Illustration by Françoise Verger
“I would like to address children through botanical art to show them that the beauty of our planet, more than ever, needs to be respected.”
When Françoise Verger took her diploma in botanical illustration with the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA) in 2014, she had to display the sketchbook in which she had drawn her preparatory works. She entitled it Big Bits and Small Pieces. In the introduction she wrote: “If things go well, I would like to address children through botanical art to show them that the beauty of our planet, more than ever, needs to be respected.”
Born in France, Françoise trained as a translator. The subject of her MA in Translation was the Irish writer Mary Lavin (1912–1996). Latterly, a Dublin public square has been named after Lavin; the first time a female Irish writer was thus honoured.
Françoise worked as a bookseller, a language teacher and a journalist for Le Monde (where she met her husband Pierre) and for several art magazines. Now retired, they live in Wales – in Hay-on-Wye, the town of books. In 2018 they launched an initiative called BOTANY and other stories.
“The more precisely one copies nature and life, the more artistic your work will be.”
– Albrecht Durer (21 May 1471–6 April 1528), German painter, printmaker and theorist of the Renaissance
“If we trace the artistic form of things made by man to their origins, we find a direct inspiration from, if not a direct imitation of, nature.”
– Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868–10 December 1928), Scottish architect, water colourist and designer
Having received her diploma, Françoise continues to illustrate plants, fruits, vegetables and flowers, including several very tricky mushrooms. Here are some examples of her work…
