Petal, the world of flowers through an artist’s eye

Spring is definitely a time for flowers and so we were captured by the beautiful imagery of illustrator/botanic artist Adriana Picker and her book Petal.

We love that the artist’s name echoes back to the adjective for flower sourcing and her stunning new book, described on her website as a ‘A compendium of floral wonder, Petal reveals the colours, details and unique sculptural beauty of nature’s most remarkable creations’ – is just a wonderous work of art in and of itself.

‘A compendium of floral wonder, Petal reveals the colours, details and unique sculptural beauty of nature’s most remarkable creations.’

Picker has curated specimens from all over the world in this elegant hardcover in celebration of flowers and all their complexity and innate simplicity. Accompanied by writer Nina Rousseau's words on the folklore, fame and meaning of both favourite blooms and herbaceous curiosities, Petal features over two hundred flowers from twenty-seven plant families – from elegant roses to otherworldly orchids and magnificent magnolias. There is also a dedicated chapter on ‘unusual specimens’.

Adriana Picker is a New York based, Australian born illustrator and author, whose lifelong passion for botanical illustration, and for the real thing – flowers and plants, emerged via her love and connection to the natural world, a connection forged in Australia where she lived ‘in the mountains, by the coast, in the countryside, and in the city’. She says that throughout her life and within all the places she has lived, it is flowers, the look, feel and the magic of them, that has drawn her in.

Petal – A world of flowers through an artist’s eye was published in April last year and is now in its second print run, so books are available to pre-order in readiness for Christmas. This is Picker’s fourth book to date, she has previously illustrated The Garden of Earthly Delights, Where the Wildflowers Grow, and The Cocktail Garden, all published by Hardie Grant Australia.

Interesting to learn that Picker’s earlier career was in costume illustration. She started her illustration career working on high profile Australian films including The Great Gatsby, Mad Max: Fury Road and Hacksaw Ridge.

Now a commercial illustrator she is also available for commission and brand collaborations via her agency, The Jacky Winter Group. Her select client list includes Jurlique, The Washington Post, Vogue, T2, Absolut Vodka, Moleskine, Mecca Cosmetics, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Berlei, Melbourne Zoo and Planned Parenthood NYC.

Picker is currently working on a range of textile designs – oh my! We can’t wait! And, even more excitingly, we discovered she has some utterly gorgeously, blooming limited-edition prints (for just $150 unframed) over on her online store. See all the blooming loveliness here.

Adriana Picker is a New York based, Australian born Illustrator and Author

PHOTOGRAPHS

Bridget Badore