Watercolour of a Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia)

item details

NameWatercolour of a Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia)

ProductionNancy Adams CBE; illustrator; circa 1940-circa 1990

Classificationsketches, watercolours

Materialswater-base paint, graphite, paper

Techniquespainting, drawing

Registration NumberCA000925/001/0012

Credit linePurchased 2007

Overview

Nancy Adams was one of New Zealand’s most prolific botanists and a talented artist. She produced a vast number of botanical illustrations, which were included in widely distributed and well-regarded books about New Zealand flora. Her work, celebrated for its visual appeal and accuracy, includes Mountain Flowers of New Zealand (A.H & A.W. Reed, 1965), Wild Flowers in New Zealand (A.H & A.W. Reed, 1980), and the award-winning Seaweeds of New Zealand: An Illustrated Guide (Canterbury University Press, 1994).

Adams is renowned for her unique interdisciplinary approach to art and science. She is remembered for the beauty and clarity she achieved in her artwork "coupled with her observational skill, extraordinarily accurate colour palette and the ability to bring life to the species illustrated." (1). This watercolour depicts a Himalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis betonicifolia. The vibrant colour and the detailed textures show Adams pairing art and science to render her specimens in life-like detail.

Notes

1. Wendy Nelson, In Memoriam: Nancy Adams (1926-2007), Phycologia (2008) Vol 47 (1), P2.