As two of the few government-employed illustrators in Australia, Catherine Wardrop and Lesley Elkan have spent the last 20 years creating black and white scientific illustrations for publication of many New South Wales plants and other new species as described by fellow botanists.
Their work follows in the footsteps of Margaret Flockton, who, at the beginning of their tenure, was little known outside of the Garden walls. The creation of the Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration 15 years ago has allowed Margaret’s name to become well known in the botanical illustration field and pays homage to one of the finest botanical illustrators and lithographers Australia has seen.
The Flockton Award has also brought together solitary illustrators working in herbaria around the world and allowed their illustrations, rarely seen by the public, to be exhibited and awarded. This effect has driven further excellence and bought scientific illustration into the public realm for admiration and education.
Find out more about Catherine, Lesley and the botanic illustration industry in the video below.