Exhibition Inspired by the University of Bristol Botanic Garden

I am please to announce my upcoming collaborative Bristol Exhibition with Chi-Yien Snow inspired by visits to the University of Bristol Botanic Garden.

Some places that you visit as a child have a lasting impact and for me, the Bristol Botanic Garden is one of them. I grew up in the village of Winford in the Chew Valley area and my father, Professor Roger Alder FRS, was a lecturer in the chemistry department at Bristol (and is still an active member of the University community aged 86). Also living in Winford at that time was Dr Mark Smith, superintendent of the Bristol Botanic Garden in its former location at Bracken Hill. My parents were friends with Mark and his wife Brigit and it was this, together with their lifelong love of plants and nature, which led to family outings to the garden. I have very fond memories of these visits and Dr Mark Smith’s enthusiasm for plants clearly rubbed off on me as I too have had a lifelong love of plants and particularly exotic species. One plant that made a huge impression on me at the time was Mimosa Pudica or the sensitive plant but I was delighted to find whilst researching this article that Dr Smith was particularly interested in Semparvivum cultivars as these plants have particularly inspired me artistically on my more recent visits to the gardens.

I left Winford in the late 1980s to go to University in Reading and subsequently settled with my husband in Berkshire where we stayed for 30 years.

My friendship with Chi-Yien Snow began when I returned to live in the Bristol area in 2019 and joined Clevedon Art Club. We hit it off immediately and soon started going on days out together looking for inspiration and working collaboratively with the same subject matter in our very different styles. The first of these trips was to Black Down in the Mendip Hills where we both painted the same view and realised how well our art complimented each other.

I knew Chi-Yien would love the garden so I suggested a visit. We first visited together in October 2021 and it was noticeable from the start that although Chi-Yien loved the garden as much as I do, she was drawn to different aspects and perspectives. We talked about how interesting it would be to display our paintings inspired by the garden alongside each other and the idea of a collaborative exhibition was born! All we needed was a suitable venue in Bristol where we could display the work…. So when the opportunity to exhibit at The Square Club in Berkeley Square arose, we jumped at the chance.

Chi-Yien and I have been working for many months to bring the ‘LUSH’ exhibition and hope that through our art we will shine a spotlight on the fantastic treasure that is the University of Bristol Botanic Garden. I personally also hope to honour the memory of the late Dr Mark Smith who inspired me all those years ago.

Stephanie Gay is an artist who has specialised in painting on silk for more than 20 years. She exhibits her work widely through galleries, group and solo exhibitions. She has had work included in the Society of Women Artists annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. In 2017 she was named Landscape Painter of the Year by Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Life Magazine. In 2022 she was the winner of the inaugural Clevedon Artist of the Year competition.

Chi-Yien Snow is a Clevedon based painted who works with a variety of media including oils, acrylic and pen and ink. She regularly exhibits her work locally and has twice been featured on the SkyArts ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’ programme. She has also recently collaborated with the Bristol University Cabot Institute producing a piece of art highlighting the climate emergency. Chi-Yien’s work covers a surprising range from big brush strokes and bold use of colour to black and white drawings made entirely of tiny vertical lines.

LUSH – 1 Garden, 2 Artists is on at the Square Club, Berkeley Square, Bristol from February to the end of  April 2024. Entry is Free of Charge