Meriel Thurstan - Botanical Artist

I must admit I took extra art lessons at school mainly as a way of avoiding having to play hockey, lacrosse and netball. I started botanical illustration when I was working in Cornwall, where I was a founder, now a Fellow, of the Eden Project Florilegium Society. 

Rosie Martin and I organized and tutored the extremely successful annual Eden diploma course in botanical illustration, which developed into weekly classes, demonstrations, workshops and a distance learning course.

In 2006 I set up the South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA) and was chairman from 2006-2011. I was re-elected as chairman in 2018.

I was an elected member of the Society of Floral Painters (now defunct). My awards include a Bronze medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for paintings of different-coloured potatoes, and an RHS Silver Linley medal  for paintings of Fungi of the Eden Project.

I am co-author, with Rosie Martin, of six books on botanical and natural history illustration. My work is included in 'A Coming of Age', a celebration of the work of the Eden Project Florilegium Society over the last 18 years, edited by Ros Franklin and published in 2018. I exhibit with SWSBA and also at other venues in the West Country.

My paintings hang in England, France and Australia.