2013 Exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery , Royal Botanic, Gardens Kew

Exhibition 'Black and White In Colour' at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art
at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK,
explores the subtleties of the great range of “black” and “white” in the plant world.

This exhibition is inspired by a quotation from the 1821 poem
'New Morality' by George Canning:

"... and finds, with keen discriminating sight,
Black’s not so black;
nor white so very white."

The theme is one of opposites and contrasts, the aim to show the variations in colour within an apparently restricted palette.

The contrasts include the scale of their paintings and the variety of their subject matter – with plants from the northern and southern hemispheres, exotic and familiar, critically endangered to popular and widespread species.

Both artists have also sought advice on suitable subject matter from scientists at Kew’s Herbarium and the Millennium Seed Bank with the aim of highlighting the valuable work carried out in these areas.

Read review by Katherine Tyrrell






Sue would like to acknowledge the tremendous support and help
that she has been given from the Kew staff at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery
and from the Illustration / Library section.



Sue would also like to acknowledge the help of Emirates Airlines
with freight of artwork towards the exhibition.
Back to blog