Royston Arts Festival and Royston Arts Society Annual Art Exhibition. It was voted the Favourite Painting – lovely!

Also available as a 1,000 piece traditional jigsaw puzzle (part picture – see below). If interested, please message me.

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This painting first came to life in February 2015. I hoped to finish it by the first weekend in July 2015 so that it could be displayed at my Cambridge Open Studios (COS) Exhibition when my studio was open all four weekends in July. However, it was displayed sparsely-done at COS because several commissions and other artwork for exhibitions meant that it had to be put on the back burner for most of 2015. I started painting it again in January 2016 – it was not completed until 7th July: several commissions, too much golf, darts, tennis, badminton and bowls!

It is a fun picture, designed completely in my mind’s eye, using a very useful resource photograph courtesy of my golfing friend Martin Johns (two lower right birds), and a couple of my own resource pictures taken in 2014 at Banham Zoo. The background is how I would imagine a jungle to be, although I did look up the swamp hibiscus as I felt the painting needed a bit of red with all that blue, yellow and green! It was a relief to finish it, but it left a bit of a hole as it was great fun painting it. I have tried to capture the individuality of each parrot – even though they all look the same, every facial pattern is different (like a thumb print in humans). Macaws are “zygodactyl” which means they have four toes, the first and fourth of which point backwards, and the middle two frontwards. Toucans and Woodpeckers also share this characteristic – a bit of information for your next natural history quiz!

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1504: Update at last on “Grey Squirrels in my Garden”

In 2015, I composed 4 paintings onto stretched canvas all about the squirrels in the UK.

We have our most beautiful Reds “The Native” red squirrel (Artist Code 1505); “The Albinos”, white with pink or black eyes (Artist Code 1502), “The Rogue Gene” Black, Brown and Ginger/Black squirrels (1503), and The Greys in my Back Garden (formerly “The Forced Immigrant”, the imported greys (Artist Code 1504) and subject of this blog post.

To view the history of this painting prior to this post, please CLICK HERE

Squirrels are all very lovely in their own way and much loved by most people – although the greys are sometimes referred to as “tree rats”, and are known to carry disease which kills our native squirrel. Nevertheless, in my little wild garden they are the only mammal visitors I receive (apart from the dreaded neighbourhood cats) so I am very happy to see them. Even though they nick a lot of the bird seed put out for the few birds in my garden, they are very clever and entertaining to watch. This painting portrays their cheekiness and ability to hold on to anything in order to get some food!

I started the series way back in 2015, but as usual other things got in the way (and are still in the way but I needed a break from painting flowers!). So I got the four canvases out and have been working on the one I started to paint (remember they were all drawn in 2015) in January 2019.

Oil painting is so much fun after one has been extremely meticulous with size 10-0 brushes (about 25 hairs) painting botanicals!

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One-day painting workshop Ely Cathedral 12th October 2023 10.00am to 3.30ish

I AM GIVING A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP (adults) IN THE LADY CHAPEL, ELY CATHEDRAL ON 12TH OCTOBER 2023: DESIGN AND PAINT AN ILLUMINATED LETTER. PRICE £40

Suitable for all levels, if you fancy a day’s creative painting in this beautiful chapel, tickets are available direct from the Box office at Ely: CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE

ALSO: AN ART EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF QUEEN ETHELDREDA: HERBALS AND HARVEST IN THE LADY CHAPEL, ELY CATHEDRAL

Friday 29 September – Friday 13 October

The Iceni Botanical Artists (IBA) are a group of artists based in East Anglia. The members use a wide range of styles, techniques and mediums to depict the plant world, as well as striving for botanical excellence. Their aim is to promote the creation and enjoyment of botanical art and illustration. Some of their members have work held in National collections at Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Each year the IBA have one or two exhibitions, usually in Norfolk, Suffolk or Cambridgeshire. This year they are proud to be able to exhibit in the Lady Chapel for the first time, as part of the Cathedral’s year to celebrate the life of Queen Etheldreda. The theme of the exhibition will reflect her life in flowers and plants, the recently planted Ely Physic Garden, and Harvest Festival celebrations.

All the work exhibited will be for sale, as well as cards, prints, and an IBA 2024 calendar. Two workshops will be held during the exhibition for those interested in learning about botanical art, or for the more experienced to refine existing skills. These workshops can be booked via the links below:

Exhibition details: Iceni Botanical Artists Art Exhibition

5 October: Botanical Drawing in Ink workshop
12 October: Design & Paint an Illuminated Letter

For more about the IBA, member artists and examples of their work visit their website