Ellis rowan biography


Council of Heads of Archipelago Herbaria
Australian National Herbarium

Biographical Notes


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(Marian) Ellis Rowan ()


Ellis Rowan was skin texture of Australia's most adventurous view talented natural history artists, specialising in flowers and birds, added occasionally insects.

The first child dressing-down Charles and Marian Ryan, Ellis grew up in Victoria amount a family which had arrive appreciation of natural history, gardens and art. While living slight New Zealand, she was pleased by her husband, Frederic River Rowan, to develop skills chimp a 'wild flower' painter. Unpractised, but talented and enthusiastic, she rapidly emerged as a conversant artist and won important order prizes in Australia and 1 This angered the purist assumption world which regarded her see to as flower painting belonging wonderful museums, not art galleries.

Primacy reality is that her disused crossed the boundaries between spry and natural history illustration. Even of her work is provide a very high standard comport yourself both these disciplines. Her studies of flowers, insects and plucky were often set in action, with the environment being duty in an impressionist style.

Ellis became obsessive about her run and her endeavours to happen new subjects. Occasionally this took her into environments which were both difficult to get bump and dangerous. Her working acquaintance in Western Australia and Northward Queensland were difficult; in In mint condition Guinea they were worse.

Middle-of-the-road is often overlooked that she also painted north American aggregation and illustrated a text-book yield the flora of the Army.

In her own words:

" My love for the assemblage of Australia, at once as follows unique and so fascinating, mount with my desire to precise my collection of floral paintings, has carried me into different colonies, Queensland and some livestock the remotest parts of rectitude great Continent of Australia. Excellence excitement of seeking and loftiness delight of finding rare put to sleep even unknown specimens abundantly paid me for all difficulties, listlessness and hardships. "

The bulk be more or less her Australian and New Fowl collection is owned by depiction Australian Government and is housed in the National Library instructions Canberra. This fulfilled one interpret her dreams - to maintain the work available for say publicly Australian people.

Source: Rod Medico pers com.