Distinguished artists concerned with all aspects of the natural world are mounting a major show at Exbury Gardens during the spring and summer.
The Four Seasons Art group, headed by painter and writer Marianna Kneller, Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists, will show paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and etchings in Exbury’s Five Arrows gallery for two months during late spring and early summer.

Marianna, resident artist at Exbury Gardens from 1980-2004 and a founder member of the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA), is known for her unparalleled studies of the Rothschild collection of rhododendrons and is the author of a superbly illustrated book on rhododendrons, published by David and Charles in 1995. The RHS have awarded her the complete range of Grenfell Medals for Botanic Art, the Linley Medal and a prestigious Gold Medal for her rhododendron species leaf studies.
“Many of the artists who have exhibited at Exbury in the past are coming together with some new talent under the ‘Four Seasons’ mantle and I’m delighted to say we have a show that is exciting and wide-ranging,” she said. “There is traditional and contemporary work and a great range of medium and styles”.
Many of the exhibitors belong to the Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Floral Painters. Others include Bridget Dumper MA whose fine sculpture uses local chicksgrove stone and richly coloured opal, cobalt and serpentine stone from Zimbabwe. “I have a life-long love of form and colour and I work with this stone to reveal the natural colour and the shapes within,” she said
Award-winning Barbara Rousseau’s vibrant pastels will be on show along with the delicate and detailed illustrations of Joan Osborne who specializes in flowers, birds and butterflies, in gouache or watercolour.
No stranger to Exbury is Ruth Baron Ezra whose intricately worked pencil drawings of birds, flowers and landscape details will be recognized by many visitors to the show.
Ali Lindley’s work, often abstract, is driven by a sense of design, while she explores light and uses black within the palette to great effect.
Other members of the group include C.W. Birchall, Daphne Ellman, Brian Harrild, Tony Mercier, Annie Soudain, Peter Thwaites, Mary Tarraway and Richard Tratt.
The subject matter ranges from landscapes, seascapes, detailed illustrations of flowers and fruits, driftwood, rocks, water, birds and mammals in a wide range of media. “We are delighted to mount this exhibition just as the Gardens are looking their splendid best,” said Marianne. “Visitors to Exbury are in for a visual treat.”
Members of the group will be on hand during exhibition opening hours to answer questions and talk about the work on display.
Four Seasons Art Group exhibit at Exbury from 7 April-8June 2008 in the Five Arrows gallery, Exbury Gardens.