Entire genus in watercolours painted from life

Octogenarian Thirroul artist Jean Dennis, who specialises in painting rare plants, will see her life’s work on show at Sydney’s prestigious gallery The Calyx, at the Royal Botanic Garden, from April 25.

An acclaimed botanical illustrator, Jean has travelled all over Australia for years, documenting the rare Brachychiton in exquisite watercolours. Most are painted from freshly picked specimens.

Jean won a Royal Horticultural Society silver gilt medal for her early Brachychiton paintings in 2000.

By 2015 Jean thought her adventure was over, when she learned of a new Brachychiton species in the Northern Territory. The area where it grew, Fish River, was too difficult to reach in the wet so Jean flew to Darwin the next day, and was lucky enough to catch a small seedling in flower at the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.

Jean is the first artist to record the entire genus in watercolour from life. The paintings in her exhibition will not be for sale individually as Jean painted them as a collection in the hope that they will be preserved as a record of the genus.