Dreams

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. 

Live the life you have imagined." 

~Henry David Thoreau

Five years ago I read something that changed the course of my life. 

It was an interview given by Margaret Stevens, former President of the Society of Botanical Artists, to Katherine Tyrrell for her excellent Making a Mark blog. In the interview, they discussed the SBA Distance learning Diploma Course that Margaret was running. You can read the full interview here 

I remember feeling very excited reading about this course. I have always painted but never had any formal training. Inspired by a visit to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, I had been dreaming of taking up botanical art, but didn’t know how to begin. As I was living in Egypt at the time, this really seemed like the perfect solution- a botanical art course from the comfort of my own home.

To apply for the course, you need to submit a sample of your work. They do state that this is not a course for beginners, so I really wasn't  sure if my work would be good enough to be accepted. 

However nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Encouraged by a friend, I sent off my application form, daring at my own audacity to dream so big. 

A clementine (Citrus ×clementina) done before the SBA course

Clementine studies done during the course. I had started to learn about disappearing edges here.

A recent study of a calamondin fruit (× Citrofortunella microcarpa)

Fortunately my application was successful, and I took to my studies like a duck to water. I loved doing the course. The feedback from the tutors was informative and insightful, and very quickly I could see improvements in my work. I cringe now when I look back at my submission efforts, but sometimes it’s good to look back and realise how far you have progressed.

The SBA DLDC course taught me to me methodical, observant and patient. These are preparatory studies for one of the assignments (mixed flowers)

Studies of red and yellow dates (Phoenix dactylifera) done before the course

Red dates (Phoenix dactylifera) 2013  It's quite gratifying to see the improvement!

I finished the course in 2012 with a distinction, a wealth of botanical knowledge and best of all, a circle of friends who shared my passion for art and the natural world.

I could have stopped there, but still I dreamed. The SBA have been both encouraging and supportive to me, and I really wanted to become a full member. It isn’t easy to do. Getting a distinction meant that I needed to submit six paintings to become an associate member, and then a further five the following year.

Starting out, this seemed like an impossible ambition, but this week, my dreams came true.

I flew to London and was presented with my Society of  Botanical Artists Certificate of Membership!

Hooray!

 It was fantastic to meet my fellow students who also became full members, Janet Pope and Sarah Wood. Both of these women are wonderful artists who have already begun to win prizes for their work, so I felt really honoured to be standing beside them.

The new members (photograph by Angeline de Meester )

I stood for a moment looking around the room at all the amazing artists who had come to London for the AGM- artists whose work I have long admired, artists whose names are now as familiar to me as the colours in my paintbox, artists whose work fills me with both inspiration and awe… they are all SBA members. I dared to dream, and it came true.

If you are interested in studying botanical art, the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course might be the right course for you. Applications close on September 30th 2014, so application forms and a sample of work must be received by the Course Director by then. You can read more about the course here-

http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/C12%20prospectus%20and%20application%20form%20(1).pdf

"Four steps to achievement: 

Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently."

~William Arthur Ward

Society of Botanical Artists Receiving Day 2014

Getting Ready

Phoenix dactylifera, believed to be Khesab variety

 With my five SBA paintings finished, it was time to prepare them for the next stage of the journey.  First I took them to Fire.ie to be scanned professionally. Whilst it’s not cheap, it’s always worthwhile getting a good digital image of your artwork.  Once scanned, it was off to the framer, Liam Slattery, whose workshop in Rathmines is a veritable treasure trove of fabulous paintings. Most importantly, he has impeccable taste in frames. 

Choosing a good frame for a painting is like choosing the shoes for a party frock- the right one can make the painting sing. The wrong one can look as clumsy as wellies with a wedding dress. 

Needless to say, I was delighted with his work which was simple and elegant.

Then it’s a matter of packing it all up safely for the plane! Fortunately I have a mother who has a great workshop and a lot of experience in packing up paintings!! 

My lovely mum hard at work!

Paintings can be badly damaged by glass shattering en route, so as a precaution, we bought a roll of clear window film from the local hardware shop. It peels off quite easily, although you might need nail varnish remover wipes to take off any sticky residue. Then we wrapped the paintings in layers of bubble wrap, put the paintings glass to glass, and taped them together tightly. 

As a final precaution, we covered the paintings in Aluminium Thermawrap, which gave the parcels extra security and a very impressive Nasa-inspired look! My good friend Jarnie also wrote about the packing of paintings in her blog. It's worth reading Katherine Tyrrell's resource site for packaging and moving artwork.

It's important to label your parcel clearly and to use a soft rope to make a secure handle

Paintings, passports and Paddy’s day

Finally the big day had come! No parades for mum and me as we were off to London!

The Society of Botanical Artists hold their annual exhibition in the very impressive Westminster Central Hall.

 From all over the country, people were arriving with their precious cargo of paintings and prints. Inside a huge pile of paintings sent in by artists from all over the world was also waiting to be filed and sorted. The huge room was a hive of activity and bustle, overseen by the ever-efficient Pam Henderson, SBA secretary. 

Sandra Wall Armitage, President of the SBA and Pam Henderson, SBA secretary! Despite the task ahead of them, they still found time to smile!

Forms were filled, cheques were signed and the paintings were sorted neatly into alphabetical piles. Sandra Wall Armitage, president of the SBA, was busy dealing with the huge influx of artwork, cards and prints. In the end, there were over 800 submissions, which is a phenomenal amount of artwork to choose from.

 The room has recently been revamped, and whilst it is certainly brighter and better lit than in previous years, it means that valuable wall space has been lost. I eyed the line of paintings that were being carried in by hopeful artists and thought “There will be tears.”

Simon Williams SBA now runs the hugely successful SBA DLDC course

Thankfully all my paintings arrived intact and with the help of some kindly souls who lent me scissors, glass cleaner and a hand unpacking (thank you JG, TM and FB!), I was soon ready to sign in my artwork. Judging was to take place the next day, so everyone had their fingers crossed.

This morning I got the phonecall! 

Sandra Wall Armitage rang to say that all of my paintings were accepted and that I am now a full member of the SBA!! I am so incredibly thrilled! It’s been a long journey which has taken four years and a total of twenty-six paintings to get there. I would definitely recommend doing the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course as a means of achieving this goal.

 The Society of Botanical Artists annual exhibition will take place at Westminster Central Hall, London from May 9th-18th, 11am-5pm including Sundays. The theme this year is The Botanical Garden. Everyone is welcome.