Internationally collected artist exhibits at Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

LAKE Macquarie-based botanical artist Lauren May SK is presenting her first solo exhibition, Botanical Observations, at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens this month.

The exhibition brings together a curated collection of original watercolour paintings of local native plants, with eucalyptus leaves and native flora as recurring subjects.

Each piece reflects Lauren’s deep commitment to observation, accuracy and the quiet beauty of nature.

“Botanical Observations is really about slowing down,” Lauren said.

“Each work begins with detailed study from life, and then I gradually recreate it on paper by building layers of watercolour to achieve depth and realism.”

Lauren’s work is held in significant botanical art collections including The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney collection, and at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in the United States, one of the world’s most respected repositories for botanical illustration and documentation.

Lauren developed her technical skill as an artist at the University of Newcastle, completing a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration; a specialised degree that is no longer offered.

Her training continues to underpin her practice today as she approaches each painting with careful observation and traditional drawing and painting techniques.

Lauren hopes her exhibition will encourage visitors to notice the intricate detail in the gardens around them.

“They’re designed to reward close looking. We often walk past extraordinary detail every day,” Lauren said.

“When you pause and really look at a leaf and its colour, its vein structure, the way the light hits it, it becomes something special.”

For those inspired to learn the techniques behind the paintings, Lauren also runs small-group observational drawing and botanical watercolour classes across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, sharing her specialised skillset with other art and nature enthusiasts.

Botanical Observations is open at the Botanic Gardens until Monday, 30 March.