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About and CV

A photograph of the artist Deirdre Bean.

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.

Stella Downer Fine Art logo

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

A book cover.

Flora of the Hunter Region: Endemic trees and larger shrubs
 

By
Stephen Bell, Christine Rockley, Anne Llewellyn

 

Date

2018

Publisher
CSIRO Publishing

A book cover.
Treasures of Botanical Art

By
Shirley Sherwood, Martyn Rix

Date

2019

Publisher

Kew Publishing

A book cover.
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

A book cover.
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.

A book cover.

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.

A book cover.
The Amber Rooms:
A Catalogue of Mixed Media Artworks

By
Andrew Howells, Deirdre Bean, Lee Zaunders, Trevor Weekes

 

Date
2018

Publisher
Deirdre Bean

A book cover.
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.

A book cover.
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 book cover.
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 book cover.
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.

A book cover.
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.

App

App icon.

Mangrove Click! Australia:
Expert iD for Australia’s mangroves Duke, N and Mangrove Watch Ltd

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.

Reviews

John McDonald
Link to review.

Deirdre Bean

Fine artist | Botanical artist

Newcastle, Australia

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