BY HER OWN admission, botanical artist Esther Geh is no good with plants.
“I have no green thumbs, fingers or anything of that sort,” Geh said, describing herself as a “useless gardener”. However, her portfolio of work spans an array of intricately-painted stems, leaves and flowers—the result of years dedicated to watercolour botanicals.
A retired anaesthesiologist, Geh’s artistic career researching and painting plants has led to her to become more in touch with her cultural heritage. Although she has always liked to draw, Geh kept her artistic interests separate from her medical career. Only when the latter drew to a close with the birth of her son did she begin to seriously pursue art.
Geh had no formal training; her education as an artist has largely consisted of YouTube, books and online tutorials. In the years since, she has completed a diploma course in botanical painting and attended a four-day workshop in Sydney.
PLANTS THAT TELL STORIES
“The subjects I paint have to have some sort of narrative,” Geh said. “I focus on botanical painting because every plant I have painted have had a story.”
