Botanical Photography Course. May 2024.
I’m looking forward to my next course, teaching ‘Botanical Photography – Plant Portraits’ at West Dean College in Sussex. 3-5 May.
Tag Archives: spring
West Dean 05.23
Teaching at West Dean College, Sussex. 12-14 May 2023.
I’ll be back at West Dean College soon, teaching ‘Botanical Photography – Plant Portraits’. Photographing plants in the beautiful gardens and in the studio, students will learn new techniques and experiment with individual and mixed plants compositions.
Open House 23
Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House. 13/14 & 20/21 May 2023.
I’ll be showing my work again this year at the Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House. My work will be exhibited at 93 Woodwarde Road, Dulwich SE22 8UL.
Open House May 2022
Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House. May 2022.
Looking forward to showing my work again this year at the Open House in Dulwich. 93 Woodwarde Road, Dulwich SE22 8UL.
March 2021
Spring exhibitions. March 2021.
With the end of lockdown now in sight, I’m pleased to provide some details on some upcoming shows. The Art Buyer Online Spring Show is on from 10-31 March. Four of my new photographs will be part of a show featuring 19 UK artists with 75 artworks on display including photography, painting, ceramics and textiles. Included is this plant study used on the poster, Tulipa 4. Gas Gallery will also have some of my new work in theirs spring show starting on 19 March. After that, there should be shows in April and May so I’ll provide details as soon as there is confirmation.
January 2021
Bulb Planting. January 2021.
I was rather relieved to read that it’s not too late to plant tulips in January. The earth has been so saturated recently that I’ve left the planting of bulbs until the very last minute. I have numerous varieties of tulip to look forward to in the spring plus a few other unusual bulbs which I’m trying out. I can’t wait to start shooting them in the studio when spring comes.
Feb 2019
Spring Shows. February 2019.
I will be leading another botanical photography course at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 1st & 2nd March. After that, my work will be on show at The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London 0n 7-10 March. I’ll also be at Midcentury Modern in Dulwich, London on 10th March and on 11/12 and 18/19 May, my images will be part of a group show at the Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House. There will be plenty of new pictures on show which I have been retouching during the autumn and winter months including this one, Mixed Summer Plants 2, 2018.
Open House 05.18
Artists’ Open House and V&A Botanical Photography Course. May 2018.
I’ll be busy for the next couple of weekends. The Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House begins this weekend where I will be showing lots of newly framed images in sizes A4 up to 30″x 40″. There will also be a selection of mounted and unframed work on sale. The address is 158 Overhill Road, London, SE22 0PS. 11am-6pm, 12 & 13 and 19 & 20 May. Prices from £70-£700. I’ll also be leading a two day botanical photography workshop at the Victoria & Albert Museum on 18th and 19th May. Sadly the course is now full but I’m looking forward to meeting the students and showing them some inspirational artwork in the V&A’s prints and drawings study room where they’ll be able to see botanical illustration, paintings and photographic prints before starting their own projects. (For this reason I won’t be there in person at the Open House on Sat 19th May).
V&A 3.18
Botanical Photography Workshop at the V&A. March 2018.
In May, I will be leading a two day botanical photography workshop. It’s a two day practical workshop on 18-19 May in the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington, London. I had the pleasure earlier in the year of going to the V&A’s prints and drawings room to do some research on how plants have been represented in photography, illustration and painting over the years. I was able to see, firsthand, the work of so many sources of inspiration and it will be great to see the students’ reaction to some of the folios of work which I’ll be selecting. If you’re interested in attending the course please email me with any questions or here are the details on the V&A’s website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/6VZkBdQ8/botanical-photography-may-2018
AAF Stockholm 10.17
Affordable Art Fair, Stockholm. October 2017.
I’ve spend a lot of time this year photographing another dozen varieties of tulips. Many of these are on show now for the first time at The Affordable Art Fair in Stockholm, Sweden, 12-15 October.
Cornwall. April 2017.
Cornwall. April 2017.
Having been down to Cornwall on so many occasions in the summer months, it was a real pleasure to enjoy a few fine days at Easter photographing the coastal plants around the Land’s End and Lizard areas. I’ve put an album of images on my Facebook page kevinduttonphotography. Amongst so many others, I saw spring squills, green-winged orchids, thrift, various sedums, rare western gorse, numerous mosses and lichens, seas of hawthorn blossom and three-cornered leeks which seemed to be everywhere.
Tillmans/Radical Eye. March 2017.
Wolfgang Tillmans and The Radical Eye at Tate Modern. March 2017.
The Radical Eye, Elton John’s collection of twentieth century modernist photography is impressive. Great works by Paul Outerbridge, Imogen Cunningham and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy were all on display, beautifully printed (albeit in rather dandy frames!), many of which inspired me to take up photography. Following this I went to the other side of the Tate Modern to the Wolfgang Tillmans show where, to my great surprise, the images I had just seen suddenly seemed not just small (few were larger than 10″ x 8″ prints) but also felt far more culturally distant. Tillmans, working in full colour and sometimes on a huge scale, cheerfully takes on the task of producing all forms of photographic imagery. No genre restrictions for him (The Radical Eye conservatively had themes of portraits, objects, bodies etc.), he gives us everything and more. There are bits of photographic sculpture, political displays and even a room with no pictures at all: just a room with music. It’s not that the The Radical Eye is a bad show. There are numerous undisputed masterpieces there. it’s just they now felt like old masters. Tillmans’ work and especially his ability to use colour – on any scale – felt visceral and immediate. Amusingly, we were welcomed by being told you are allowed to take photos at the show, so here is my shot, looking up at one of Tillmans’ huge unframed hanging giclee prints.
Tulips 4. 12.16.
New Prints. December 2016.
This autumn some new prints have been on show in Stockholm and London. Here, Mixed Tulips 4, a composition of the tulips I grew in spring of this year includes Antraciet (magenta/crimson), Dolls’ Minuet (magenta, red flush), Orange Princess, Victoria’s Secret (purple parrot) and Blumex (orange parrot).
Tulips 4.16
Tulips. April 2016.
Here are some of the ten dozen bulbs which I’ve been growing for my spring tulip project. From left, El Nino, Flaming Spring Green, Antraciet, Orange Princess. The studio is now (rather chaotically) packed with the flowers being used for my mixed plant compositions.
Hamamelis 4.16
Hamamelis at RHS Harlow Carr. April 2016.
On a wet and windy early spring day at the RHS’s garden at Harlow Carr, Harrogate, Yorkshire, my eye was caught by the delicate flowers of this hamamelis (witch hazel).
February 2016
New Prints and Spring Shows. February 2016.
Following a busy January with the exhibition at the Gallery Lee & Bae in Busan, South Korea, I’m now preparing for two spring shows in London. Here’s a new image, Mixed Plants 7 which will be on show for the first time at Midcentury Modern, Dulwich on Sunday 28th February. On 10-13 March, new work will also be on view at the Gas Gallery stand at The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London.
December 15
Planting Bulbs. December 2015.
Out in the garden I’ve been braving some ghastly weather in order to plant 120 tulip bulbs to photograph next spring. The bulbs in the image below are Antraciet and El Nino, but others will include varieties such as Blumex, Rai, Flaming Spring Green and Orange Princess. Inspired by Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam and the stunning specimens of the Dutch Tulip Mania in the 1600s described in paintings and illustrations of the time, I’ll be working on individual and group plant studies from early April.
Sunday Times Style 5.15
Floral photography for the Sunday Times Style Magazine/Chelsea Flower Show 2015
Following a couple of great weekends selling pictures and talking plants, flowers and photography at the Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House, it’s now time for the 2015 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. In this Sunday’s Sunday Times Style Magazine there’s a double page spread which I shot in collaboration with Flora Starkey, a floral designer who is currently working with garden designer Jo Thompson on the M&G garden retreat show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Affordable Art Fair and Midcentury Modern. 3.15.
Affordable Art Fair and Midcentury Modern.
It’s been another busy weekend with two fairs at the same time (!) – The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea and Midcentury Modern in Dulwich. It’s always a great opportunity to meet the public to get feedback on the new work. There’s been a great response to my new plants studies, especially the mixed plant still life images. I now have to sort out the printing and framing orders, including some large framed orders of the image below, Mixed Plants 1, one of my studio compositions of various plants and flowers (including Philadelphus, Parthenocissus henryana, Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’, and common blackberry flowers) which I grow in my garden or up at the allotment at Knight’s Hill.
Narcissi 5.3.14
Narcissi, March 2014.
With only a week to go before the Affordable Art Fair at Battersea, here’s one of the my new images which will be on sale at Gas Gallery’s stand.
Photo Democracy exhibition 8.13.
Photo Democracy Exhibition, Piccadilly, London.
Here’s one of my new images which will be on show from Monday at the summer show at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, London, W1 , 12-17 August, featuring the winners of the Photo Democracy Award for Fine Art Photography 2013. A selection of my work is also now on sale at the Photo Democracy online gallery.
Photo democracy Award 7.13.
Photo Democracy Award for Fine Art Photography 2013.
I’ve just had some good news – I’m one of the winners of the Photo Democracy Award for Fine Art Photography 2013. My images will be on show at the summer show at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, London, W1 , 12-17 August. A selection of my work will also be sold through Photo Democracy from the autumn. My study of Fritillaria Meleagris has been chosen for the poster and publicity.
New prints. 8.7.13.
New prints for sale.
I’ve just added 15 new images to the collection of prints for sale online at www.kevindutton.net . They include this springtime study of Covollaria (Lily of the Valley).
Open House 2nd weekend 5.13
Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House.
We’ll be opening up again for the second weekend of the Artists’ Open House on Saturday and Sunday 18th & 19th May, 11-6. As well as my photographs there will also be stunning lampshades from Isabel Stanley and beautiful knitted cushion & toys from Sally Nencini. My work will also be showing at the Gas Gallery show (same dates and times) at 41 College Road, London, SE21 7BA.
Open house 5.13
Dulwich Festival Artists’ Open House.
Thanks to everyone who came to the first weekend of our show at the Artists’ Open House. It made for an extremely busy but enjoyable couple of days. We’ll be showing work again next weekend too, Saturday and Sunday 18th & 19th May, 11-6 for anyone who’d like to join us. As well as my photographs there will also be stunning lampshades from Isabel Stanley and beautiful knitted cushion & toys from Sally Nencini. Some of my work will also be showing at the Gas Gallery show (same dates and times) at 41 College Road, London, SE21 7BA.
Open House 5.13
Dulwich Festival – Artists’ Open House.
Here’s the invitation for my forthcoming show as part of the Festival. All welcome.
Scarlet Elf Cup 4.13
Scarlet Elf Cup. Kent Woodland.
Bumping into a fungus expert in the Kent woodlands, I was shown beautiful specimens of the scarlet elf cup (or scarlet elf cap or scarlet cup), Sarcoscypha coccinea covering areas of the forest floor.
Flowers, Swaffham. 4.12.
Artificial Flower Market Stall. Swaffham, Norfolk.
Wandering around the market in Swaffham, Norfolk, my eye was caught by this seriously colourful floral display.
Wild Garlic
Allium ursinum (ramsons, wild garlic) at Ilam, Peak District.
Seas of wild garlic just beginning to come into flower at Easter. I snapped these during a walk in the Peak District at Ilam, Derbyshire. Wild garlic has plenty of common names: Ramsons, buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, and bear’s garlic.
Blossom 3.12
Blossom. Local trees.
Dozens of the ornamental cherry (Prunus) trees near my home are currently festooned with blossom.
Primula 26.3.12
Primula Vulgaris. Knight’s Hill Allotments.
Primulas seem to be everywhere right now. Resisted strong urge to dig these ones up & rush them to the studio.
12.3.12 – Frogs
Frogwatch. Knight’s Hill.
Lots of frog activity in a neighbour’s pond this weekend.
9.3.12 Arum leaves
Garden. Arum leaves.
Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum’ (Lords and ladies). This provides lots of engaging leaf colour which is much needed at this early part of spring.
9.3.12 Daffodils
Daffodils. Peckham.
On my way to the studio, cycling through Peckham, I noticed the first daffodils… Pedants: note my bike in background is precisely this colour of yellow.
