Artist focus: Daleen Roodt, RHS gold medal winner & People's Choice
Botanical artist painting in South Africa
Welcome to Behind the Brush… I’m so happy you’re here. Artist Focus is my mid-month feature where I invite botanical artists from all over the world to share their favourite six studio picks for plant art and beyond.
World-renowned botanical art and photography were brought together again this summer in one fabulous Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Show at the Saatchi Gallery, London. It exhibited exquisite botanical art and photography featuring a rich variety of subjects from medicinal desert flowers to ornamental bananas, and from images of forest slime moulds to urban street plants.
It showcased the work of 22 leading global botanical artists and 18 photographers, representing countries including the UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, USA, South Africa, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Japan. This year’s show welcomed back previous medal winners while more than half were exhibiting their work in the show for the first time.
First time exhibitor Daleen Roodt won an RHS gold medal, as well as special awards Best Botanical Artwork and People’s Choice for her exquisite “Eulophia horsfallii & Dissotis princeps with carpenter bees (Xylocopa flavorufa).”
Congratulations to Daleen on her continuing success!
Here are her six favourites:
Favourite paintbrush
Depends on what I’m working on, but at the moment I am loving the response from my Winsor & Newton Series 7 Nr 1.
Favourite paint
I’ve been exploring a selection of Daniel Smith’s quinacridones, and very fond of their purity, brightness and translucency, as well as their blending ability.
Favourite watercolour paper
My love/hate relationship has turned for the better with Fabriano Artistico HP Extra White.
Favourite botanical artist
Unfair question!! I admire so many artist for different aspects of their technical ability, and find inspiration from a large variety of incredibly talented botanical artists.
Favourite plant to paint
Nothing quite compares to the joy I derive from painting an orchid!
Favourite studio drink
It is called MannaBrew…from a superfood named Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), where they roast and grind the beans to make a dreamy blend with a rich, smooth, earthy, totally wholesome flavour, completely void of caffeine or any acidity. Alternatively, it is without a doubt a herbal tea that grows in the Balkan mountains of northern Greece and Albania, known as mountain tea (Sideritis syriaca).
Happy plant painting, and if there’s an artist you would like to know more about please let me know! The submission date for the next RHS Show is coming up on the 10th of September….see here for more details if you would like to apply!