Botanical Art to Cut Out and Collage

BOTANICAL ART is as popular today as it has ever been, perhaps even more so, as we all realise the importance of connecting with nature in an increasingly fast-paced world. It has been scientifically proven that just looking at pictures of plants can have a calming effect on the mind, lowering stress levels and supporting relaxation. The same is true of making things by hand - away from screens and digital distractions - and so combining the traditional craft of collage with botanical art is an immensely mindful activity that will benefit all who have a go.Plants have been represented in art for over 4000 years but the scientific use of botanical illustration to record and identify plant species is believed to have begun in Ancient Greece. A physician named Crateuas (111-64BCE) is widely thought to be the first documented scientific botanical artist - his illustrated Rhizotomica described the medicinal properties of numerous plants known to the Greeks. The art form blossomed in the era of exploration - many early botanists were artists themselves, or hired an artist to accompany them on expeditions in the field, as sending specimens back home risked damage or decay. An artist was often the first to officially document many of the plants we know today. But even after the invention of photography, botanical illustration remained a crucial medium. Photography can't bring each unique detail of a plant to life; whereas an artist can hone in on the way a leaf is attached to a stem, the formation of spikelets or hidden features beyond what's in a photo. Photos can be deceptive but the job of the botanical artist is to capture absolute truth. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has never gone a day without an artist in its ranks, and modern-day science still relies on this ancient tradition. It is one of the most specific and vital art forms that plays a major part in botanical documentation. Every painting that a trained botanical artist creates becomes the visual

Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the 27,000 taxa curated by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, while the herbarium, one of the largest in the world, has over 8.5 million preserved plant and fungal specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. It is one of London's top tourist attractions and is a World Heritage Site.