On the October bank holiday, the Irish Society of Botanical Artists will celebrate Ireland’s twenty-two native trees with an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin.
The Society launched the project in 2022, inviting their members to illustrate native trees and their botanical details. Over the past two years, the painters have gathered botanical information and scoured the countryside for examples of these native species in all seasons. They have produced a set of paintings for each tree, enlarging the smallest of details and providing a record for identification and appreciation for the wider public. Crainn na hÉireann – Ireland’s Native Trees highlights the sometimes tiny, and very beautiful buds, flowers, seeds, and leaves, which in the ordinary course of our observations, we may miss or take for granted. The ‘Winter’ painting in each series shows a portrait of the tree and shows the bark in detail, to give a comprehensive and aesthetically beautiful record of each tree.
With over sixty paintings, this exhibition is sure to captivate and engross visitors to the National Botanic Gardens. We hope to excite interest in and appreciation of our native species, as we have in previous a exhibition, Éireannach – Irish Native Plants. At a time when biodiversity and climate change are watchwords for environmental concerns, our native plants are key to preserving our landscape and our wildlife. In focusing on the tiny details of familiar trees, this project will, we hope, encourage the public to look closely and appreciate anew the wonder of nature, and how fortunate we all are to have such diverse and fascinating native flora. In doing so, a sense of ownership and responsibility for its preservation is sure to follow.
The Irish Society of Botanical Artists is an island-wide group of botanical artists and friends, dedicated to the practice and promotion of botanical art and illustration, and to the preservation of Ireland’s botanical heritage. We are indebted to the National Botanic Gardens and the OPW for their support and hospitality.
The exhibition opening is by invitation on Saturday 28th of October in the Visitor Centre at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, with an introduction by Éanna ní Lamhna, Irish biologist, environmentalist, author, & presenter.
The exhibition will then open to the public from Sunday 29th of October until Sunday 12th of November. Entry is free and ISBA books, including the publication for this exhibition, will be on sale in the gallery.
