NatureArt Lab Blog

An award-winning, full-time artist, Libby Derham is a fourth-generation watercolourist. She won the Annie Tan Memorial Watercolour Award (Queensland Regional Art Awards) (2021) and has been a finalist in multiple local and national awards. She completed art training at Surrey Institute of Art and Design in the UK (1996-1998). 

Pushing traditional into experimental watercolour, Libby looks for new ways of working with the medium’s dynamic fluidity and transparent qualities, mixing with pigment. An appreciation for the natural world informs Libby's practice. The work seeks to capture her sensory experience within it and the immersive qualities of En plein air. 

Australia boasts a rich and diverse range of flora, and one of the largest groups that stands out is the Eucalyptus genus, consisting of over 800 species spread across three genera: Angophora, Corymbia, and Eucalyptus. These native plants are not only iconic but also play a vital role in Australia's natural environment, earning recognition worldwide. With their various shapes and sizes, the workshop aimed to explore the captivating forms and colours of eucalypts, with a particular emphasis on species with rounded leaves, such as Eucalyptus kruseana, E. cinerea, E. pulverulenta, and E. orbifolia.

Last month, we had the incredible opportunity to explore the captivating world of one of Australia's most iconic species. Snakes and lizards, often misunderstood or overlooked, took centre stage as we delved into their beauty and uniqueness in the course, Illustrating Australian Reptiles with Zoe Lawrence.

Over the course, our students were given the rare chance to intimately interact with live reptiles, gaining firsthand knowledge and mastering techniques to accurately capture their essence through coloured pencil illustrations. It was a harmonious fusion of art and science, allowing us to raise awareness and foster a deep appreciation for these magnificent creatures and our native fauna as a whole.

Nicole Crosswell is a practising visual artist, arts facilitator, and the scientific illustrator for The Queensland Herbarium at Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. Her arts practice embodies the phrase ‘to draw’; from contemporary manipulation of physical thread and line through to traditional methods of drawing and mark making. In both her professional and personal life is Nicole’s passion for the natural world and its dynamic evolution.

An amazing testament to how an art school’s philosophy of engaging nature through art drives citizen science and custodianship of our environment.

In April 2019 I was lucky enough to join the second NatureArt tour to Borneo as accompanying art tutor. Not having travelled to this part of the world and knowing very little about the plants and wildlife we would encounter I was very excited to be a part of the trip. From my perspective I can think of no better way to get to know and understand unfamiliar living things than by spending the time observing and drawing them. This is when the rest of the world quietens down and it becomes possible to feel an affinity with what is in front of you.

Why are the arts so important in education? With the current rate of environmental degradation and biodiversity decline, how can we better support environmental literacy, stewardship and sustainability in our communities? Why is nature so important for health, happiness and creativity? There is a strong and growing literature base which demonstrates clear answers to these questions. NatureArt Lab is actively promoting these approaches through our programs for children, youth and adults.