The Shirley Sherwood Award for Botanical Art

The Shirley Sherwood Award is an accolade presented once a year in recognition of an artist’s contribution to Botanical Art. The prestigious award includes a prize of £10,000 and a dedicated space in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to display a selected artwork for a year.

2022 - Mieko Ishikawa

Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE and team were delighted to present the first Shirley Sherwood Award for Botanical Art to Japanese artist, Mieko Ishikawa. Mieko has worked for over 30 years in botanical art. She is highly knowledgeable about all the plants she paints and has supported the conservation of the rainforest in Borneo extensively.

Mieko co-organised the Flora Japonica exhibition at Kew and has played a key role in introducing global audiences to Japanese artists and the country’s native flora. She regularly teaches botanical art and has inspired many artists to turn toward the genre. Mieko has received numerous accolades including an RHS gold medal and has artwork in renowned collections worldwide. 

In recognition of all her significant contributions to the genre of botanical art, her artwork ‘Flowering Cherries’ was displayed at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery from May 2022 to March 2023. 

You can see more of Mieko’s work on our website here.