The Tapestry of Life: A Botanical Artist’s Miscellany
What are the ingredients for a successful career as a botanical artist?
In The Tapestry of Life, Susan Christopher-Coulson identifies the threads that have formed the warp and weft of her profession: the natural world and her love of drawing woven together with skills in design and making. A self-confessed collector of ‘unconsidered trifles’, she shares her compulsion to collect and then record the treasures she finds as well as her sources of historical inspiration – from medieval prayer books to 17th century Florists.
Working in coloured pencils on board or watercolour paper, Susan’s enthusiasm for joyful juxtapositions of colour and form is infectious and a practical section detailing the tools of her trade along with a step-by-step tutorial featuring a broken English Florists’ tulip will equip readers interested in trying the medium for themselves.
Take inspiration from the compositions, the subjects and the presentation of Susan’s award-winning work but most of all, from the joy that permeates this account of a life spent making botanical art.