The remarkable paintings of Betsy Rogers-Knox take viewers on a journey. Whether through the lifecycle of a single plant or into the intricate world of a multi-species habitat, each artwork tells a story.
Dedicated to fully understanding her subjects, a year is spent observing plants for her lifecycle paintings before starting the final illustration. The subjects are depicted throughout all stages of life and often presented in circles or spirals that mirror the flow of nature. “Sometimes the beginning bud or the ending pod is as beautiful and important as the blooming flower!”
In recent years, Betsy has expanded her unique style to illustrating habitats, pushing the boundaries of what she is doing as an artist. “I started seeing plants as a larger picture; and there was a larger message, too. I thought maybe somebody would stop and look a little closer at nature if they saw the whole environment. Maybe they would notice the wildflowers or the forest floor and want to take better care of it.”
The habitats are carefully planned and executed to depict each plant in relation to the others. Preparation includes on-site observation, sketching, photography, identifying focal points, and choosing what plants will be included. Betsy says that in her Forest Floor series, Looking Over the Overlooked, the paintings are “grounded” by the trees. From there the composition is built with individual plant drawings. “It’s all about guiding the viewer around the painting: a pathway in, a focal point, a pathway out. It’s about the values, too: what comes forward and what do I push back a little. I want viewers to stay in the painting.”
Growing up on the shore in Connecticut, Betsy acquired her passion for plants through her English grandfather who loved gardening. Later, living in Boulder, Colorado, she fell in love with wildflowers and plants that grew along hiking trails. Although she had always drawn and painted, it wasn’t until she saw work by Anne Ophelia Dowden in an exhibition at the University of Colorado that she focused on botanical art. “I said to my husband: That’s what I want to do!” When she moved back east, she wrote to Dowden and was delighted to get a reply suggesting that she take classes at New York Botanical Garden. She did just that, completing the Botanical Illustration program in 2006.
Since then, Betsy has developed a unique style, and her exceptional artworks have been selected for no fewer than 15 ASBA Annual International exhibitions. In two of them, she earned the award named for one of her favorite NYBG teachers, Eleanor Wunderlich in 2015 and 2018, as well as an Honorable Mention in 2024. She has exhibited in all five NYBG Triennials (Honorable Mention, 2020), and both Botanical Art Worldwide exhibitions. In addition, she has undertaken the challenge of preparing a themed series of paintings for the RHS Botanical Art show an astounding four times, being awarded Gold (2024), Silver-Gilt (2019 and 2016), and Silver (2013) medals, and the Judges Special Award (2019). Her work is held in the collections of the Hunt Institute, RHS Lindley Library, and New York State Museum.
Dividing her time between creating artwork and teaching, Betsy has taught composition at NYBG for seven years, sharing insight and experience with new botanical artists. She also teaches watercolor, drawing, and journaling, and holds a weekly open studio.
And now this talented and prolific botanical artist is the latest to be honored with the ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award for Excellence in Botanical Art.
What could be next for Betsy? She says she loves entering the ASBA Annual Internationals and enjoys having that goal. And, yes, there might be another series in the works for a fifth RHS exhibition. “I just love the whole [RHS] experience. I think I have one more in me!”