Beverly Allen facts for kids

Beverly Allen (born in 1945) is an Australian artist. She is famous for her beautiful botanical paintings. These are detailed pictures of plants. She often paints plants life-size, like ones from her garden or native Australian plants. Her art is known around the world. It can be found in many special collections. Beverly also teaches art classes at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. She does this between her art projects and shows.

About Beverly Allen's Life

Beverly Allen was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1945. She loved drawing things around her from a young age. She studied graphic design and illustration first. Then, in 1997, she found her passion for botanical art. This happened after she saw a book and an art show by artist Shirley Sherwood in 1998. Beverly also earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Sydney University.

Her Amazing Art Career

Beverly Allen started her career as a package designer. She worked for a makeup company and an advertising agency in Australia. In 1998, she became known as a botanical artist. She then helped start the Florilegium Society and became its president.

While in Sydney, she works with the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. She teaches special classes there. These classes focus on painting plants in a very realistic way. She has been teaching these classes for about 12 years.

Beverly gets her art supplies from the Sydney flower market. When she paints, she uses large paper. This paper allows her to create life-size pictures. She props the paper almost straight up on a drawing table. Her paints are on a wheeled cart nearby. The plant she is painting sits on another wheeled trolley. Being able to move everything helps her use the light in the room perfectly.

Awards for Her Art

Beverly Allen has won many important awards for her botanical art:

• 2007 – She won a gold medal from the RHA. This was for eight watercolor paintings of a plant called Epiphyllum.
• 2010 – She received the first-ever gold medal for Botanical Art. This was from the New York Botanical Garden.
• 2014 – She won a Silver Medal for Botanical Art from the New York Gardens.
• 2016 – She received the Diane Bouchier Artist Award. This award is for excellence in botanical art. It was given by the American Society of Botanical Artists.

Where to See Her Art

Beverly Allen's paintings have been shown in many places. She has had exhibitions in:

• 1999-2019 – The 'Botanica' exhibition at Sydney's Royal Botanical Garden.
• 2004 – The 11th international exhibit at the Hunt Institute.

Her artworks can be seen in shows around the world. These include cities like New York, Washington, Chicago, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Kyoto, and London. Her art is also part of many public and private collections. Some famous collections include The Kew, the RHS Lindley Library, the Hunt, Highgrove, and the Shirley Sherwood collection.

Some of Her Famous Paintings

Beverly Allen has created many amazing botanical artworks. Here are a few examples:

• 2004 – Bulbophyllum fletcherianum (Tongue orchid). This is a large watercolor painting.
• 2005 – Bambusa Vulgaris 'Striata'. This watercolor is in the Alisa and Isaac Sutton Collection.
• 2010 – Cocos nucifera (Coconuts). This is a very large watercolor painting of coconuts.
• 2011 – Gloriosa superba, Punica granatum, Acer sp. and 2 unidentified seedpods. This painting shows pomegranates and seedpods.
• 2012 – Eucalyptus tetraptera (Square fruited mallee). A watercolor of a type of eucalyptus.
• 2013 – Doryanthes excels (Gymea lily) seedpods and Lonicera italic (Honeysuckle). This painting features seedpods and honeysuckle.
• 2014 – Flindersia australis, Nerium oleander, Prunus sp., Pelargonium sp., Rosa rugosa, Psaltoda plaga (the cicada). This unique painting includes a cicada!
• 2014 – Carlina accaulis (Thistle). A watercolor of a thistle plant.
• 2015 – Doryanthes escels (Gymea lily-detail). Another large watercolor of the Gymea lily.
• White Bat Flower – 'Tacca Integrifolia'. A watercolor of a unique bat flower.
• Gymea Lily (Doryanthes Excelsa). Another watercolor of the Gymea Lily.