Lesley Randall: Botanical Artist & Illustrator

Science and art may seem like they’re opposites, but some talented artists have found ways to make the scientific truly beautiful.

Botanical Artist and Illustrator Lesley Randall creates botanical illustrations that not only capture the intricate details of her plant subjects but are also astoundingly beautiful art pieces.

For Lesley, it’s the details that really make what she does so important. Her work often accompanies a scientific description and she wants to make sure to capture exactly what the specimen looks like.

“Botanical illustration…the focus has got to be on accuracy. If you have a beautiful drawing, but it’s not accurate, it’s basically worthless.”

It could be just as satisfying to draw a plant as is, but she finds that the intimacy of a closer look at a plant or flower brings out more than she could see from eye level.

“When I look at a part of a flower or a leaf underneath the microscope, it opens up this whole new world…”

Plants have always been a part of her life. Her dad was a botanist, so growing up, Lesley and her brother were often dragged around by her parents to various plant spots. This habit initially had the opposite impact on her perspective on plants.

“I thought plants were really boring.”

But, it seems the seed, no pun intended, was planted because not only is Lesley a talented botanical illustrator, she’s also a horticulture manager at the San Diego Zoo.

For more information about Lesley, check out this article from the American Society of Botanical Artists. 

This episode was filmed & edited by Bettina Hanna.

Produced by Laura Christian.