Watercolour

275 x 210 mm. (10 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.)

Surrounded by beautiful beech woodlands and rolling countryside of rural Buckinghamshire, Brigittes childhood was idyllic and spent discovering things. Outside, either with her nose to the ground or equally likely, up a tree! Thus began what has become a life-long love affair with the natural world and its inhabitants. This relationship with nature had to change as illness began to rob Brigitte of her health, and trying to relive its diversity and intricate beauty on paper became very important. The illness progressed, and the relentless fight with terrible, painful and diverse medical conditions and operations baffled experts and cost Brigitte her academic career in Botany at UCL. Drawing and painting became a life-line for Brigitte and provided a way of coping with what was happening to her. Eventually a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome was made and linked all these medical conditions, but has left Brigitte fragile and physically damaged. With support from her husband she has been able to join and exhibit with SBA and the RHS (where she has been awarded six gold medals and one silver gilt). Her work is held in the RHS Lindley Library, The National Gallery and Museum of Wales, the Dr Shirley Sherwood collection and many private collections worldwide. Her work has been used to illustrate step-by-step projects in the Art of Botanical Painting and in The Botanical Palette. She has been featured in the Artists and Illustrators magazine and her work has also been used for greetings cards. She has been a tutor on the SBAs popular distance learning course since it started. Her awards from the Society of Botanical Artists include Certificates of Botanical Merit in 1997, 2006 and 2008. The Joyce Cuming Presentation Award 2007 and The Peoples Choice 2007 and six gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society.