News

NEWS

October 2020

I'm thrilled and honoured to get word that my Mahango Fire Bush painting was chosen as the best in the 'Beyond Accuracy' Session. This was at the American Society of Botanical Artists virtual Congress held in October.

March 2020

My Painting of an Orbea melanantha has been included in the composition section of this wonderful new book on Botanical art. My congratulations go to Robin Jess and Carol Woodin for a very informative production.

October 2019

To my great delight I discovered that three of my paintings have been included in the superb book by Dr Sherwood, 'The Shirley Sherwood Collection, Modern Masterpieces of Botanical Art'. Published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK.

April 2018

I had the honour of an interview with a really lovely local journalist, Trish Davis, one morning in April and this article in the Berg and Cradle Newspaper is the result.

The Flowstone Gin pictured bottom right hand corner, is a superb local Craft Gin manufactured with amongst other ingredients, botanicals indigenous to the Cradle of Humankind area.
I had the pleasure of doing the lable illustrations for the three Flowstone Gin flavours. These wonderful Gins won Gold Medals at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards in November 2017.

December 2017

Very kindly The Botanical Artist Association of Southern Africa's Newsletter covered a talk I gave on Composition earlier in the year.

Please click here to read the article.

I am delighted that the Wren-dition magazine from the United States has published an article about my work, namely Nature through the Artist's Eye:.
Please click on the images below to read relevant pages.

March 2017

While in Pittsburgh in October 2016, I was approached to write an article on my work for the 'Wild Flower Watch' column of the American Association of Botanical Artists's March 2017 Journal. I was so thrilled to have this opportunity to share some of the South African wild flowers and my experiences when painting them with a Worldwide audience.

American Journal article of March 2017 p28

American Journal article of March 2017 p29

Please click here to read the article.

November 2016

Carrie Roy (Assistant Art Curator) of The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh sent me this article featured in the latest Pittsburgh Tribune.
Please click here for the full article on their webpage. (Also see the July 2015 posting below).

Dr. Shirley Purchase

The picture above was taken in September at the ‘Plant Exhibition 2016’ held at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. These two paintings where purchased by Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE for her collection housed on permanent display at The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in the UK. Needless to say I am hugely honoured and over the moon with joy and excitement! Having my artworks in this esteemed collection has been a (botanical art) pipe-dream of mine for years. Please see Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art

This is the sixth year in a row that my Birds In Art Painting has been chosen along with 59 others to tour the USA. Each subsequent year that my work gets chosen just makes it all the more special to be included on this year-long tour and I’m so trilled and happy for this wonderful accolade and for the wonderful exposure it offers my work. Thank you LYWAM for choosing my Brunsvigia Celebration!

September 2016

Vista 1 Vista 4

Vista Magazine featuring Birds in Art on page 4.
Page 4, left to right:
Jenny Hyde-Johnson, Hamada (Hadada) Ibis, 1998, pencil on paper;
Jonathan Wilde, Adult Male Blue-winged Teal, 1978, watercolor on paper;
Edward Aldrich, Gannets, 1993, pencil on Bristol board.

September 2015

Next to the thrilling news of having my ‘Diamonds and Rust’ painting selected into the Birds In Art 2015 Exhibition in May, comes the wonderful news that it has been further selected for the ‘Annual Tour of the USA’. This Tour, lasting for 14 months, is the 5^th year in a row that my work has enjoyed this wonderful additional exposure in America. Thank you Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

Detail of the original ‘Diamonds and Rust’

July 2015

One of the ‘mega ticks’ on any Botanical Artist’s list of Exhibitions has to be that of The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA. Through their triennial International Exhibitions they represent a new group of artist’s every three years with the purpose of supporting and encouraging contemporary botanical art and artists. The Institute’s catalogues contain the most comprehensive record of 20^th and 21^st century botanical artists (1129 artists since the triennial’s inception in 1964). They house a huge and diverse collection of botanical related Items from historical botany information, plant science, research documents, books, manuscripts etc., as well as magnificent artwork stretching from the Renaissance period to modern times. I’m over the moon with joy that my Orbea melanantha has been selected for the 15^th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration at the Hunt Institute which is scheduled to open in September 2016.

May 2015

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum will celebrate it’s 40^thanniversary of the ‘Birds In Art Exhibitions’ which makes it a very special occasion and I’m over the moon to have my ‘Diamonds and Rust’ painting accepted into it. It’s a very poignant accolade for me as the sun set on my dad’s life a couple of months back. He was my greatest fan and source of encouragement throughout my life and I’m ever so grateful that he got to see a few BIA acceptance letters before missing this one.

September 2014

Early September saw the ‘fan-fare’ opening of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s ‘Birds In Art’ Exhibition in the USA. Many wonderful messages and photographs from the event were sent by very special, caring friends. Hot on it’s heels came the opening of the 21^st World Orchid Congress in Johannesburg where my orchid painting, Eulophia zeyheri (welwitchii) won the Gold Medal. I was doubly thrilled as the event attracted many botanical artists from all around the world and the enjoyment of meeting them and swapping ideas was delightful. Then the cherry on the top came with the news that the LYWA Museum would like to purchase my ‘Impangele’ painting for their collection and that this painting had also been selected for the 2015 USA Tour! This is a dream come true and I can’t find words to describe how absolutely thrilled I am to have a painting in this prestigious, world-renowned Art Museum!

Impangele (The Guineafowl)

May 2014

The thrill and excitement of having a painting chosen for a Birds In Art exhibition at the USA’s prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum never fades. If anything, the excitement when I got the news that my ’Impangele’ painting had been selected for the 2014 exhibition was just like the first time all over again. It brought many thoughts streaming back of the first year I entered and the ensuing happy dance I did while waiting for the full message to s l o w l y download via my dial-up connection in 2008. It is such a wonderful privilege to have exhibited each year since then alongside fellow bird artists from all around the world.

March 2014

Judges for the 2014 David Shepherd Wildlife Exhibition selected my painting entitled ‘Fascination’ for their exhibition which will be held at the Mall Gallery in London - 2 to 7 June. It’s the portrait of a wild dog pup, I have such a fascination and love for these very endangered creatures. To this end I have donated 6 prints of my previous wild dog paintings for sale in the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s shop in order to help raise funds for the plight of these beautiful creatures in Southern Africa. See www.davidshepherd.org<.

Prints below donated for sale in the David Sheperd Wildlife Foundation shop.
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Above: Fascination

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Above left: Nie and a Half Weeks. Above right: Wild Dog Pup III.

September 2013

In mid September I received the superb news that my painting ‘Geese and the Golden Eggs’ has been chosen to tour the USA through 2014, starting in North Dakota through Colorado and ending in Texas. What a wonderful privilege - making this the fourth year in a row my work has been chosen - see my painting pictured in the May news of this year.

August 2013

It was such a thrilling Opening Night at the Kirstenbosch Biennale in late August especially as this is their Centenary Year. My heartfelt congratulations go to Fay Anderson for her Lifetime Achievement Award for furthering the discipline of botanical painting in South Africa. Well done Fay and all the other Award Winners! I was hugely honoured to achieve a ‘Hat Trick’ by winning a third Gold Medal on this my third Biennale - see my paintings pictured in the June news of this year.

July 2013

For the third year in a row I will be exhibiting wildlife paintings at the beautiful Cape Gallery situated at 60 Church Street, Cape Town. This exhibition opens in early August and boasts work by South Africa's leading wildlife artists such as Peter Gray, Robert Koch, Zakkie Eloff and Paul Dixon.

A Chat with Cliffortia

June 2013

I was thrilled to be invited to submit a scan of one of my paintings and I chose a favourite - 'A Chat with Cliffortia' - for use in the Botanical Society of South Africa's 2014 Calendar, which will be printed and on sale around S.A. later this year. The calendar is sold to raise funds for the Kirstenbosch branch of the Botanical Society.

June 2013

After a long and intensive stretch at the easel, I finally managed to squeak in my 4 botanical paintings for this year's Kirstenbosch Biennale Exhibition, hours before the closing deadline. This is a very special exhibition, which opens in August, and will add to the events marking the Centenary Celebrations of our World Famous Kirstenbosch Gardens. The Gardens have won a staggering 33 Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK and remains 'the country's floral centrepiece' boasting over 7000 floral species in cultivation, many of which are rare and threatened species.


*Acokanthera oppositifolia*	*Boophane disticha*	*Gnidia kraussiana*	*Adenia digitata*

Geese and the Golden Eggs

May 2013

My heart soared once again this May when I received the 'Fat Envelope' informing me that my 'Geese and the Golden Eggs' painting had been accepted for this year's Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Birds in Art Exhibition, opening in September. It is a huge honour to have a painting accepted every year since 2008 and a wonderful privilege to hang alongside esteemed artists like Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, - one-time South Africa Dino Paravano and Guy Coheleach.

November 2012

I was thrilled to be the 'featured artist' in the Gauteng edition of the S.A. Botanical Artist Newsletter, volume 2012 - issue 3, which came out in November. It is really superb as an artist to get publicity and recognition by one's peers is high praise indeed!

September 2012

I’m overjoyed that once again one of my paintings have been accepted into the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s flagship exhibition - Birds In Art 2012 (making it 5 years in a row). This is set to be a very special September as during the opening weekend, the Museum will also celebrate the opening of a new wing and a gift of 43 Owen Gromme paintings. In addition I received the wonderful news that my 'Bateleurs of Maun' painting will accompany 59 other pieces on a year-long-tour through the USA in 2013 - see my exhibitions page for these dates and venues.

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Bateleurs of Maun

Cape Hunting Dogs II

May 2012

In addition my Cape Hunting Dogs II have been selected for the folder in this year’s Wild Life Artist of the Year 2012 Exhibition. This is run under the auspices of the David Shepherd foundation and will take place in London’s prestigious Mall Gallery during May 2012. (See above right - Cape Hunting Dogs II)

April 2012

After the 2011 Johannesburg Botanical Exhibition, I was approached by Conde Naste House & Garden magazine asking if they could highlight my work on their Garden News Page in a future edition. This materialised in the April 2012 magazine and I'm so touched at the amount of traffic to both my website and my studio resulting from this mention. In addition my work has been highlighted on many international blog-spots in Australia, New Zealand and Canada - see the 19-6-2012 posting on jfelker.blofspot.com.
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January 2012

Life sometimes takes a most unexpected and interesting turn and one of these exciting turns came about towards the end of last year. I was approached to paint some botanical plates for a new book that Charles Craib, of Penroc Publishing, is writing on bulbous plants which have become rare and endangered mainly due to changes in habitat and land use in South Africa. This project has led to many kilometres being travelled to source these rare plants in the wild, to draw and photograph them flowering and to collect seeds and this will continue through the remaining summer and autumn months as different species send up shoots and come into flower.

It is such a awe-inspiring experience to stand in the middle of a field of these rare plants, watching them swaying in the breeze, studying their chosen habitats and observing the insects that interact with them. Then the sad realisation dawns that in years to come perhaps none of these rare plants will be here anymore and one feels very humbled that it is mainly due to our needs and greed that their days are numbered.

A whole heap of information and superb photographs of these really interesting, beautiful and sometimes rather strange plants can be found in the Penroc Newsletters - www.penroc.co.za

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October 2011

I'm delighted that three of my indigenous botanical pieces were juried for inclusion into the first Johannesburg Botanical Art Exhibition in Morningside this year.

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Roodepoort Copper

June 2011

I was over the moon earlier this year to have my 'Young Cheetahs' painting chosen for the inclusion in the Wildlife Artist of the Year 2011 exhibition in collaboration with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, held in the Mall Gallery in London. This makes it three years in a row and a superb highlight to have an animal painting of mine chosen yet again.

September 2010

Every year the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum selects a couple of artworks which are reproduced as posters to advertise their ‘Bird In Art’ exhibition. So you can imagine how chuffed I am to have my Nxai Pan painting selected for one of this year’s posters - especially as this is the 35^th Anniversary of the Museum‘s flagship exhibition!

To add to my delight my painting was selected along with 59 others to tour the United States for the whole of 2011. The exhibition will travel to Michelson Museum of Art, Marshall, Texas; Wendell Gilley Museum, Southwest Harbour, Main; Newington-Cropsey Foundation, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York and finally to the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, Texas (please go to my exhibitions page for dates). What fantastic exposure for this African waterhole with its Blacksmith's plovers and "disco donkeys' - I am absolutely thrilled!

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Family Tree

September 2011

It was a huge honour to have my 'Family Tree' painting (above) accepted for the Leigh Yawkey Woodson's prestigious flagship 'Birds In Art' Exhibition (4th year in a row), and to double my delight and pleasure my painting was chosen to accompany 59 other pieces to tour through the USA until end of January 2013. The tour will include Kansas, South Carolina, Michigan, Colorado, and Alaska - what a special privilege and delight!

Young Cheetahs
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June 2010

I was hugely excited to hear that my work has been chosen for exhibition at the 'Wild in de Natuur' 2010 exhibition at 't Kunsthuis van Oosten in Holland this year. This is 'Europe's greatest international Wildlife Exhibition' and I will be exhibiting between 5 and 10 new pieces in November. It is a huge honour to be accepted as one of the only 40 international artists and of that number only a quarter of which are female. Needless to say I will be bound to my studio painting up a storm until the end of October.

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Nxai Pan

February 2010

I am so excited that my portrait of a wild dog "Painted Wolf" has been accepted for the Wildlife Artist of the Year 2010 Exhibition run by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and will be on show at the Mall Gallery in London from the 24th to the 29th May this year. This is a fund-raising exhibition with the proceeds going to help save critically endangered mammals throughout the world.
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Painted Wolf
Won a Highly Commended Award

May 2010

I am absolutely thrilled that my painting ‘Nxai Pan’ has been accepted for the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum‘s ‘Birds In Art 2010‘ exhibition. The Museum’s annual Flagship Exhibition opens on the 11^th September in Wisconsin and runs for 9 weeks till mid November . This annual exhibition coincides with the bird migrations from Canada throughout Wisconsin to the southern regions of the USA where they over-winter. It is a great honour to have been accepted for the third year in succession.