Dianne Sutherland was passionate about art from her very childhood and was clear about pursuing art as a career. This was the reason why she chose to enroll in an art school and then went on to train as a ceramic design technician with the Royal Doulton design studio. It was here that she had her first brush with detailed flower painting.
So enamored was she with painting flowers in minute details that she not only started painting botanical subjects but also endeavored to increase her knowledge about plants by enrolling in a four-year BSc biology honors course from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. After earning this degree, she also did her MSc in IT. Afterward, she became a freelance education consultant, but continued painting. It was after she took a Botanical Art course that she decided to pursue teaching botanical art as a full-time career.
Sutherland explains her passion for botanical art on her website, thus, “Nothing captures attention more than the natural world with all its intricacies and beauty. In my work, I aim to tell the story of plants by capturing nature through careful observation and exploration of the finer details.”
Whether it’s a leaf or a flower or any other plant part, Sutherland’s botanical artwork is so incredible that it’s difficult to distinguish it from a photograph. In botanical art, she’s mainly self-taught. Her desire to share what she has learned prompted her to make botanical art accessible to all those interested in it. For this, she created an online learning program.
Sutherland has held both national and international exhibitions of her works. Her works are in the permanent collection at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburg, and in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Florilegium. She has also won many honors and awards in this field.
Dianne Sutherland