Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

John Wilkinson, born in 1934 in Northampton, is a self-taught British artist with an exceptionally long career in the arts, having worked in printing and color analysis while painting on the side and, after retirement, devoting himself to a freelance career depicting botanical and natural history subjects. As a child, Wilkinson painted as a hobby and was given watercolors and pastels by his parents in encouragement. Upon leaving school at 16, his father arranged an apprenticeship at a local printer, Sun Printers, where he worked in the color retouching department. Wilkinson credits this experience with helping his training in color theory, brushwork and photography, and though he was not particularly interested in the current artistic styles at the time, these skills were used in exploring his own artistic path in the evenings after work. Inspired by the American photographers Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, whose "brilliant sharp sunlight and exact detail was a revelation" (pers. comm., 2023), Wilkinson bought and studied their books and tried to match their lighting in his own work using plants borrowed from friends.

After years of painting flora and fauna, and upon seeing a book of German flower paintings that he thought had been poorly done, Wilkinson bought a hydrangea, painted it to the best of his abilities and reached out to an agency in London to see if he could be hired to do better. It was suggested that he try his hand at the Royal Horticultural Society exhibitions to gain some exposure and awards, and he did just that: exhibiting in the RHS shows in 1967, 1968, 1974 and 1983, earning a silver medal, a silver-gilt medal and two gold medals, respectively. He exhibited in other galleries around London during this time as well and in 1983 was also included in our 5th International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration. In 1986 he exhibited with the Society of Botanical Artists, of which he was a founding member and vice-president. He sold work through Philip Desind's Capricorn Gallery in Washington, D.C., and his paintings were transferred to greeting cards, calendars and sets of porcelain plates and vases through the Franklin Mint. In 1988 his painting adorned the Chelsea Flower Show Plate produced by the Royal Horticultural Society.

After spending a handful of years painting for a London gallery, The Ibis, and then on commission and as a freelance artist, the exhibition experience, exposure and awards succeeded in raising his artistic profile, and by 1978 he began working with the publishing house William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. (often referred to as Collins and later HarperCollins after a merger with Harper & Row), where he made hundreds of illustrations for their Gem Guides and Handguides series. He painted on his own in between book commissions and taught flower painting courses, where he met his wife Elisabeth, also an artist. Upon retiring, Wilkinson was able to devote himself to his own full-time painting practice where he specializes in plant portraits, as well as landscapes and city scenes, working in watercolor, acrylic and oil. Wilkinson has a love of animals, particularly cats, and these serve as a frequent subject for his paintings as well.

Wilkinson described his approach to painting, "I always took painting very seriously, using the best materials I could afford and reading everything I could on painting, photographic technique and materials," which he still does today. ... "Except for books and commissions, all my paintings were of things that meant something to me...For this reason I have never really wanted to sell most paintings, but while I was at my most productive it was sensible to allow many to go" (pers. comm., 2023). The Hunt Institute is pleased to have the original artwork for three publications illustrated by Wilkinson as well as 19 standalone paintings, totaling 247 artworks.

Wilkinson has been either the sole illustrator or a contributing illustrator for the following:

Bon, M., D. Ovenden and J. Wilkinson. 1987. The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North-western Europe. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Bown, D. 1989. Alba: The Book of White Flowers. London: Unwin Hyman.

Buczacki, S. and J. Wilkinson. 1989. Collins New Generation Guide to the Fungi of Britain and Europe. London: Collins.

Fitter, A., R. Fitter and J. Wilkinson. 1984. Collins Guide to the Countryside. London: Collins.

Fitter, A. and R. Fitter. 1988. Collins Guide to the Countryside in Winter: Its Animals and Plants. London: Collins.

Mitchell, A. F. and J. Wilkinson. 1982. The Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. London: Collins.

Pegler, D. 1999. The Easy Edible Mushroom Guide: Britain and Europe. London: Aurum.

Wilkinson, J. 1998. The Artist's Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley.

Wilkinson, J. and S. Buczacki. 1982. Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: Collins. [Collins Gem Guides.]

Wilkinson, J. and A. F. Mitchell. 1978. Collins Handguide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. London: Collins.

Wilkinson, J. and A. F. Mitchell. 1979. Trees 1: A Colour Guide to Conifers and Other Evergreen Trees in Britain. London: Fontana.

Wilkinson, J. and A. F. Mitchell. 1979. Trees 2: A Colour guide to Broadleaved Trees of British Towns, Parks and Country. London: Fontana.

Wilkinson, J., D. Pegler and B. Spooner. 1979. Mushrooms and Toadstools: All the Main Edible and Poisonous Fungi of Britain and Europe. London: Fontana.

Wilkinson, J. and M. W. F. Tweedie. 1980. Collins Handguide to the Butterflies and Moths of Britain and Europe. London: Collins.

Thumbnails of the Wilkinson images have been added to the Catalogue of the Botanical Art Collection at the Hunt Institute database. To locate these images in the database, search on the artist's last name.

Other Resources

For information about portraits of and biographical citations for the subject, see the Hunt Institute Archives Register of Botanical Biography and Iconography database.