Billy Showell BA SBA Billy is an internationally known botanical painter and illustrator and tutor and is based in Kent in the UK. Originally Billy trained and worked in fashion design and illustration but after just a few years, she swiftly returned to her first love, painting and illustration. Her works are distinguishable by her striking, fluid and sometimes unusual compositions. She has won several botanical awards, an RHS SGM, several SBA Certificates of Botanical Merit and a Gold medal from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society as well as numerous ‘People’s Choice’ awards. Billy’s work is held in the collections of Kew Botanic gardens, the Hunt Institute USA and in the Shirley Sherwood Collection; her work is also held in many private collectors worldwide. Billy served as Co-President for The Society of Botanical Artists from 2018 -2021. Alongside Billy’s painting and illustrating, she is also a prolific teacher. Teaching at her studio and regularly across the UK as well as around the world. Passionate about sharing her tips and skills, Billy has produced four best-selling books on her painting style. Billy has recently self published a beautiful coffee table book called the 'The Botanical shoes' a collection of shoe paintings inspired by flowers. Billy runs a successful and popular online tutorial watercolour website- The Billy Showell School of Botanical Art www.billyshowell.com. ‘At the heart of my work is the love of plants, the love of watercolour and the desire to bring as many people to this art form as I possibly can, the calm and peace painting and illustrating brings to one's life is something we can all try and hopefully enjoy. Over the many years that I have been painting and teaching, I have introduced the love of painting plants to a huge number of budding painters. Sharing what I do is my passion and ‘loving what you’ do is my mantra. ‘Botany brings enlightenment and painting helps celebrate its beauty.’
