Dr. Shirley Sherwood presents: Nymphaea ampla by Margaret Mee

A British-born artist, Margaret Mee set off for the Brazilian Amazon at the age of 42 and built a life and career raising awareness of the rainforest flora and fighting for conservation of its habitat.
She was a truly remarkable woman and her legacy lives on, not only in the plants she discovered that are named after her but also in 400 folios of gouache illustrations, 40 sketchbooks and 15 diaries, many of which are now archived at Kew Gardens. She inspired a great many botanical artists in her time and continues to do so.
Shirley loves this painting because, in her words, it is "graceful and intriguing". She particularly likes the way the leaves stand proud, as they do in real life in the rivers. Margaret Mee had a wonderful relationship with Kew Gardens who acquired 56 of her paintings which became the basis of exhibitions in the US and UK.
For a close-up of this painting and 14 others by Margaret Mee in the Shirley Sherwood Collection, click here: shirleysherwood.com/-MMNa2937
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