One of my drawings based on a Cyclamen from the Herbarium is currently on display and for sale at the UKCPS Exhibition, at the Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, from now through to the first week in November.
This Cyclamen colchium was collected on an expedition in Georgia, by the Cyclamen Society. It was in the process of being preserved at Herbarium RNG when I originally saw it. Botanical artists generally resurrect the living plant in their artwork, but I am not a botanical artist… I’m more interested in the meticulous artistry of specimen preparation, and the stories that travel back with each item. The process and narrative of the pressed specimens themselves is as fascinating as any plant. So that is why I draw specimens with labels, dirt and all! The fact that Georgia is not the safest country to collect in, and is on the news for its precarious political situation with Russia, also adds to this specimen’s story. It speaks to the ability of botany and scientific endeavor to overcome political difficulties, and transcend geographical boundaries.
Open edition giclee signed prints of this picture are available, contact i.smith@reading.ac.uk for details.
