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Many botanical artists are passionate about certain plants. Some are captivated by one family to the point of obsession – orchids for example often seem to hold this power!

I am so fickle, having no favourites save the specimen in front of me right now. I crave new experiences and believe that I have never really ‘seen’ a plant until I come to paint it. Strangely it feels almost that I may be first ever to have seen it.

I am fascinated by light on form and how surface texture and spacial relationships modify this. Layers of papery skin, crinkled delicate petals, the loss of detail in shadows all intrigue me.

As I am often drawn to plants that make statements, my first loves were succulents. Their complex, almost architectural forms, surfaces covered in spines or farina drew me in. Their muted blue green forms often sporting gaudy desert blooms. Others began to say ‘Oh she’s the one who paints Cacti’ so it seemed time move on! For complete contrast I began to paint herbaceous peonies. My preference for cropped compositions and building depth in my paintings by layering elements and employing atmospheric perspective developed at this time.

I always strive for botanical accuracy in my paintings. My passion is to go beyond the informative and illustrative to convey something of the plants unique personality.

White subjects hold lots of scope, as they are rarely truly white. I love to paint their subtle reflected colours. Once again I ran the risk of pigeon holing...hearing people say ‘Oh she’s the one who paints white flowers’.  So onto the next challenge!  To help break my addition to white subjects, at the ASBA Arizona conference, I took a workshop with Jean Emmons, a US painter I greatly admire for her mastery of colour. This led to paintings exploring rich and glowing colours. I did warn you I was fickle!

Sometime choices are made for you. Commissions are good because then I can be asked to paint a plant I would not normally choose. Apprehension turns quickly to excitement. Time and again I fall in love with a plant by painting it, often getting so ’hooked’ that I paint it several times. Each time challenging myself to say something new about it.

Botanical specimens do not have to be rare or exotic to appeal. I can find fascination so easily in the simple or familiar.