Panel discussion of Beckler's Botanical Bounty at the Australian Garden, Cranbourne

Beckler's Botanical Bounty
Sunday 4 March 2018
 
2.00-4.00pm

Australian Garden Auditorium, Cranbourne Gardens

Click here for directions
Members $15
Non-members $20
Students $5
Bookings are essential; ring 5990 2200 for more information

Invitation for you and your friends to a special afternoon of adventure, history, botany, art that also includes afternoon refreshments!

Presenters will include:Dr Linden Gillbank, Honorary Researcher, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne, who contributed the essay on von Mueller and Hermann Beckler in Burke & Wills, The Scientific Legacy of the Victorian Expedition; Dr Roslyn Glow OAM and Jan Rosenberg,  participating artists will illustrate some of the excitement of plant discovery and portrayal; Mali Moir, leader and coordinator of the project will outline some of the botanical and artistic challenges and what may be seen at the Ballarat Gallery. 

The fate of Burke and Wills on the Victorian Exploring Expedition in 1860 is familiar to most Australians. What is less acknowledged is the considerable scientific legacy left by the scientists who joined the Expedition – surveyor, astronomer, meteorologist, geologist, mineralogist, zoologist and botanist. This last role was fulfilled part-time by medical officer and botanical collector, Dr Hermann Beckler.

Beckler was to resign when the Expedition reached Menindee on the Darling River. He remained there awaiting a replacement doctor for the Expedition, and was at last able to make considerable progress with his botanical findings. He sent 120 plant specimens to Ferdinand Mueller at the Melbourne Herbarium, where they are housed. Only one plant specimen was painted in the field, and this task was never completed.

As part of the 150th recognition of the Expedition, a group of Melbourne botanical artists decided to celebrate Dr Hermann Beckler's contribution by revisiting his plant collections made in Menindee. Every year since 2010 a group, led by botanical artist Mali Moir and with generous help from botanist Andrew Denham, has spent time searching for, collecting and pressing specimens for lodgement in the Melbourne and Sydney herbariums, and painting them.
 This exciting and challenging project has culminated with the Beckler's Botanical Bounty Exhibition at the Ballarat Gallery, opened on 27 February by Professor Tim Entwisle, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. 
The Cranbourne Friends botanical illustrators group will be travelling to Ballarat to see the exhibition on Wednesday 14 March. All welcome. 

Save the Date!!

We have a date for our exhibition!

February 2018

at

The Art Gallery of Ballarat

Yes, it is a long way off, but we have lots to do to make sure it is the best possible exhibition. So, pop it into your long term calendar to make sure you don't miss coming to see it.

The beautiful staircase at the Art Gallery of Ballarat

Valerie Richard's painting in the Exhibition

Last year we ran a series of interviews with artists involved with the Beckler's Botanical Bounty Project. We hung many of those  paintings in our Exhibition in Menindee last year. Over the next few weeks we would like to show you blog posts of some of the finished works on display.


Valerie Richards has painted some of the eremophilas that were collected by Dr. Beckler. They are wonderful plants, commonly known as emu bushes. In her interview Valerie describes Eremophila sturtii and what attracted her to paint this dainty flower.

It has an absolute profusion of lilac, pink and cream flowers. It was these colours that attracted me at first. From a distance it looks like a green shrub. As you get to close to it you see the beautiful flowers. The impact of the colours was such a surprise. The shrub is symmetrical, attactive shape. It grows to 1 to 2 metres.

The full interview with Valerie is here.

Valerie's painting, the work in progress

You can see from the photo of her painting as it hung in the Exhibition (below right), her finished work included the habitat of E. sturtii, with the bush as well.

Left: Plantago drummondii; Right: E. sturtii (Art work copyright: Valerie Richards 2013)

By the time of the Exhibition Valerie had completed five paintings, the two above and three below. And they all looked stunning!

Left: E. deserti Right: Senna artemisioides subsp. x sturtii (Art work copyright: Valerie Richards 2013)

Arabidella trisecta (Art work copyright: Valerie Richards 2013)

Valerie's work hanging together 

An invitation to our exhibition!

Our exhibition will soon be a reality, and we are very excited!

This year, 2014, will be the 5th year of the Beckler Botanical Bounty Project. Over those years we have been creating our paintings of the plants we have collected. 30 prints of our paintings will be on show in the Darling River Art Gallery, Menindee.

In past posts you have seen some of the artists at work. You have read the stories behind the plants we have chosen to paint. Now you have a chance to see the works!

Monday 22nd Sept to Sunday 12th October (inclusive)

Darling River Art Gallery

Menindee Visitor Information Centre

49 Yartla St, Menindee

Open daily: 10 AM to 2 PM

It would be wonderful if you could come along. If you can't, keep watching this blog, as we will certainly be posting about it! Follow along on our Facebook page too, Beckler's Botany

We would like to thank the Menindee community for their warm welcome and support given generously to our group over the past five years.

Exciting news!

The Beckler's Botanical Bounty Project has been going for 5 years. Now while that is very exciting, it is not the exciting news.

Working in the Civic Hall, 2013

Tourist Information Centre, Menindee

We are organising to have an exhibition of photographs of our work in Menindee!! Now, that's exciting!

The dates? From Monday September 22nd to Sunday 28th September. It may even run longer than that.

Four wheel driving? No, one wheel driving!

So, if you live in Menindee or in the area, will be travelling through Menindee at that time or fancy a trip to see our work, be sure to check it out.

And of course, come and visit us in the Civic Hall. We will be there for those dates.

More information will be posted as details are finalised.