The remarkable variety of flora in Western Australia has inspired many an artist to recreate its beauty on paper. There is a long history of local and international artists replicating the complexity of our plant life both coastal and inland. This is beautifully evidenced by the exquisite works featured in the North and South exhibition at the Manjimup Art Gallery.
The exhibition showcases the creative talent of contemporary botanical artists, Katrina Syme, Pat Dundas, Hilary Mayger and Gail Doust Keirle. The exquisite fragility of the works, illustrating local and regional Western Australian flora and fungi, will delight and inform. Botanical art requires of the artist an eye for fine detail, artistic skill and a degree of technical horticultural knowledge. Shire President, Paul Omodei said 'The calibre of the works in North and South is extraordinary, all the more so as the artists are self-taught'.
Often described as a combination of art and science, botanical art records in exquisite detail the form, texture, colour, habitat and life cycles of flowers, fungi and plants with artistic affect. Prior to the advent of photography, artists and illustrators introduced the world to the botanical beauty of local flora.
The North and South exhibition also celebrates an historical collection of works of other botanical artists and illustrators. Among them, Marianne North 1830-1890, Emily Pelloe 1878-1941 and Constance E. Fears 1895-1988.
Marianne North was a remarkable woman. During her lifetime, she travelled to 16 countries on six continents to paint local flora. She produced over 1,000 paintings illustrating over 900 species of plants, four species were subsequently named in her honour.
North's six months in Australia in 1880 included a visit to the South West of Western Australia. In Marianne's words, Western Australia was 'a natural flower-garden'. During her visit, she painted flora in the area including a karri tree on the old Vasse Road that still bears her name. The Karri Gums Near the Warren River painting forms part of her prolific body of work on display at the Marianne North Gallery at the Kew Gardens in London.
Emily Pelloe authored a number of books on the flowering plants of Western Australia. Constance E. Fears travelled from England to visit her brother in Perth in 1958. During her stay she travelled to Geraldton, Rottnest, Albany and the Porongorups and painted flora in the area that subsequently formed part of an exhibition in both Perth and London. Ms Pelloe was also responsible for preparing the floral bouquets carried by Queen Elizabeth at both her wedding and coronation.
North and South will be on display at the Manjimup Art Gallery from 20 February to 26 March 2021.
