Botanic illustrator Rita Parkinson loves the detail and subtlety that water colours can achieve.
England-born Parkinson arrived in Australia from New Zealand 16 years ago and now calls Sanctuary Lakes home. Its aquatic inspiration is applied on the four days a week she allocates to her art.
“The drawings are very detailed,” she says of her work. “It can take anywhere from three weeks to a month to finish one painting.”
Parkinson’s terrace home has become her sanctuary.
She watches sunsets, dips her brush into paint and strokes the colour onto paper.
The quantity of birds, wildlife and plants on and around the lake means there is no shortage of inspiration.
She has been surprised and delighted by Australia’s vast diversity of flora and fauna.
“You kind of think everything has been painted, but it hasn’t,” she says.
She teaches at Geelong Botanic Gardens one day a week.
Previously, she had won a gold medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in London and studied fine art at the city’s St Martins School of Art and art history at the Courtauld Institute at the University of London.
Parkinson showcases her work around the world and is preparing for her next exhibition to be held in October at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
She says illustrators must be aware of good composition.
“What does good composition mean? The painting should mean something to the reader. They should be able to read it.”
More details: www.illustrita.com
