Celebrate Women’s History Month with us in a painting workshop that brings together art, nature, and creative reflection to explore flowers and our connection to them.

A flower is a universally shared symbol of beauty. They take our attention wherever we find them – they are reminders of spring, of joy and pleasure. In Western society flowers are often associated with women and femininity. But flowers are complex and transcend the binary male-female dichotomy. Just like all plants, flowers can help us embrace the complexity and uniqueness within our human form. Much like us, every flower has its own weird and wonderful qualities that make it beautiful.

This workshop offers an opportunity to explore their features and histories to reflect on our personal and collective relationships with them. Situated in the Chelsea Physic Garden, we’ll be able to look closely at different species of flowers and gather direct inspiration from their forms, colours, and adaptations.

We’ll dive into the work of three significant female artists—Alma Thomas, Emily Kam Kngwarray, and Georgia O’Keeffe—who found inspiration in flowers and used them as a way to express identity, place, and emotion. Their work will guide us to see flowers as more than their physical forms.

Using the inspiration we’ve gathered from the Garden and the artists, you’ll create your own acrylic paintings on canvas, focusing on abstraction, intuition, and playful exploration.

About Babette Van Gerwen

Babette van Gerwen is an artist and PhD researcher whose work explores human-nature connectedness through painting, performance, and film. With a background in Geography, she examines the significance of nature in everyday life and how it offers a lens for understanding society and the human experience. Babette also leads community art workshops with Sundial Arts and works as an ecotherapy gardener at Forest Farm Peace Garden, bringing creativity and connection to her local community.