Plant Curator was slightly disappointed that the traditional flower bouquet given to winners at medal ceremonies was absent from this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow: Wouldn’t a bunch that celebrated some of Scotland’s amazing native flora, such as a selection of thistle species, have been a nice touch? Still, we can’t complain as it was …
Walking through the National Gallery in London is one of life’s great free pleasures. If you live in London that is. While there, what you tend to overhear most are people proclaiming, “now this one, is REALLY famous”. The truth is, they kind of all are, but some rooms definitely impress more. Room 45 is …
American artist Jeff Koons is having another good year. A retrospective is underway at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and since the $58.4 million sale last November for Balloon Dog (orange), he currently holds the title for the most expensive living artist. He rather entertainingly divides opinion: A kitsch misogynistic fraud …
Australian artist Margaret Preston (1875 – 1963) painted or printed many of her native species to great acclaim. Below we take a look at some of those artworks to learn a little about the plants that were her willing subjects. Her work is so vibrant and characterful, it is wonderful to be able to view …
Plant Curator is yet to visit Kew Gardens’ currently ongoing festival extravaganza – Plantasia – but it is just a matter of time. There is nothing like a nicely designed array of publicity material to lure you in. Using illustrations from the charmingly chimerical artist Andrew Lyons, and creative direction (including name and concept) from 999 …
Up until recently Bristol based mixed-media artist Kerry Day’s focus has been on rendering the human form. These portraits are seductive, each one of her subjects, often nude, has some oddly arresting feature or presence. We are pleased to see, she has now turned her talents to plants, more specifically pot plants, and mostly cacti …
Like many great artists before him – Van Gogh, Matisse and Monet to name a few – in 1965 Andy Warhol turned his attention to flowers for a period. Although not really fitting with the modernist art movement of the time, this was the 60s and flowers had become symbolic of the peace seeking counter-culture of …
Ben Sanders is an artist living and working in LA – you can view his super paintings and drawings on his website bensandersstudio.com. As a sideline he sells painted plant pots on Instagram aided by cacti and other succulent species. He posts a picture of each one on the photo-sharing site and the first person …
If you haven’t already noticed it’s World Cup week. If you have, then you’ve probably already seen the official World Cup logo bandied about. The role of the logo or emblem in any sporting event is to provide a visual representation of the event, and when done well, the host nation too. Often this means …
Topiary is back in fashion – for a while with all the talk of rewilding and permaculture there was a worry that manicured gardens would be pushed into oblivion. But you can’t hold a good art form down, and as far as gardens go this is one of the best. The shaping of plants into …