Becoming Blue: Inky Leaves Podcasting

I am happy to announce I have published my first podcast! 

'Inky Leaves Podcasting' is a channel that will focus solely on promoting botany and botanical art through audio.  Here we get to listen to artists, collectors and curators and, as time passes, I hope to track my own adventures into blue when I begin my travels in search of blue flowers. The Inky Leaf broadcast will probably evolve over time to feature different soundscapes mingled with interviews. For now, I intend to post on a fortnightly basis in 30 minute slots.

I am very excited about the venture and hope that it will not only be of interest to us as botanical painters but also to other audiences who would not necessarily think about botanical art and its applications, but who tune in online via other portals such as iTunes or Spotify. 

If you would like to listen to our first programme where I talk with Denise Ramsay about painting in her studio in France please click here.

Denise Ramsay

'This British painter is looking for rare blue flowers worldwide...'

©VICE

This Hallowe'en, at a time when most folk dress up as white ghosts or pumpkins, I found myself dressed in Blue, sitting in an Agapanthus field in Amsterdam, talking about flowers. 

To read the full article visit:

https://partners.vice.com/stichting-bloemenbureau-holland/lievelingsbloem/news/deze-britse-schilder-zoekt-wereldwijd-naar-zeldzame-blauwe-bloemen/

For the English version, please use Google Translate. 

Interview on Radio Talk Europe

On a gloriously sunny day in Belicena, Spain I was hiding in my studio talking with the excellent and very talented Ian Rutter, who not only presents, but also writes and paints. 

Leaf  070420170959, Rosa sp.. Watercolour on paper. SOLD

Ian produces an fascinating programme called 'Life Stories' where he interviews non-Spanish guests who have chosen to live in Spain. He discusses their lives in Spain and what they did before they moved and what they intend to do in the future. 

During the programme guests are asked to choose 6 pieces of music that mean something to them. I naturally found this to be incredibly challenging as my tastes are broad and change frequently. In the end I chose pieces that I probably play the most and one that we all know about - the one that actually has the sounds of my own life, Leafscape.

Leaf  090520171506, Conker, Watercolour on paper.  SOLD

The programme is scheduled to be aired this Sunday 12th November at 1pm, and then again on Saturday 18th November at midday. You can tune in on an FM frequency or via the website, and all details can be found here: http://www.talkradioeurope.com/. Once the programme has been broadcast, there is a 7 Day on Demand function on the website, and you can download a copy of the programme via this feature.

LISTEN LIVE on 12th November at 1pm

or

ON DEMAND from 7 days post airing

Leaf  090520171507, Conker, Watercolour on paper, SOLD

Happy listening and a big thanks to Ian for being so encouraging and patient with my ramblings! 

Botanical Illustration - a dialogue with Hemlata Pradhan

A delightful interview with renowned botanical artist, Hemlata Pradhan,  about her subject, experiences and the scope of botanical illustration has just been published by Indian Botanists Online and you can find it here.Indian Botanists Online

Enjoy!