The Botanical Room part 34 - I'm Back

I'm Back <3

January must be the best month somewhere on Earth, but it always comes with baggage in the UK. Still, I'm going to say it even though it's late in the month... Happy 2025!

Sometimes, a little break is good for you.

But I have had a whole year off from blogging. I am so sorry if you have missed my little rambles. Have I used my time off wisely? Of course not; time off is time out. I have, however, written lots of poetry (rhyme to those of you who are serious poets). So, if you don't like poems, just hop over them and enjoy the rest of my ramblings and tips.

But it's good to be back; my mantra this year is 'positive action'. I'm tired of scaring myself with 'what if it all goes wrong?' and decided that a positive person attracts positive ions. So, I am going forward with my 'Velcro positivity'. Let's face it: the world is a crazy place, so let us be positive and try to get through it all.

New tutorial for 2025

Positive creativity ... let's do it.

When I set out to paint, I usually have an idea floating around in my head. I find the one plant that starts the composition, and the rest follows organically. Sometimes, this works, and sometimes, it doesn't.

When a painting doesn't quite work, the picture gets upcycled to cards or banished to the drawer.

Occasionally, when an idea works for me, that painting sparks another, and so on; that is how the botanical shoes came about.

Speaking of which, Search Press is printing the second edition of 'The Botanical Shoes', due for release in September/October 2025 ... this year! I am too excited. This edition has had some tweaks but remains true to the first edition but is way more affordable.

Back to the ramblings.

My ideas are always 'what I like' and never what is in circulation or most accessible. I can't help myself; I paint what I want, what I like. This means I am only commercial sometimes;

it also means I set myself up for a good deal of worry and work.

I have developed this back-to-front way of working over many years; I always found a sketchbook got in the way, so I am trying to undo this slap-dash process and be more methodical. My unconventional approach drives my husband dotty, as I will paint a gorgeous flower and then practice around it to make a picture, which is very scary.

Having an artistic mind has led me down many fanciful paths. Sometimes, it pays off, and sometimes, it doesn't, but that's okay; I like to play. I often think it would be good to switch off the creative brain and just be happy doing nothing. My son William agrees, we both panic at how we will be able to get all the ideas out in our allotted time.

Those of you who follow my Instagram will see that I am playing with pencils, or more precisely, I am illustrating in graphite, and I love the process. Grayson, my whippet, is my muse although he is blissfully unaware of it. Most importantly, I try not to compare my drawing style to anyone else's; I let the pencils do the talking and walking and see what happens. I am quite a messy sketcher, especially when I am jotting ideas out or playing with compositions.

It is good to vary your pencil play.

One can often trundle along a well-trod path as a working artist or illustrator, missing the exciting side paths that might take you to another destination. The fear is of wasting time learning a new skill when you rely so heavily on your honed skill. However, taking a little side step to try something new will often inform and enrich your core skills, so it's worth the jump.

I have also been scanning some of my tiny paintings from the drawer, just for fun, with the aim of making a smallish book ( smallish is a lovely word I might use it as the title) .

Scanning is costly, but I hope it will be worth it in the end.

Of course, I can be serious sometimes. In 2023, I participated in a show that celebrated the medal winners of the BISCOT Award, a Biscot Revisited Retrospective Exhibition. This Scottish-based exhibition promotes excellence in botanical painting and illustration. It was held at the McHattie Room in Saughton Park, Edinburgh. I had to post my work as the show started before my visit north to teach in that wonderful city. I hope to return.

Physically posting original paintings is scary and should not be undertaken without sufficient insurance and tracking. All went well, and three of my black flower, gold-winning paintings now belong to the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, so if you happen to be in the area, you can ask to see them.

My 2024 began with a return to in-person classes at my studio. Those who attended or have been before will know that my classes are filled with tips to perfect your style and, hopefully, lots of giggles throughout the day. We have had such fun this year, and the students produced some beautiful pieces. I have new dates coming out this week for 2025. Email classeswithbilly@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.

We didn't have a holiday in '24, instead we concentrated on work and the garden and managed to add a couple of short breaks, to visit friends, either side of my teaching dates. Good old friends have scattered far and wide which is inevitable at this time of life but it makes for lovely short fulfilling catchups.

I have recently recorded some new tutorials with more starting this week and accepted some teaching away dates around the UK and abroad for this year, so I might see one or two of you in person; I look forward to it.

Poem warning-I often have flying dreams

Flying is fanciful,

catching a breeze,

the light summer air,

gently carries me.

I float with the butterflies,

from flower to leaf,

carried in magical,

wondrous belief.

Then I wake up.

I always half wake thinking why haven't I thought of flying before now, it's easy just jump up and go.

Then I really wake up.

2024 saw me double-book some events (good heavens! Will it never end?). I rearranged them in haste (thank heavens!), so some things always stay the same!! I plan to do better this year. Simon has resorted to making a copy of all my commitments so he can double, double check that I have not double booked.

I have a book sale and studio sale at my store billyshowell.com click on the green tab at the top to return to the school and click on the shop icon. I am letting go of some of my book illustrations and artist proof prints.

I will leave it here for now, as I have prep to do.

But, it's good to be back. If you are still following my blogs, please drop a comment so I know I'm not talking to myself.. again :)

Notes from the painting table

Here is a little climbing rose painting and some edited text for a new book collaboration in 2026.  

Climbing roses

A Tumble of climbing roses is an absolute joy. I love the mix of old fading roses, new buds and fully blown flowers tumbling over a wall.

I painted these roses almost isolated from their leaves. I love all the differing directions of the rosebuds and the way they make a spiral of prettiness. I've used my 'wet in wet' method almost entirely for this study. These particular roses are very soft and delicate, and they shatter easily. You only have to stop and smell the flowers, and the petals fall; they were held in a small glass vase, and I painted them looking over the top. Climbing roses are the most romantic to try and capture; a cluster of these is enough to make me write poetry. The sweetness of the buds and the light within the flowers convey a sense of delicacy and prettiness. I would always start by painting the open flowers, which are most likely to fall and fade first. A quick sketch is needed to outline the positions and directions of the central flowers, and lightning washes are required to capture the petals' position. Once everything is mapped in. I can then relax and paint the deeper shades for the centre of the flower and the soft bluish shadows.

Once the central fragile blooms are painted, I can relax and paint the buds, which rarely open once cut from the stem. The pink petals of the buds are reasonably swift to do with a few small intense glazes and some fine dry brushing. The sepals require a small amount of wet and wet, followed by plenty of detail. The main thing to remember with roses is that less is more. Let the wash do all the work for the petals, and then work hard to make the stems and sepals more detailed.

Crisp blue light, soft, warm centres, delicious scent and moments of splendour.

The warm wall smothered.

My head is buried deep, but not so deep, to feel the scratch that lies beneath.

I get too close, petals scatter to the floor

And the moment has gone.

NB

Here are some new words I have invented just for fun.

Discoffeement = Sadness after finishing a much-anticipated coffee, wanting another but being sensible and choosing not to.

Disdinnerment = being sad about finishing a delicious dinner, even though you don't want to eat anymore.