Beauty and Nature: Scott sisters' drawings exhibition at the Tweed River Art Gallery, Australia

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Lev Bely, 24.07.2012 15:46

Tweed River Art Gallery (Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia) presents a new exhibition for insect lovers named Beauty and Nature: Art of the Scott sisters.

There you can see butterflies and moths, caterpillars and plants depicted in paintings and sketches made by two famous 19th century nature artists, Harriet and Helena Scott.

Susi Muddiman, director of the Tweed River Art Gallery, says that both sisters were talented and determined to make a difference. “They were also fortunate to have a father who was a trained artist and scientist himself,” Miss Muddiman said.

“He taught his daughters the techniques to paint nature, and also the scientific skills to observe, collect and record it.”

“This supportive background led them to a remarkable career in scientific illustrations — many of which are still used by scientists today.”

David Britton, Australian Museum entomology collection manager, says that Scott sisters' drawings are valuable scientific material as well. “The Scott sisters were among the first to illustrate the life histories and immature stages of Australian moths and butterflies,” Dr Britton said. “They were meticulous and understood the biology of their subjects in great detail.”

The exhibition shows selected watercolor paintings created in the period between 1846 and 1851 yy., for the prominent publication “Australian Lepidoptera and their Transformations”, written by sisters' father Alexander Walker Scott.

My Daily News, http://www.mydailynews.com.au, Tweed River Art Gallery, http://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ArtGallery

Photo: one of the Scott's drawings exhibited at the Beauty and Nature: Art of the Scott sisters, http://www.mydailynews.com.au

Australian Museum on the exhibition and item preparation