Oak Spring Garden Foundation Announces 2024 Botanical Artists in Residence
OSGF
The Oak Spring Garden Foundation is pleased to announce that 6 artists have been selected for the 2024 Botanical Artist in Residence (BAiR) program which we will host for three-weeks this spring.
Artists selected for the Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s BAiR program receive a $1,000 individual grant and devote their time at Oak Spring to working on their botanical art, either using material from the formal garden at Oak Spring or from the broader 700-acre Oak Spring landscape. Our hope is that they may also draw inspiration from the Oak Spring Library’s collection. Artists live on-site in nicely appointed shared housing with a studio in close proximity. At the culmination of the residency, each artist has the option to sell one completed work for $1,000 to Oak Spring, and the finished piece will be accessioned into the Oak Spring Library as a contribution to the developing Oak Spring Florilegium.
This residency program is designed to support artists who are practitioners of botanical illustration – which sits at a unique intersection of art and science and is well represented in the Oak Spring Garden Library collection. Applications for the 2025 Botanical Artists in Residence are now open and will close on May 31st, 2024.
To learn more about each of the artists and their work, read below.
Alessandro Cândido
Alessandro is a botanical illustrator based in the Southeastern state of Paraná, Brazil. His formal education in Biology help to inform his artwork, which depicts flora of Brazil and central South America. View his work on the Centro de Ilustração Botânica do Paraná and on Instagram.
Helen Allen
Coming to botanical illustration after training as a textile designer, Helen received Diploma in Botanical Illustration from the English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Her work has been exhibited in London, other parts of England as well as internationally. View her work on her website and on Instagram.
Lee McCaffree
Lee began her work in botanical illustration in London and has received medals from Royal Horticultural Society. Currently she is based in California, where she is a member of the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists.
Mary Dillon
Mary Dillon is an Irish botanical artist who prefers working in large formats. As a founding chairperson of the Irish Society of Botanical Art, Mary's work has been exhibited in Ireland as well as throughout Europe and at American Society of Botanical Artists, 25th International Exhibition in New York. Her work and courses can be found here and on Instagram.
Mary Ellen Taylor
Mary Ellen is a botanical artist based in London and, like Helen, Diploma in Botanical Painting at the English Gardening School located in the Chelsea Physic Garden. She continued on to serve as the Diploma Manager there for 7 years and traveled to the Galapagos where she had previously lived. View her work on her website and on Instagram.
