The 2010 exhibition was held in the beautiful Old Mutual conference
hall and  focused on rare, endangered and narrow endemic plant
species indigenous to Southern Africa. During the past two years horticulturalists from Kirstenbosch botanical garden and the other
SANBI gardens made these plants available to artist for their art
work.  The rules of the exhibition required artists to submit 4
paintings of which one had to be of a rare or endangered species.
52 artists took part in the exhibition presenting 200 paintings.

In order to create the Biennale into more of an Event, the Curator
Nicki Westcott, included other artworks with a botanical theme into
the exhibition:

  -  Three textile hangings from the Keiskamma Art studio, a 
     project based in a rural village in the Eastern Cape
  -  Light from Africa ceramicists who created beautiful sculptures
     in which a  display of succulents from Kirstenbosch gardens
     where planted
  -  Gail Katlin, a prominent South African artist created 3
     flower pots which contained Proteas made of resin mounted
     in mirror-lined boxes
  -  Helmut Starke, a top artist and a previous head of Michaelis 
     school of Art, University of Cape Town, painted a triptych – oil
     on canvas entitled Melancholia. A representation of nature
     conservation and the invasion of waste products and fire.
  -  A small series of Ardmore ceramics featuring plants.

The exhibition was opened by Professor Steve Hopper, Director
of Kew Gardens, England.

Professor Steve Hopper                      Curator: Nikki Westcott

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GOLD MEDALISTS

Gillian Condy
Resident botanical artist SANBI, Gauteng
g.condy@sanbi.org.za

      Members of the genus Erythrina have been a firm favourite with
South African gardeners for years as many of the tree species
flower early in the spring, heralding the end of winter. The stark
contrast between the bare stem and the exuberant colour of the inflorescence is enough to excite anyone. On close inspection, the
flowers reveal an exquisite structure that will whet the appetite of
aspiring and accomplished artists alike. Having illustrated a
number of species over the years, I never tire of their beauty and
the challenges offered.

¡¤     
Jennifer Johnston Davidson
Botanical artist from Cape Town
Jennifer7@mweb.co.za
 

¡¤     An outing to the Bolus herbarium’s wonderful collection of botanical paintings BY Beatrice Carter and Mary page inspired me to paint
Lithops. I was looking to paint something different and uniquely
South African, and these little dwarfs, jewels of the plant world,
seemed overlooked. Many Lithops are on the ICUN Red List of
threatened species, and some of them, such as Lithops dorotheae,
are extremely rare. Lithops are perfectly adapted to survive in
diverse, rugged and arid terrain.  I am fascinated by the wide
array of patterns, colours, and markings , even within the same
species. These act as protection from being eaten by animals as
their camouflage allows them to blend into their surroundings. 


Lynda de Wet
Botanical artist from Bettys Bay, Western Cape
seascapefarm@icon.co.za    

Botanical painting has been a wonderful journey demanding
dedication and passion. These paintings  are of plants I found flowering in the veld during summer. Whilst walking along the
West Coast I found the Gethyllis flowers. Leaves, flowers and
fruit appear independent of one another and the appealing
fragrance completes the thrill of finding the spectacular summer blooms. The endangered Gladiolus jonquillodorous must be one
of the most inconspicuous gladioli but this is balanced by its
wonderful aroma.  Finding this Protea cynaroides had me reaching
for my paints, it was such a joy to paint and was the culmination of
my summer walks.


Kim Squire Johnston
Botanical artist from Johannesburg
kmsquire@gmail.com  
 

I grew up on a large plot north of Pretoria and at the back of the house we had a patch of stapelias.  My mother told me they ate
flies, so I watched all day to try and catch them in the act but the flowers never closed and the flies didn’t die.  In doing this I discovered they don’t eat flies after all. I also discovered that it is very difficult to paint the Stapelia gigantean whilst it is flowering because of the over whelming smell of rotting fish. Fortunately
there is a small period of time after it has opened when it has
very little scent.

 

KIRSTENBOSCH BIENNALE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Thalia Lincoln
Winner of the Kirstenbosch Biennale Lifetime Achievement Award 2010

The Kirstenbosch Lifetime Achievement award is presented in recognition of long and remarkable service in the domain of
botanical art. The candidate must be over 65 years of age and
should have a large body of work consisting of representations
of plants indigenous to southern Africa.  The candidate must have made a significant contribution both to botanical art and to the conservation of southern African flora.

Thalia Lincoln was the recipient of the 2010 award. She was
born in Cape Town in 192. After attending Michaelis School of
FineArt she initially practised as a commercial artist but turned to
botanical art in 1961. Thalia began to work for botanist John
Rourke of the National Botanical Institute, which culminated in
the publication of a large-format limited edition on the genus
Mimetes. She has exhibited extensively in South Africa and in
London, and was nominated for the Star Woman of the year
awardin 1982. She has executed innumerable botanical art
commissions and, from 1991 to 1995 produced thirteen
indigenous botanical paintings for the SAPPI collection, a
portfolio book and calendar sold in aid of the World Wide
Fund for Nature. Her works have been published in South
African Botanical Literature, Vision, Contemporary Botanical
Artists by Shirley Sherwood and Art in South Africa by Marion
Arnold. At the Kirstenbosch Biennale 2002 she was awarded
a Gold medal.

Her contribution to the development of botanical art has been
inspiring and substantial.