Brookgreen Gardens Welcomes Pressed Botanical Artist as Artist in Residence

Press Release

Brookgreen Gardens announced botanical artist, Anne Blackwell Thompson, as an artist in residence. Known for her pressed botanical art, Thompson will preserve and present the beauty of the blooms and foliage that she collects from Brookgreen’s own botanical gardens during her residency. She will give a presentation about her artistic journey at a “Brookgreen U” class on April 29, and her residency will culminate with an exhibition of her works this November.

The presentation, which highlights the intersection of art and horticulture in Thompson’s work, will be on the same day as Brookgreen’s Spring Plant Sale and the Brookgreen Gardens Art Festival.

“We are delighted to have Anne Blackwell Thompson as our artist in residence, creating her beautiful art with Brookgreen’s botanicals,” says Page Kiniry, President and CEO of Brookgreen Gardens. “Anne’s work perfectly blends our missions of showcasing talented artists and collecting and exhibiting plants native to our area. We hope visitors will come learn more about Anne’s art.”

Harvesting from the swamps of South Carolina, the gardens of Virginia’s countryside, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley, artist and plantswoman Anne Blackwell Thompson preserves foliage and flowers using centuries-old traditions and turns her bounties into artistic compositions. A combination of years of botanical study, significant training in studio art, and her love of the natural world go into the making of her beautiful pressed botanical art. Her skills were further honed while studying as an apprentice to world-renowned botanical artist, Stuart Thornton, in Turin, Italy.

The presentation will take place in the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium at Brookgreen on April 29th from 11 am to 12 pm. In her lecture, “Pressing Botanicals – Harvesting Nature’s Bounty,” she will cover her process of collecting vibrant blooms and foliage from the nooks and crannies of the Southern landscape. Her meticulous preservation and artistic presentation elevate these harvested treasures into unique and highly-styled works of art.

For more information about Brookgreen Gardens, visit www.brookgreen.org.

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