This month has been a whirlwind of excitement. Not only was my drawing 'Imelda' selected for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2023, but I was also invited to send a proposal to be included for a chance at the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award 2023.
The Private View and Awards evening held at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Chain Store in London, was fabulous from the start with most invited artists and their guests arriving by boat from Westminster with lots of fizz and other drinks to go round on arrival and seeing all the artists and their drawings culminating in the excitement of the prize/awards announcement. Congratulations to all the prize/award winners. Needless to say, I was not chosen for any of the prizes this evening, but it was great to be included in the mix with such a prestigious group of artists...and the catalogue is pretty special and a good reminder of all the stunning drawings included in the exhibition. Note to self: need to continue to draw and try again.
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Imelda is a plant and soil scientist who recently undertook a PhD in Scotland. After multiple sittings with Imelda over time and hearing about her journey with plants and the soil, I tackled a drawing as a working drawing of the sitter and her connection to the earth. The picture existed to become a more detailed oil painting of Imelda, which, after her last visit to my studio in summer 2023, it was decided that it was to sit beside a microscopic interpretation of the soil. So, becoming a diptych.
In this painting, Imelda models a scarf. Imelda's Dad gifted that scarf to her Mum, who then gave it to Imelda. Her Dad was killed during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. As an ethnobotanical artist, my drawings and paintings link plants with people, place and time. Walking the land, photographing, and collecting plant material is the key to explorations for my art practice.
So pleased to announce that I am a longlist finalist in the Scottish Portrait Awards (Fine Art) and will be included in the online exhibition opening in December. https://www.scottishportraitawards.com/ The self portrait, is called Extrospection and is a diptych painted in oils on flax canvas. Dimension w85.5cm x h42cm #scottishartist #aberdeenartist #oilonlinen #selfportrait #diptych #fineart #artplantae #plantcollector I planned to paint a portrait of my brother, who had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. I managed to sketch, but it was tough to paint.
As an ethnobotanical artist, I create work that connects plants with people, place and time, and so my self-portrait 'Extrospection' diptych on rough flax canvas focuses on the land. While painting, it was more of an introspection of time spent as feral children exploring the 'Gramps' and 'Sannies' near home. I work across various forms of media, including painting, mapping, drawing, installation, audio and poetry, with walking and plant material collecting key to my explorations.
Fortunate to receive a VACMA Bursary early in the year, I have completed some experiments utilising the new microscope purchased and the wooden panels and stretchers afforded by the bursary.
Click on the image below to see some of the experimental time spent in the studio. #vacmascotland #scottishartist Creative Learning SLAAC Alumni Group SLAAC 2020 I can reveal that this month I was fortunate to be awarded and receive a #VACMASCOTLAND bursary. It will enable me to purchase a digital microscope for use as a tool in my artistic practice, along with various materials such as wood panels, canvas stretchers for linen and perspex to use as surfaces and dedicated time to work with them while I develop a new body of work this year.
This project is funded through The Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA). (VACMA) Aberdeen scheme is jointly funded through Creative Scotland and Aberdeen City Council and managed by Creative Learning. #creativescotland #creativelearning #lotteryfunded #botanicalartist #microscopy #visualartist #oilpainter #aberdeenartist #scottishartist #aberdeencity #northeastofscotland #ethnobotanicalartist After creating the document for local schoolchildren to draw and paint artworks in response to the Ginkgo biloba project at the Duthie Park, an opportunity to add a further element to the mix. Folding paper Ginkgo biloba leaves for an installation.
Here is a link to some information on my newly formed business page 'Art Plantae'. Hope you enjoy creating the paper leaf. Ginkgo biloba seeds from mother trees in Hiroshima, gifted to the Lord Provost in 2015, as part of the Mayors for Peace Project, have been nurtured by gardeners in the David Welch Winter Gardens within the Duthie Park in Aberdeen. An opportunity arose in late 2019 for me as an ethnobotanical artist to create an artistic response in 2020 to these Ginkgo biloba plants through an artist residency and school and family art workshops in collaboration with the Park Rangers at the Duthie Park, culminating in an exhibition of the achieved artworks of both participants and artist in the foyer of the winter gardens.
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September 2023
AuthorFiona Swapp lives and works in Aberdeen. She has over 30 years experience as a graphic designer and botanical artist. © 2010-2024 Fiona Swapp
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