About and CV

Photo credit - Riste Andrievski
Inspired by the natural world, Deirdre has always been fascinated with intricate details and perfect forms that the eye sometimes misses.
Her attention to detail and considered compositions continue to be features of her work.
Watercolour applied to paper or vellum with a fine-pointed sable brush are traditional materials Bean uses to illustrate the complexities of the botanical world. She spent seven years researching Australia’s mangrove species for which she was awarded a PhD from the University of Newcastle. Deirdre has broadened her subject matter to include military paraphernalia after artists’ trips to Gallipoli and the Western Front.
Since 2020, Deirdre has been working with oil paint, a medium she has returned to after many years. Since then she has been a finalist in the Muswellbrook Art Prize, the Calleen Art Award and the Portia Geach Memorial Award for portraiture. In 2022, she was the winner of the Gallipoli Art Prize.
Her work is held in major collections including the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, USA: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London: The Shirley Sherwood Collection, Oxford, UK: Parliament House, Canberra: Australia Post: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney: Gallipoli Club, Sydney.
Associated organisations
Deirdre Bean CV
Education
2007 -12
Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art and Visual Culture) Curtin University
2013 -16
PhD (Natural History Illustration) University of Newcastle, NSW
Solo Exhibitions
2024
Domestica, Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah NSW
2023
Reloved, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2020
Another natural perspective, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2019
Natural perspective, Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane
2019
Fish and other things, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2018
Australia’s mangroves: Living on the edge, Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW
2017
Australia’s mangroves: Living on the edge, Red Box Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
2016
Australia’s mangroves: Living on the edge, Maitland Regional Art Gallery NSW
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney
Australian Watercolour Institute.
Australia Felix: The landscape of pleasure.
100th Annual Exhibition, Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Florilegium: Rainforest species at risk. Garden gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
2023
Fifty/50 New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale
Summer Show, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Australian Watercolour Institute Centenary Exhibition, Lion gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
2022
Calleen Art Prize, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Springwater Stella Downer Fine Art
Gallipoli Art Prize, The Rocks, Sydney
2021
Shades of summer Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Calleen Art Prize, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Gallipoli Art Prize, Merrylands RSL Club, Sydney
Fungi x Botanica, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre
2020
Primaveral, Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Brisbane
Tradition and Transformation 2, Taiwan-Australia International Watercolour Exhibition, Taichung City, Taiwan
Gallipoli Art Prize, Merrylands RSL Club, Sydney
Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre
2019
Love Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW
Salient: Contemporary artists at the Western Front Bank Art Museum Moree, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, and Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah NSW
2018
Salient: Contemporary artists at the Western Front New England Regional Art Gallery, Armidale NSW; Bathurst Regional Gallery, Bathurst; Anzac Memorial, Hyde, Sydney
The Amber Rooms Manning Regional Gallery, Taree
Group Show Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Florilegium: Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London
2017
Europe is always a good idea Stella Downer Fine Art
A Feast for the eyes Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane
2016
Florilegium: Sydney’s painted garden Museum of Sydney
Reveal Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane
2015
Your Friend the Enemy Pataka Art + Museum, Wellington, NZ
Your Friend the Enemy Bathurst Regional Gallery. S.H.Ervin Gallery Sydney. Drill Hall Gallery ANU Canberra
A Salute: Aussie Soldier from 1915 meets Young Turk in 2015 Goulburn Regional Gallery, NSW
Royal Horticultural Society’s Botanical art exhibition, London.
2012
Waterhouse Art Prize for Natural History, South Australian Museum, Adelaide
Royal Horticultural Society botanical art exhibition, London
2011
Botanica Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Waterhouse Prize for Natural History, South Australian Museum, Adelaide
Waterhouse Prize for Natural History, National Archives, Canberra
From eye to hand, The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, RBG, Kew, London
2009 -2011
‘Losing Paradise? Endangered plants here and around the world’ The American Society of Botanical Artists’ Exhibition toured to Missouri; Chicago; New York; The Smithsonian Institute of Natural History, Washington; Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
2009
The American Society of Botanical Artists and The Horticultural Society of New York’s International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition, New York
2008
The American Society of Botanical Artists’ and The Horticultural Society of New York’s International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition, New York
2007
12th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration, Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh USA
Bibliography
2023
Duke, N et al. New Caledonian Mangroves 2023
2022
Cooper, J. Art imitates Olley’s life, Newcastle Herald, 10 September 2022
2019
J. McDonald. Review, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March 2019
Link to article.
Bell, Stephen, C. Rockley & A. Llewellyn, Flora of the Hunter Region: Endemic trees and larger shrubs CSIRO Clayton South
2018
Yip, Andrew. ‘Why we paint’, Salient: contemporary artists at the Western Front p 104 ISBN13-9780-6480-863-4-5
2017
Galvin, Nick. Deirdre Bean’s mangrove illustrations reflect a lifelong passion Sydney Morning Herald April 2017
Radio National interview with Jonathan Green Blueprint for living bfl_20170520_1018.mp3
2016
Beauty within the mangroves Newcastle Herald Feb 2016
Morris, C. & L. Murray The Florilegium: The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney celebrating 200 years: plants of the three gardens of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Inc
Mangrove Click! Australia: Expert iD for Australia’s mangroves Duke, N and Mangrove Watch Ltd
2015
Artist Profile special edition Your Friend the Enemy. Editor John McDonald p.56
2013
World Mangroves ID: expert information at your fingertips
Dr N Duke.
2008
Treasures of Botanical Art. Sherwood, S. & M. Rix. London
Public Collections
Gallipoli Club, Sydney
Parliament House, Canberra ACT
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, USA
Florilegium Collection at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Australia Post
Shirley Sherwood Collection of botanical art, Oxford, England
Artist in Residence
2022/ 2023/ 2024
Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah, NSW
2021
Springwater: Residence of Dr Tim Lieouw, Seaforth
2021
Hill End Artist Residency, NSW
2012
State Library of New South Wales, Sydney
Awards
2024
Highly Commended Portia Geach Memorial Award for portraiture
SH Ervin gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2022
Winner Gallipoli Art Prize (acquisitive)
Gallipoli Memorial Club Sydney NSW
2021
Finalist Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery NSW Finalist Gallipoli Art Prize
Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre NSW
2020
Highly Commended, Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney
Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre NSW
Inaugural Executive Director’s Prize at Botanica (acquisitive), The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
2015
Silver-gilt medal, Royal Horticultural Society, London
2012
Silver-gilt medal, Royal Horticultural Society, London
2011
Highly commended Waterhouse Prize for Natural History, Museum of South Australia, Adelaide
2010
Finalist Waterhouse Prize for Natural History, Museum of South Australia, Adelaide
2009
Highly commended ASBA & NYHS International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition, New York
2008
Highly Commended ASBA & NYHS International Juried Botanical Art Exhibition New York
2006
Gold Medal, Royal Horticultural Society, London
Memberships
2007
The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
2019
Australian Watercolour Institute
Education (Teaching)
Publications
Flora of the Hunter Region: Endemic trees and larger shrubs
By
Stephen Bell, Christine Rockley, Anne Llewellyn
Date
2018
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Treasures of Botanical Art
By
Shirley Sherwood, Martyn Rix
Date
2019
Publisher
Kew Publishing
The Florilegium:
The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: Celebrating 200 Years
By
Colleen Morris Louisa Murray
Date
2016
Publisher
The Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens Inc
Catalogues
Reloved
By
Deirdre Bean
Date
2023
Publisher
Deirdre Bean
About Art exhibition catalogue of paintings relating to the theme of rediscovered objects. The catalogue is comprised of 23 images of original oil paintings exhibited at Stella Downer Fine Art in Sydney, Australia in June 2023.
Salient
Contemporary Artists At The Western Front
By
Various
Date
2020
Publisher
Various
About Art exhibition catalogue of paintings relating to the theme of rediscovered objects. The catalogue is comprised of 23 images of original oil paintings exhibited at Stella Downer Fine Art in Sydney, Australia in June 2023.
The Amber Rooms:
A Catalogue of Mixed Media Artworks
By
Andrew Howells, Deirdre Bean, Lee Zaunders, Trevor Weekes
Date
2018
Publisher
Deirdre Bean
Springwater
By
Deirdre Bean & Riste Andrievski
Date
2022
Publisher
Deirdre Bean
About Exhibition catalogue of artwork by Deirdre Bean and Riste Andrievski in an exhibition called Springwater, held at Stella Downer Fine Art, 1 - 26 March 2022.
Natural Perspective
By
Deirdre Bean
Date
September 2019
Publisher
Mitchell Fine Art
About Art exhibition catalogue of paintings relating to the theme of rediscovered objects. The catalogue is comprised of 23 images of original oil paintings exhibited at Stella Downer Fine Art in Sydney, Australia in June 2023.

A Feast for the Eyes:
Mirra Whale and Deirdre Bean
By
Deirdre Bean
Date
2017
Publisher
Deirdre Bean
About Catalogue of original paintings and drawings for exhibition at Mitchell Fine Art 4 - 26 August 2017.
About Catalogue of mixed media artworks by Deirdre Bean, Trevor Weekes, Lee Zaunders and Andrew Howells on exhibition at Manning Regional Gallery, Taree in 2018.
A Feast for the Eyes
By
Deirdre Bean
Date
2017
Publisher
Deirdre Bean
About A catalogue of watercolour paintings by Deirdre Bean for exhibition at Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Brisbane 4th - 26th August 2017.
Your Friend the Enemy:
Gallipoli Centenary Exhibition
By
Terence Maloon, Brad Manera, John McDonald, Brendan Nelson, Andrew Yip
Date
2015
Publisher
Australian National University - Drill Hall Gallery
About Your Friend the Enemy features artwork by 16 Australian and New Zealand contemporary artists and commemorates the ANZAC legend and the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign.
Audio
Blueprint for living Living on the edge: in praise of mangroves An interview by ABC Listen Jonathan Green, Presenter Cathy Pryor, Producer Date: 2017 Run time: 7m Description Living on the edge: in praise of mangroves
SBS News Winner of Gallipoli Art Prize An interview by Kath Landers, Phillippa Carisbrooke Presented by Stephanie Corsetti Date: 2022 Run time: 2:50m Description The winner of the 2022 Gallipoli Art Prize Deirdre Bean with her winning art work ‘Along the ride to Damascus’. Newcastle artist Deirdre Bean has claimed this year's Gallipoli Art Prize.