By Vicki Thomas
HAMPTON COURT PALACE - TEACHING
The day after arriving in London, I found myself in the upper storey of Hampton Court Palace, about to give a workshop to a group of botanical artists working on a Florilegium … creating a visual record of some of the plants in the Palace. Looking out of the window I could see large topiarised trees and formal gardens that were established for Henry VIII. Two days earlier I had been looking out at the mountains and the fynbos of my own garden in Betty’s Bay. It was pretty surreal. The subject of the workshop was “Focus” and after we had discussed the ways artists have created areas of interest in their paintings, I went to each artist to discuss what they were currently working on. The English artists have a very fine sense of detail and generally their work is technically excellent. In comparison, our South African botanical artists have a rather bold approach to our work, which may not be quite as fine, but sometimes has more vitality. We can both learn from one another.
I certainly learned a lot in the next stage of my journey, the main reason for the trip ...
TRANSYLVANIA - PAINTING