The aim of this project is:

To create a collection of botanical illustrations of 8 Grevillea species endemic to the Grampians / Gariwerd region in Victoria, including the endangered Grevillea gariwerdensis. The original artworks and digital images will be donated to the Wildlife Art Museum of Australia (WAMA) being established in the Grampians. The project will raise the public's awareness of the beauty and botanical value of endemic plants, and support WAMA's vision to combine art and nature. The illustrations will be available for WAMA to engage visitors via the Gallery and Endemic Botanic Garden in the form of exhibitions, interpretative signs and plant identification booklets.

Project Description:

Summary & Outcomes:

I am passionate about the unique and significant endemic flora of the Grampians / Gariwerd region in Victoria. I plan to create a collection of botanical drawings in watercolour pencil to record and celebrate this endemic flora and to stimulate public interest and appreciation of the plants, their botanical value and conservation.

This project focuses on 8 endemic Grevillea species including the rare and endangered Grevillea gariwerdensis, with the intention to create a larger body of work in future to encompass the 70+ endemic plants of the region.

This project will embrace and expand on my 30 years’ experience as a botanical artist, including my previous projects painting native plants of the Grampians which were exhibited at the Grampians Wildflower Show from 1994-2008 and featured in a self-published book about terrestrial orchids of the Grampians.

The collection will be donated to the Wildlife Art Museum of Australia (WAMA) located in the Grampians / Gariwerd in regional Victoria, which will be a unique art and environmental precinct featuring a world-class art gallery and native endemic botanic garden. I wish to support WAMA’s conservation efforts and vision to be a place “where art meets nature” for visitors to experience, connect, appreciate and be inspired by art and nature.

The original artworks can form part of the WAMA art collection and be exhibited in the WAMA Gallery when it opens in future. The digital images can be used in the WAMA online gallery and for plant identification booklets and interpretative signs in the newly designed Endemic Botanic Garden. Any proceeds derived from sales associated with the artworks will serve as fundraising to support the WAMA Foundation.

This project will be undertaken over 12 months commencing in January 2023 and will involve travel to study and source specimens from the Grampians / Gariwerd Endemic Botanic Garden and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne. I will work in collaboration with Jill Burness of the WAMA Foundation.

I will present the collection of original artworks and high-resolution digital images to the WAMA Foundation in January 2024.

Main Stages & Timeframes:

Stage 1: January 2023 - Collaborate with Jill Burness of WAMA to coordinate the sourcing of plant specimens.

Stage 2: January 2023 to December 2023 - Visit the Grampians / Gariwerd Endemic Botanic Garden and the Cranbourne Gardens to collect plant specimens, prepare sketches, take photographs and set color swatches in situ. This will involve multiple trips throughout the year to coincide with the flowering times of the plants at both sites.

Stage 3: January 2023 to December 2023 - Complete the botanical illustration process at my studio in Werribee. Each illustration will be completed in relation to the availability and flowering times of the plants.

Stage 4: January 2024 - Professional high-resolution image scanning and packaging of the illustrations.

This process will take place when all 8 illustrations have been completed.

Stage 5: January 2024 - Present the collection of 8 original botanical illustrations and digital images to the WAMA Foundation.

Progress reports

Progress report  1: Dolores Skowronski-Malloni's report - March 2023.pdf

Progress report 2: Progress Report Apr-Jun 23 for Dolores Skowronski-Malloni.pdf

Progress report 3: Progress Report Jun-Sep 23 for Dolores Skowronski-Malloni.pdf

Progress report 4: Progress Report Oct-Jan 24 for Dolores Skowronski-Malloni.pdf