Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
watercolour
Blackberry
Rubus occidentalis
watercolour
Gladiola
Gladioulus X hortulanus
watercolour
Margaret Walsh Best
Margaret Best’s detailed expressions of the wildflowers and berries of Newfoundland and Labrador are not only a celebration of the natural world, but a demonstration of the subtle power of the watercolour medium. Her interest in botanical art stems from the variation and complexity that is evident in her subjects: the sheer range of colour, the intricacy of form to be found in a single blossom, demand an observational rigour from the botanical artist, an attention to detail that is part science and part art. Striving to achieve a proper balance between these two elements brings a challenging and exciting dimension to Margaret’s craft.
As an art educator, Margaret has coordinated various school-related multimedia projects and is an advocate for the incorporation of art into all areas of educational curricula. She offers drawing and watercolour classes at Memorial University’s Botanical Garden in St. John’s, as well as in the outport locals of Ferryland on the Southern Shore and Woody Island in Placentia Bay.
Margaret’s most recent solo exhibition, A Brush With History: The Gardens of the Colony of Avalon, featured thirty watercolour pieces depicting plants of the 17th century Colony of Avalon gardens. The exhibition was mounted in the summer of 2005 at the colony’s archaeological interpretation centre in Ferryland. At her studio in St. John’s and at Island View Studio in Tors Cove, Newfoundland, she is currently preparing her 2007 solo exhibition on the East Coast Trail.