Showing 1–12 of 22 results
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Mr Guilfoyle’s Honeymoon: The Gardens of Europe & Great Britain
Artist/Author: Hill, Diana E, Edmée Cudmore (Editors)$45.00 Add to cartExplore the grand gardens and forests of Europe and Britain with esteemed landscape designer William Guilfoyle, as he did with his wife on their honeymoon. The Guilfoyles took their Grand Tour honeymoon in 1890, at the height of William’s reputation as the architect of one of the world’s great botanical masterpieces, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. His visits to impressive landscapes-as diverse as Kew Gardens, Versailles and the wild gardens of England-inspired a series of illustrated articles, which were published to great acclaim on his return to Australia.A celebration of William Guilfoyle – botanist, landscape designer, tourist and writer.
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Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany
Artist/Author: Hill, Diana, Edmée Cudmore (Editors)$45.00 Add to cartThe great William Guilfoyle, credited as the architect of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic gardens, was an eminent landscape designer, botanist and writer. Here are his collected writings on the dozens of plants, fruits and flowers William Shakespeare referred to in his plays and poems. Each entry is accompanied by Basilius Besler’s groundbreaking illustrations and delicate watercolours by Jacques le Morgues.
‘What’s in a name? That which we call a Rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.’
William ShakespeareAn extraordinary mix of Shakespearian references, Guilfoyle’s botanical lore, and lush botanical illustrations
Shakespearian Botany is a feast for those who love the bard, gardens and art.
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Mr Guilfoyle’s South Sea Islands Adventure on HMS Challenger
Artist/Author: Hill, Diana E, Edmée Cudmore (Editors)$45.00 Add to cartDiscover the inspiration for the famed redesign of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. It was the young William Guilfoyle’s botanical tour of the South Sea Islands in 1868 that provided his vision for the one of the world’s great public parks.
Share his excitement of discovering and collecting tropical plants, giving the local cannibals a very wide berth and being an eyewitness to an uprising in Fiji. Here is an unprecedented armchair view of the riches of this region by an emerging botanist who would later transform our understanding of garden design.
Mr Guilfoyle’s South Sea Islands Adventure on HMS Challenger is Guilfoyle’s detailed account of the four months he spent exploring Samoa, the Friendly Islands, Fiji, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. It is the final book of a glorious trilogy- Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany and Mr Guilfoyle’s Honeymoon, The Gardens of Europe & Great Britain – which illuminates the extraordinary genius of William Guilfoyle, botanist, landscape designer, artist and writer.
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How to Draw Flowers & Trees in Simple Steps
Artist/Author: John-Naylor, Denis, Janet Whittle, Penny Brown (Authors)$41.00 Add to cartWhatever their skill level, artists will love the easy approach to flower and tree drawing in this extremely good value book. It contains a wonderful selection of flowers and trees and each drawing begins with amazingly simple shapes that can then be built up to create beautiful finished pictures. Helpful two colour instruction guarantees good results and the simplicity of the teaching method makes the learning process fun and effective. Observation is an important part of the drawing process, and How to Draw Flowers & Trees is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to understand the structure of flowers and trees, and all those who are keen to develop their confidence and techniques. Artists will discover much to excite and inspire them with this inspirational guide.
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Botanical Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life
Artist/Author: Brown, Penny$39.00 Add to cartBotanical Drawing provides a thorough and expert guide to the subject of botanical drawing, through detailed text, examples of the authors own studies, short exercises and larger projects. Penny Brown produces traditional botanical drawings primarily rendered in pencil.
The book touches on the history of botanical drawing, the rules and practicalities, and includes an accessible, basic study of botany for the absolute beginner. From creating an initial line drawing to adding tone and then creating more complex compositions, Botanical Drawing is a detailed study of the practice for anyone wishing to explore the subject in great depth, led by an expert artist.
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Joseph Banks’ Florilegium: Botanical Treasures from Cook’s First Voyage
Artist/Author: Gooding, Mel, David J Mabberley (Authors)$120.00 Add to cartJoseph Banks accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage round the world from 1768 to 1771. A gifted and wealthy young naturalist, Banks collected exotic flora from Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, the Society Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Java, bringing back over 1300 species that had never been seen or studied by Europeans. On his return, Banks commissioned over 700 superlative engravings between 1772 and 1784. Known collectively as Banks’ Florilegium, they are some of the most precise and exquisite examples of botanical illustration ever created.
The Florilegium was never published in Banks’ lifetime, and it was not until 1990 that a complete set in colour was issued in a boxed edition (limited to 100 copies) under the direction of the British Museum (Natural History). It is from these prints that the present selection is made, directed by David Mabberley, who has provided expert botanical commentaries, with additional texts by art historian Mel Gooding, setting the works in context as a perfect conjunction of nature, science and art. An afterword by Joseph Studholme describes the history of the modern printing.
Winner of the 2017 ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award
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Beginner’s Guide to Botanical Flower Painting
Artist/Author: Lakin, Michael$37.00 Add to cartClean, fresh and precise botanical artwork is within your grasp, with Mick Lakin’s clear and simple approach. This complete guide to the crisp, precise finish of botanical painting marries traditional technique with contemporary style and includes sections on colour, drawing, continuous tone, composition and dissection. Michael Lakin makes botanical art approachable with simple exercises and a variety of step-by-step instructional approaches, making this a fantastic guide for aspirational beginners.
Michael Lakin was born and bred in South Derbyshire, UK. His early learning was basic but he always excelled in art. After leaving school he moved into engineering, becoming a manager, before he left to start his own business. Michael kept up art as a hobby and began to teach classes in Botanical Art to adults at Derby WAEA. Since then he has exhibited in London and other parts of the UK. He has a purpose-built studio next to his rural home, where he teaches and gives demonstrations throughout the year.
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The Florilegium: The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: Celebrating 200 Years
Artist/Author: Morris, Colleen, Louisa Murray, Brett Summerell (Preface By), Shirley Sherwood(Foreword By), Beverly Allen (Introduction By)$49.00 Add to cartA quality production with full-page illustrations of 87 historically significant plants in Sydney’s three botanical gardens. 64 leading botanical artists contributed to this wonderful collection. The majority are Australian with 23 international artists also contributing. Almost all of the artists are represented in the major public and private collections around the world and have been awarded medals. The artists donated their work to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust to create this contemporary florilegium. A florilegium is a collection of paintings of plants from a particular garden or place. The paintings have been exhibited at the Museum of Sydney in 2016 and in 2018, the exhibition travelled to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: a measure of its quality. 87 plants were chosen for their botanical and historical significance. Most have been painted life size, and then reduced by about half for reproduction in the book. The variety of contemporary styles represent individual artistic responses to the plants, while always retaining botanical accuracy. The foreword is by Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE, the foremost collector of botanical art; with an introductory essay by Beverly Allen, and historic overview by Colleen Morris is followed by text for each plant’s fascinating historic and cultural significance and a botanic description by Louisa Murray. Artist biographies are included. The book is an attractive contemporary design, printed on quality matt art paper (low gloss), allowing accurate reproduction of the colours. Careful quality control through the production process has ensured this. Text is on the left-hand page of each spread, with the artwork generally on the right, sometimes spreading over both pages.
All profits from sales of the book will go towards conservation of books and artwork held at the Gardens. The artists have donated their work to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust.
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Into the Orchid House: In Search of Beauty
Artist/Author: Breeden, Stanley, Kaisa Breeden and Bruce Gray$45.00 Add to cartHigh on the hills of the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland stands a glasshouse built by orchid expert Bruce Gray. Whether from the cloud forests of South America, the Himalayan Mountains of India, the mangroves of the Philippines, the rocky outcrops of Madagascar or the dense rainforests of New Guinea, tropical species thrive here.
Award-winning photographers Stanley and Kaisa Breeden capture the plants in rich, detailed images. Specialising in macro photography using natural light, the Breedens produce masterful floral portraits, exquisite in detail and colour. Step into the orchid house to discover this extraordinary and diverse world.
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Marianne North: The Kew Collection
Artist/Author: RBG Kew$80.00 Add to cartMarianne North was a remarkable Victorian traveller and painter, who traversed the globe recording the world’s flora with her paintbrush and writing her experiences in her journal.
In 1879 she offered her painting collection numbering over 800 to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at her own expense built a gallery to house them. Marianne stayed closely involved with the project, painting beautiful decorative motifs on the interior door panels and surrounds.
For the first time, this unique and stunning book brings together all of Marianne North’s Kew collection. The paintings are arranged geographically as they appear in the Gallery, and Marianne’s original titles are included alongside each painting.
With an introduction by Christopher Mills, former Head of Kew’s Library, Art and Archives. This is a beautiful gift souvenir in celebration of a stunning body of work.
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Plant: Exploring the Botanical World
Artist/Author: Phaidon Editors$80.00 Add to cartThe ultimate gift for gardeners and art-lovers, featuring 300 of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical images ever.
Following in the footsteps of the international bestseller Map: Exploring the World, this fresh and visually stunning survey celebrates the extraordinary beauty and diversity of plants. It combines photographs and cutting-edge micrograph scans with watercolours, drawings, and prints to bring this universally popular and captivating subject vividly to life. Carefully selected by an international panel of experts and arranged in a uniquely structured sequence to highlight thought-provoking contrasts and similarities, this stunning compilation of botanically themed images includes iconic work by celebrated artists, photographers, scientists, and botanical illustrators, as well as rare and previously unpublished images.
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Botanical Drawing Uusing Graphite and Coloured Pencils
Artist/Author: Vize, Sue.$55.00 Add to cartDrawing with graphite and coloured pencils enables the artist to capture every detail of a plant, and to enjoy, study and celebrate their wonderful forms. Whether the illustration is a striking monotone or vibrant with colour, pencils give you absolute precision. The book, written and illustrated by an award-winning botanical artist, introduces and explains the drawing skills behind the art. Each chapter concentrates on a different aspect of the plant, working upwards from the root system to include the stem, leaves, flowers and fruit. Fungi have also been included due to their close association with plants. With tips and advice throughout, the techniques are supported by step-by-step projects, clear exercises and over 300 colour illustrations.
