British Artists in the Shirley Sherwood Collection … Artists...1 British Artists in the Shirley Sherwood Collection curated by Dr Shirley Sherwood I started collecting in July 1990,

1

British Artists in the Shirley Sherwood Collection

curated by Dr Shirley Sherwood

I started collecting in July 1990, buying a dramatic Pandora Sellars watercolour of

Laelia tenebrosa. I never intended to make a collection at that time, I was just trying to help

Kew and encourage the artists. But I was so impressed with the standard of work that I

became bitten by the collecting bug.

Initially, not surprisingly, I concentrated on British Artists and the work I could see at

Kew, in London and around Oxford. I started commissioning studies of favourite plants like

Cedar of Lebanon, lapageria, cowslips and fritillaries. I continued acquiring the work of some

artists until the present day where like Coral Guest, I have remained an admirer and in contact

and now have 19 of her works.

It has not been possible to hang more than a small proportion of ‘my’ British artists

here as I now have 330 works by 86 painters and so I have had to be fiercely selective.

Some artists have changed their style and approach, switching for example from paper

to vellum like Brigid Edwards and from life size to greatly enlarged subjects. When I started

acquiring Rosie Sander’s work she was painting life sized apples for her classic book but now

she is creating vastly bigger studies of woodland plants and voluptuous watercolours of tulips,

iris and exotics. She has also been experimenting with fragile white dandelion clocks on black

backgrounds. I can only show a few of her paintings here.

I am still collecting now, almost overwhelmed with the wealth of botanical art

available today in Britain and the rest of the world.

Dr Shirley Sherwood

2

Martin J Allen born UK 1970

Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum

Watercolour on paper Acquired 2007

495mm x 720mm

Gillian Barlow born Khartoum, Sudan 1944,

lives and works in UK

Kingcup Caltha palustris


550mm x 370mm

Gillian Barlow born Khartoum, Sudan 1944,

lives and works in UK

Artichoke seed head Cynara cardunculus

Watercolour on vellum Acquired 2002

230mm x 152mm

Stephanie Berni born Bristol, England 1949

Australian tree fern Dicksonia antartica

Watercolour over pencil on paper Acquired 2004

290mm x 200mm

3

Elizabeth Blackadder born Falkirk, Scotland 1931

Lilies Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1993

600mm x 570mm

Raymond Booth Leeds, England (1929–2015)

Rosa moyesii Oil on paper

Acquired 1991

610mm x 430mm

Raymond Booth Leeds, England (1929–2015)

Veltheimia bracteata Oil on paper

Acquired 1997

635mm x 490mm

Victoria Braithwaite born Glasgow, Scotland 1973, works in Glassford, Scotland

Globe artichoke ‘Lindisfarne Castle’ Cynara cardunculus


1300mm x 950mm

4

Jenny Brasier born Alvechurch, England 1936

Crinum x powellii Pencil and watercolour

Acquired 1991

290mm x 730mm


Plum Prunus sp.

Watercolour on McEwen’s vellum Acquired 1995

80mm x 60mm


Kumquats Citrus japonica

Watercolour on McEwen’s vellum Commissioned 1995

100mm x 160mm

Andrew Brown born Carshalton, England 1948

Voodoo lily Sauromatum venosum

Pencil and watercolour on paper Commissioned 1994

Showing the flowering sequence

680mm x 450mm

5

Susan Christopher-Coulson born Durham City, England 1955

Sweet violet scattering Coloured pencil on paper

Acquired 2007 The artist was inspired by illuminated manuscripts

380mm x 470mm

Vicky Cox England (1943–1999)

Spanish onion Allium cepa

Colour pencil drawing Acquired 1998

370mm x 270mm

Angeline de Meester born UK 1969

Botanic symbiosis ‘December’ Clematis vitalba

climbing on hawthorn Crataegus monogyna


530mm x 650mm

Pauline Dean UK (1943–2007)

Jade vine Strongylodon macrobotrys


680mm x 465mm

6

Elisabeth Dowle born London, England 1951

Pear ‘Conference’ Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1996 On the cover of

The Book of Pears by Joan Morgan. Illustrated by Elisabeth Dowle

435mm x 320mm

Margaret Ann Eden born London, England 1939

Medinilla magnifica Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2000

560mm x 750mm

Brigid Edwards born London, England 1940

Redcurrants Ribes rubrum

Watercolour over pencil on vellum Acquired 1994

200mm x 165mm


Cape Gooseberry Physalis peruviana Watercolour on vellum

Acquired 1994

190mm x 125mm

7


Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii


250mm x 180mm


Squash

Cucurbita sp. Watercolour over pencil on vellum

Acquired 1995

382mm x 305mm


Oriental poppy Papaver orientale


530mm x 405mm


Poppy seed head Papaver somniferum


381mm x 305mm

8


Sunflower Helianthus annuus


A recent painting, after a prolonged period away from botanical subjects

406mm x 533mm

Annie Farrer born Melbourne, Australia 1950,

lives and works UK

Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani

Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1991

550mm x 680mm


lives and works UK

Courgette tendrils II Cucurbita pepo


Reproduced in Plant published by Phaidon, 2016

285mm x 400mm


lives and works UK

Magnified cone of Pinus wallichiana Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2008

690mm x 520mm

9

Liz Fraser born Newcastle upon Tyne, England 1959

Protea cynaroides Acrylic on paper Acquired 2011

Reproduced in The Smallest Kingdom, 2011

345mm x 510mm

Sarah Graham born Edinburgh, Scotland 1973

‘Big Fir’: magnified cone of Leucadendron strobilinum

Pastel on paper Acquired 2008

Sarah Graham collected this small cone (about 3cm long) on the top of Table Mountain.

The enlarged drawing was sufficiently well observed to be identified from herbarium

specimens in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, South Africa.

1430mm x 1220mm

Mary Grierson born Bangor, Wales 1912

Yellow water lily Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1990

260mm x 340mm

10

Coral Guest born London, England 1955

Lilium longiflorum ‘Ice Queen’ Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1995

760mm x 570mm


Lapageria rosea and L. rosea var. albiflora


Painted from Lapageria grown by Dr Sherwood

770mm x 570mm


Monstera deliciosa Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1997

Painted from Monstera deliciosa

grown by Dr Sherwood

750mm x 550mm


Iris ‘Superstition’ Watercolour on paper Commissioned 2005

1525mm x 1025mm

11


Lilium regale Acrylic on Traditional White

cold-pressed paper 640 gsm Commissioned artist 2007

1510mm x 1025mm


The Phenology Cabinet of the Incandescent Petal

Magenta Cultivars Series I of Paeonia lactiflora from

19th Century France Acrylic on Canvas

Acquired 2014

1530mm x 1020mm

Isik Güner born Ankara, Turkey 1983

Jacqueline Pestell born Durham, England 1962

Sharon Tingey born Coventry, England 1973

Titan Arum Amorphophallus titanium


2680mm x 1500mm

Josephine Hague born Liverpool, England 1928

Morning glory Ipomoea purpurea Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1991

310mm x 360mm

12


Clematis ‘Elsa Späth’ Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1991

480mm x 380mm


Studies of Streptocarpus Watercolour on paper Commissioned 1992

510mm x 400mm

Gertrude Hamilton born Ghent, Belgium 1968, works in USA

Red and purple currants, raspberries, snail and bee


Gertrude Hamilton deliberately ‘aged’ her paper to reflect her inspiration from the past

120mm x 240mm

Celia Hegedüs born London, England 1949

Siberian flag Iris sibirica


540mm x 410mm

13

Celia Hegedüs born London, England 1949 Tulipa ‘Wakefield Flame’


508mm x 458mm

Sue Herbert born Darwen, England 1954

Leaf Arctium minus


690mm x 460mm

Helga Hislop born London, England 1941

Rose hips Watercolour on vellum

Acquired 1994

250mm x 340mm

Helga Hislop born London, England 1941

December 2004 Medlar Mespilus germanica

Oak Quercus robur Birch Betula sp.

Mistletoe Viscum album Watercolour on vellum

Acquired 2007

94mm x 153mm

14

Rebecca John born London, England 1947

Grasses caught in blackthorn Watercolour over pencil on vellum

Acquired 1999

295mm x 210mm

Christabel King Born London, England 1950

Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. paucispinus

Watercolour and gouache Acquired 1998

Christabel King has worked at Kew for over 40 years. Many of her studies appear in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine and have been

hung in exhibitions here

290mm x 225mm

Katherine Manisco born London, England 1935,

works in Italy and USA

Savoy cabbage Brassica oleracea Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1999

445mm x 445mm

Katherine Manisco born London, England 1935,

works in Italy and USA

Sea grapes Coccoloba uvifera Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2003

475mm x 406mm

15

Rory McEwen Scotland (1932–1982)

Crown Imperial 1965 Fritillaria imperialis Watercolour on vellum

Acquired 1995

780mm x 565mm


Ginkgo leaf East 61 Street New York 1980


190mm x 230mm


Upper Club, Eton 1979 Watercolour on vellum

Acquired 2012

340mm x 295mm

Margaret Mee England (1909–1988), worked in Brazil

Philodendron sp. Rio Negro, Amazonas

Pencil and gouache on paper Acquired 1991

640mm x 470mm

16

Catharine Nicholson UK (1958–2011)

‘Some get more eaten up than others’

Norway spruce cones magnified x 7 Picea abies

Giclee print, pen and ink on paper Acquired 2012

Catharine Nicholson worked only in pen and ink and mostly life-sized. This, her last work, is an extraordinary, arresting drawing of three pine

cones damaged by mice.

1162mm x 1463mm

Susan Ogilvy born Kent, England 1948

Cherries Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1996 Her book Overleaf was published in 2013

150mm x 520mm


Green leaves Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1998

210mm x 390mm

17


Snowdrops, churchyard Galanthus nivalis Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2007 This bird’s-eye view of snowdrops in the

hedgerow is a remarkable habitat painting

457mm x 350mm

Rachel Pedder-Smith born Stirling, Scotland 1975

Parkia pendula Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2001 She has concentrated on using herbarium

specimens as her subject matter.

570mm x 425mm

Rachel Pedder-Smith born Stirling, Scotland 1975

Afzelia quanzensis Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2001 Painted from a Kew Herbarium specimen, 2000

565mm x 420mm

Rodella Purves Scotland (1945–2008)

Meconopsis x sheldonii Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1999

720mm x 540mm

18

Graham Rust born Hertfordshire, England 1942

Daffodils and narcissus: Narcissus spp.


240mm x 165mm


Iris ‘Spartan’ Pencil, watercolour and body colour

Acquired 1995

360mm x 260mm


Petal of Tulipa ‘Black Parrot’ Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1999

225mm x 170mm


Rose ‘Variegata di Bologna’ Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2005

315mm x 360mm

19

Lizzie Sanders born London, England 1950, works Edinburgh

Trichodesma scottii Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2000

552mm x 368mm


Tibouchina organensis Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2002

540mm x 420mm


Vanilla imperialis III, buds and flowers Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2008

490mm x 695mm

Rosie Sanders born Stoke Poges, England 1944

Arisaema ciliatum, Arisaema costatum,

Arisaema consanguineum Watercolour on Arches 640 gsm paper

Acquired 2006

1020mm x 1540mm

20


Dandelions and other flowers Fern, bluebell, wild garlic,

yellow archangel and dandelion Watercolour on Arches 640 gsm paper

Acquired 2014

1020mm x 770mm


Dandelion: ‘Two o’clock’ Charcoal with watercolour on

Aquari 210 gsm paper Commissioned 2015

500mm x 500mm


Dandelion: ‘Three o’clock’ Charcoal with watercolour on

Aquari 210 gsm paper Commissioned 2015

500mm x 500mm


Cotton Grass Eriophorum angustifolium

Charcoal with watercolour on Arches 640 gsm paper

Acquired 2015

576mm x 762mm

21

Pandora Sellars born Herefordshire, England 1936

Laelia tenebrosa Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1990

410mm x 600mm


Blue water lily Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea


Used on the cover of Contemporary Botanical Artists by Shirley Sherwood, 1996

385mm x 500mm


Arum italicum, Arum maculatum and Arisarum proboscideum


350mm x 470mm


Pontederia cordata Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1999

340mm x 205mm

22


Tulip hybrid (white) Tulipa sp.


457mm x 360mm

Siriol Sherlock born Nantwich, England 1954

Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata Watercolour on paper

Acquired 1992

570mm x 440mm

Fiona Strickland born UK 1956, lives and works Edinburgh

Zea mays I Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2008 The artist’s first botanical painting

760mm x 570mm

Fiona Strickland born UK 1956, lives and works Edinburgh

Rhododendron ‘Horizon Monarch’ Watercolour on paper

Acquired 2016 Reproduced in Plant published by Phaidon, 2016

476mm x 616mm

23

Jessica Tcherepnine born London, England 1938, works in USA

Skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus


505mm x 400mm

Jessica Tcherepnine born London, England 1938, works in USA

Coconut Cocos nucifera


700mm x 595mm

- Renata Gorska -

Documents

British Artists in the Shirley Sherwood Collection … Artists...1 British Artists in the Shirley Sherwood Collection curated by Dr Shirley Sherwood I started collecting in July 1990,