A Passion for Plants and Excellence!
News Release
23 October 2007
A Passion for Plants and Excellence!
An exhibition abundant with exquisite botanical paintings opens on Saturday 27 October in the Lane and Wall galleries on Level 2, Puke Ariki. ‘A Passion for Plants’ is artist Susan Worthington’s latest collection of work.
It’s easy to see why Susan received a Distinction when she qualified recently with a Diploma in Botanical Illustration at the English Gardening School in the Chelsea Physic Garden, U.K.
“It was a real thrill to gain this qualification, not only because of my life-long passion for plants, but also because I’m the only New Zealander to do so,” says Susan, a former Taranaki resident.
As current artist-in-residence at Pukeiti Garden, including during the Rhododendron Festival, Susan remembers painting native plants from the famous Taranaki garden that lead to her exhibiting at the Royal Horticultural Show in London where she won a Silver Medal.
“In 2004, six of my paintings of garden flowers that had been hybridised in this country, were used by New Zealand Post on a set of postage stamps,” says Susan.
A second Royal Horticultural Society Silver Medal followed in 2005 from her collection of Viraya paintings at the BBC Garden World Show in Birmingham.
“I sold one of the paintings to Dr Shirley Sherwood and it became part of her exhibition, “A New Flowering, 1000 Years of Botanical Art’, at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford,” says Susan.
‘A Passion for Plants – Botanical Paintings by Susan Worthington’ runs until 13 January 2008. Some works are for sale.
‘A Passion for Plants –
Botanical Paintings by Susan Worthington
27
October – 13 January 08
Lane & Wall Galleries,
Level 2, North & South Wings
Puke
Ariki
ENDS