Christine Weldon of Bowral and Elaine Musgrave of Wildes Meadow are among 59 artists selected  from across Australia to showcase their artworks at Botanica: Symbiosis botanical art exhibition. 

Running until Sunday, May 6, Botanica is one of the key events of the Autumn in Your Gardens festival, hosted by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. The exhibition shines a spotlight on the fascinating, complex and remarkable relationships between plants and animals. 

Curator Judy Dunstan said the 2018 exhibition comprised more than 50 original artworks from some of the best botanic and natural history artists in Australia and beyond.

“This year’s theme, ‘Symbiosis’, is particularly interesting because the natural world is full of extraordinary relationships — from mutually beneficial partnerships, to ‘parasitism’, which can have deadly results”, she said. 

“All selected works must accurately represent the form and botany of the chosen subject, adequately convey the characteristics of the species or variety, and be pleasing, balanced and considered works of art.”

Elaine is a prominent and established botanical artist who creates finely detailed botanical studies in watercolour and graphite on paper. She has one artwork, featuring a Davidson Plum, displayed in the Botanica exhibition.

In keeping with the exhibition’s theme this year of symbiosis, this plant's roots have a mutual relationship with fungi and its fruit aid in pollination. 

Having been a part of the industry for more than 20 years, Elaine’s work has been exhibited in London and New York and holds a Gold Medal award from the Royal Horticultural Society in London.

Christine had four artworks selected for the exhibition, three of which are depictions of native flora.

Painting was originally a stress relief tool for Christine, but it quickly grew into much more. 

“I started doing all kinds of things like oil and pastels but that developed into botanicals,” she said. 

Christine said painting botanicals was a long process. 

“Sometime you don’t finish it all because they take so much work that you’d go mad,” she said. 

“But I do it for pleasure and meditation,” she said. 

Botanica is a beautiful art exhibition and encourages the sale of all its artworks.

Proceeds from the sale of original and limited-edition prints go to the artists and to Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens.

This helps the not-for-profit organisation to continue to support horticulture, conservation, scientific research and education programs within the Botanic Gardens.

“It'’s a real privilege to be selected and knowing all the money goes back into nature is great,” Christine said. 

The exhibition is held at Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, entry is free.