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MEET #WILDWOMEN

Sally Strawson

To celebrate British Flower week, we caught up with contemporary Botanical Artist, Sally Strawson. Sally’s love of painting and flowers led her to take up botanical painting after an earlier career in interior design. Her paintings capture the beauty and intricate details of plants and have been exhibited and held in collections internationally. Two of her paintings are included in The Highgrove Florilegium, a collection of paintings by international artists portraying the flora in the garden of HRH The Prince of Wales at Highgrove, Gloucestershire.
In 2013 Sally was invited to join a small group of artists travelling to Transylvania to record the rare and diverse wildflowers found in the foothill meadows of the Carpathian Mountains. Her paintings of these are now part of The Transylvania Florilegium, created under the aegis of HRH The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation. Sally has recently produced silk scarves which incorporate some of her botanical paintings.

How would you describe your art?
I specialise in Botanical Painting using watercolour on paper and vellum. The challenge is to portray the plant, capturing its features so that it is scientifically accurate but also aesthetically pleasing. I also enjoy incorporating my botanical painting within floral designs for silk scarves.

What is your favourite part of what you do?
I love drawing a plant as a means of exploring its features, details and structure. A good deal of my time is spent observing as so much can be missed in a brief glance. It is always exciting bringing a painting to life by carefully layering watercolours to capture the wonderful and sometimes unexpected colours appearing in nature.
Have you always had a passion for painting botanicals, how did it develop?
Since childhood, I have always enjoyed drawing and painting flora. Throughout my studies and Interior Design career nature with its colours and textures has been a constant source of inspiration. My passion for Botanical Painting really began after I moved to the Lincolnshire countryside and had time to spend on my painting and developing a garden. In 2001 I was fortunate to meet Anne-Marie Evans, the renowned and inspirational Botanical Illustration tutor, and I studied at her studio near Stamford. I was hooked immediately and knew this was the path I wished to pursue.
Our collections are inspired by nature, where do you find your flower inspiration to paint your beautiful paintings?
My garden is full of beautiful plants and the surrounding fields and hedgerow are bursting with ideas and inspiration all year round. From the first green shoots, delicate flowers , twisted branches, dried seed pods or frosted leaf skeletons, the choice is endless!

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What has been your proudest career moment?
It was a great honour to have my work selected for The Highgrove and Transylvania Florilegiums and to meet HRH The Prince of Wales alongside my paintings at Highgrove House.
At Really Wild we love to immerse ourselves in the sheer beauty of the WILD, we would love to know your favourite garden to visit in the UK?
It's difficult to name just one! Last spring I visited the much-celebrated Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, Kent, designed in the 1930s by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson. I was absolutely blown away with the stunning displays of colourful tulips and the romantic mix of flowers and trees.
A different but equally alluring garden is Scampston Hall Gardens in Yorkshire. Planted with swathes of wildflowers and natural grasses by Piet Oudolf. The grasses and flowers blow in the breezes and the colours work in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Just Beautiful!
We suspect your house is full of beautiful flowers, what’s in your flower vase right now in celebration of British Flower week?
I have a large jug of scented Pink roses, Alchemilla mollis & Rosemary from my garden and Cow Parsley from the field.

A lot of people have been picking up new hobbies during the lockdown, do you have any advice for our #REALLYWILDWOMEN wishing to take up painting?
Have a go! A little and often is a good way to start. Keep a sketchbook open, I often spend just a few minutes sketching a leaf or a bud. Have fun mixing colours, experiment and enjoy it.
What is your favourite piece from our SS20 collection and why?
I love my Capped Sleeve Dress in the delicate floral Liberty print. It is soft, light and so easy to wear. The colours are fresh and epitomise the British summer.

What’s your favourite way(s ) to enjoy the British WILD?
Family walks in the countryside with our two black Labradors and I enjoy being on the river bank fishing, surrounded by nature with just the hypnotic sound of rushing water and wildlife.
In what way(s) does the WILD empower you?
I do my most productive and creative thinking when out in the wild. The tranquillity and space clear your mind and focus your senses.
Discover Sally’s work online.