The Essence of Botanical Art…….

“Seeing no way to preserve this marvelous form, I attempted an exact drawing of it, whereby I deepened my insight into the fundamental concept of metamorphosis.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “The Metamorphosis of Plants” (1790)

Goethe’s quote epitomises the necessary approach to painting, and how it can get to the very soul of a plant, with its intriguing adaptations to survive in its environment, and the methods it uses to coax and persuade pollinators to visit.

“O - P - P” I tell budding artists… “Observation, Persistence, Patience” are what it takes to appreciate and depict the beauties and diversity of nature.

There are amazing shapes, patterns and colours in nature, and with this kaleidoscope of natural wonders, botanical painting can reveal the innermost essence and character of even a simple plant…

Photographic realism is making its mark on today’s botanical representation, and botanical artists are all too aware of this. However, who does not admire, and who is not fascinated by, the perfection of a representation of nature from a human hand? Botanical art is a true representation of the essence of a plant, as a photograph is only a snapshot of one particular subject at that one particular moment in time, whereas a botanical painting reveals the inner depths of a particular species of plant, and often requires the dissection of several similar plants to determine the species.

Botanical painting has also great aesthetic merit; a picture can deserve contemplation in itself, and hopefully make the viewer more aware of the treasures nature holds for us to view, which can be both an artistic and scientific representation.

Just go for a short walk in the parks or hills, and really look at the intriguing forms of the natural world; you will be amazed!

Some examples of my work are displayed on this website, along with details about the book “Portraits of Trees of Hong Kong and Southern China” which I produced along with Hong Kong University, and some Testimonials.

Originals and prints of my works are available - please email me for details …

The book is available in Lantau and Hong Kong bookshops, and on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and The Book Depository