tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76034638783490852442024-03-07T11:07:28.319+00:00Botanical Sketches and Other StoriesSketches and Stories of a Botanical Art Journey by Shevaun Doherty shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-49902158298755304772016-04-26T16:01:00.000+01:002016-04-27T11:45:45.878+01:00 Watercolour Paper Review- Botanical Ultra Smooth
A review of the new Botanical Ultra Smooth paper from St Cuthberts Mill
In recent months, watercolour paper has been a hot topic across social media.
Many botanical artists, like myself, use the Fabriano Artistico Hot Press paper, and recent changes to the manufacturing process have left lots of artists feeling less than satisfied. St. Cuthberts Mill, a British company, shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-85783301405493556832016-02-15T16:31:00.000+00:002016-02-15T16:54:04.663+00:00Saving the Art of Vellum
A blog post on why I am happy that the art of vellum is being saved.
Laburnum anagyroides on vellum (crop)
I awoke today to hear the very good news that the British
Government were not going ahead with
their plans to stop using vellum for their archive copies of UK Acts of
Parliament.
The arguments for changing from vellum to archival paper were
purely financial, because itshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-79599007118937140732016-01-24T15:49:00.000+00:002016-01-24T21:02:54.699+00:00Expressive Lines
“The song of the curved line is called happiness.”
Rene Crevel
What is a line, and
how can we use it to improve our art?
Art begins with a line.
Sometimes it’s tentative, thoughtful, exploring.
Sometimes
it’s quick, bold and confident.
Line can hit the page in an explosion of vigorous energy
,
Or caress it in a gentle, delicate whisper.
It shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-60157558280548970422016-01-11T00:16:00.001+00:002016-01-11T00:17:06.035+00:00The Artistic Process
Blechnum gibbum studies © Shevaun Doherty
“Love the process and the painting will happen”
A friend once remarked that being a botanical artist is as
much about loving the artistic process as it is about the painting.
It’s true.
I get a huge amount of pleasure out of creating study sheets and colour charts, chasing a leaf or flower across a sketchbook page, each time shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-80210395549081063302016-01-01T14:27:00.000+00:002016-01-01T17:45:57.983+00:00Plans, Paintings and Promises 2016
'Great Egg-spectations' ©Shevaun Doherty
You’re off to great
places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!
Dr
Seuss
I really enjoy writing this post, because whenever I think
about my plans for the year ahead, I inevitably end up feeling really excited!
Already 2016
looks like it will be a whirlwind of art-filled fun!
shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-35804016118702403122015-11-29T22:23:00.000+00:002015-11-29T22:35:51.058+00:00Good News
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”Franklin D. Roosevelt
Life has been incredibly busy these past few weeks, so much
so that my blog writing has fallen to the wayside.
The Agapanthus commission for the de Jager Bulb company has been by far the most challenging painting that I have
ever painted. Getting it finished within the deadline shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-38151250520856427102015-10-26T15:41:00.000+00:002015-10-26T15:53:31.868+00:00Olive Inspiration
A Taste of Spain, watercolour on vellum, ©Shevaun Doherty 2015
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a
joy" ~Rumi
Every now and then something finds you, and it whispers to you about golden sunshine, birdsong and the rich warm smell of earth.
Paint, it says.
Olive tree, Egypt, 2010
The olive groves in
Spain filled me with sense ofshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-37140947858155606242015-10-12T23:48:00.000+01:002015-10-13T10:13:43.482+01:00Life in Colour- Madrid
Ferdinand Bauer's Colour Chart, Royal Botanic Gardens, Madrid
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.”
Hans Christian Anderson
I have just returned from
a week of light, colour, laughter, friendship and fabulous art in Madrid.
Passionflower, graphite and pastel colour by Marta Chirino shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-62122978655515116082015-09-21T10:56:00.001+01:002015-09-21T10:59:41.510+01:00Beware of the Agapanthus
Agapanthus II (unfinished) Shevaun Doherty 2015
"Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get
the bill."
Christopher Parker
I love what I do, but
sometimes it’s a struggle. On my easel is
another Agapanthus flower, promised
long ago and so has to be finished. They are beautiful flowers, but at this
stage, I’m a bit Agapanthus-weary. I haveshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-44100789323717145972015-09-06T17:30:00.000+01:002015-09-07T22:35:21.966+01:00In the footsteps of Ellen Hutchins
"An understanding of the natural world and what's in it, is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment." David Attenborough
A curious mind is an essential part of being a botanical
artist, so when I was asked by Howard Fox, botanist at the National Botanic
Gardens, to get involved with the Ellen Hutchins bicentenary celebrations, I
said
why not!shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-41694094680925376772015-08-21T23:13:00.000+01:002015-08-21T23:32:02.097+01:00The Big Blue Monster
Agapanthus africanus WIP © Shevaun Doherty 2015
“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.”
Victor Hugo
I am not a flower painter.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore
flowers of every kind, and I really admire artists who can capture that
transient beauty with what seems like effortless grace. I’m just far happier
painting fruit, seeds and dried plants, where I can indulge myselfshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-52422251144780006452015-08-07T00:32:00.001+01:002015-08-07T11:27:20.993+01:00Buds and Blooms
Agapanthus bud © Shevaun Doherty 2015
"Each flower is
a soul opening out to nature."
- Gerald De Nerval
They say that there
is no greater motivating factor than a deadline, but for a botanical artist,
the realisation that the flowers are just not going to wait for their portrait
to be painted is enough to get even the slowest of brushes flying!
After months of waiting shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-79019620182100023582015-08-01T17:16:00.001+01:002015-08-01T17:16:36.600+01:00Summertime Blues
“Blue colour is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of
delight.”
John Ruskin
Blue is the colour that sings to us of heaven and
sky, of fresh water and deep oceans, of spirituality, serenity and stability.
It’s definitely one of my favourite colours, and yet I don’t seem to paint many
blue subjects. All that is about to change, because I have a garden
full of blues … tallshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-41619330880372908082015-07-25T12:03:00.000+01:002015-07-25T13:28:52.052+01:00Changes
“Change always comes
bearing gifts.”
Price Pritchett
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 shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-81789961493665212452015-07-02T09:16:00.001+01:002015-07-02T15:42:14.498+01:00Bees and Butterflies
African Monarch butterfly © Shevaun Doherty
"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned"
Peter Marshall
Summer is here, and as I write this, I’m sitting in my garden, bathed in sunshine, surrounded by flowers and the steady hum of bumblebees.
Every now and then a butterfly flits between the blossoms, pausing briefly to
sip on nectar before fluttering offshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-13394339392783828142015-06-16T11:56:00.000+01:002015-06-16T13:06:46.265+01:00Challenges! Painting the Laburnum
Laburnum anagyroides on natural calf vellum © Shevaun Doherty 2015
“Start where you are.
Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Arthur Ashe
Sometimes we sail through life
like a ship on a calm sea, and at other times, everything seems to come at
once- a veritable maelstrom of appointments, deadlines, exams, exhibitions and meetings. I’ve been channelling my inner Wonder Woman shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-78295260429792564202015-05-30T18:56:00.000+01:002015-05-30T18:56:13.312+01:00Bloom 2015
Red dates Phoenix dactylifera, GOLD MEDAL ©Shevaun Doherty 2013
The difference between TRY and TRIUMPH is a little UMPH.
~Anonymous
I am walking around
with a grin that would do the Cheshire Cat proud.
This has been a bit of a rollercoaster
year for me, but this week, all the hard
work, time and sheer stubbornness paid off.
I won TWO medals, a Gold shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-40628403863175876152015-05-17T12:37:00.000+01:002015-05-17T12:37:20.561+01:00In praise of the Daisy
“The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes.”
Mark Nepo
I have
always loved daisies, Bellis perennis . There’s just something so bright, cheerful and positively
defiant about them. So I jumped at the chance to do a small painting of daisies for a friend. To me, nothing sings of summer more than the sight of daisies on
the lawn. It makes me shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-50449320112027124452015-05-11T14:27:00.003+01:002015-05-11T14:27:27.901+01:00Laburnum Revisited
“Be Patient.
Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”
Rumi
Patience is an attribute that every botanical artist needs
to have. Choosing to paint from life means that we are very much at the whims
of nature, constantly marking the seasons and watching the weather. It’s not
unusual for a botanical artist to set aside a painting for a year whilst they
wait for a plant to shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-53549382598487319992015-05-02T18:38:00.000+01:002015-05-02T18:38:28.436+01:00V is for Vellum
Buff tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris, on kelmscott vellum
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
Where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that it’s been
over two weeks since my last blog post but recently I have been as busy as a bee
in a wildflower meadow.
My Spice Market painting at the SBA's show in shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-91699756657887680282015-04-13T13:55:00.000+01:002015-04-13T13:55:13.044+01:00Exciting Times!
Grape practice on vellum (unfinished)
“Don't ask what the
world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world
needs is more people who have come alive”
– Howard Thurman
Spring has finally arrived bringing in an excitement of warm
sunshine, blossoms and bees.
I've plenty of reasons to be smiling this week because London
is beckoning!
Yes, shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-16673896700652602372015-04-07T00:42:00.000+01:002015-04-07T09:18:00.445+01:00Purple
“There are times when we need
certain colours.
They nourish the soul in a way nothing else does “
Catherine Jo Morgan
I’m craving colour.
I have had an earthy palette on my
desk for the past couple of weeks, but now I’m yearning for some juicy
pigments. With a workshop coming up and a demo at the SBA in London to prepare
for,
I decided to pull out the paintsshevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-16569464714383255442015-03-30T00:20:00.001+01:002015-03-30T10:12:41.686+01:00Fabulous Fruit
Turk's cap gourd, Cucurbita maxima © Shevaun Doherty 2012
“Let the beauty of what
you love be what you do"
-Rumi
Art makes me want to leap out of bed every morning and rush down to the
studio to paint.
What started out as a keen interest in the natural world and a strong desire to create has grown into a full blown passion for botanical
art. I really enjoy what I do.
shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-79398815208459915402015-03-22T19:09:00.000+00:002015-03-22T19:10:46.280+00:00Buzzing
“Spring~ the music of open windows”
Terri Guillemets
Spring has finally arrived in a burst of blue skies, blossoms and bumblebees.
I love this time of year when the world awakes from it's winter sleep and new life begins. Gardeners and Botanical artists are eternal optimists, dreaming and planning for the months ahead.
It's a very busy time of year.
Bees shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603463878349085244.post-73553444354173162572015-03-03T14:37:00.003+00:002015-03-17T09:19:36.131+00:00War of the Roses
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes
your rose so important.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
If flowers are a language, then few can match the eloquence
of a rose. It’s a flower that evokes so many emotions- love, passion,
tenderness, joy and frustration. Yes, frustration! For roses are one of the
most difficult subjects to paint.shevaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08210683459670654254noreply@blogger.com21