This accomplished botanical painting illustrates the richness of nature, even in the middle of Winter. An original watercolour study of hedgerow plants and insects in December 2001, painted by Devon artist Sandra Chalton, it marks both endings and the promise of new beginnings.
This accomplished botanical painting December Hedgerow 2001, Midwinter illustrates the beauty of nature, even in the middle of our coldest season.
It is an original watercolour study of hedgerow plants and insects painted in December 2001 by Devon artist Sandra Chalton. Some elements of the picture tell us the story of the end of the old year past but others depict the signs of new life for the coming year, waiting to burst forth.
The artist says of this work,
"The Autumn fruits are fast disappearing from the hedgerows as the birds stock up for Winter. The last of the Hawthorn berries are still hanging on bare twigs. The Spindle husks hang on a little longer after the seeds have dropped. Wild Clematis seeds are dispersing (the Old Man's beard is thinning!).
However, red berries still shine brightly amongst the glossy evergreen foliage of the Holly. The fruits of the Ivy are swelling where the seeds have been fertilised. The small yellow sputnik-like flowers which have not developed still cluster round the ripening fruits.
As Winter sets in, most of the invertebrates have died or hibernated. A Seven Spot Ladybird, woken from hibernation by Winter sunshine, searches hopefully for aphids overwintering on the Spindle.
The Hazel catkins are beginning to elongate, so that even in the depths of Winter, we can see the signs of Spring developing."
This watercolour is one of twelve botanical pictures, painted a month apart, between July 2001 and June 2002. The twelve paintings record the plants and insects that could be found in the hedgerows of mid-Devon throughout that year. As well as their aesthetic beauty, these detailed observations will provide a record of the beauty and diversity of the Devon hedgerows at the time of the millennium.
In 2025 the twelve botanical paintings, which are together entitled, The Hedgerow Year, were kindly donated by the artist to the University of Exeter for its Fine Art Collection.
At the University people will be able to both enjoy them and use them as a source of information and inspiration for teaching and research, in the fields of conservation, sustainability, botany, the environment, a changing rural landscape, and the creative arts. Indeed Sandra’s inspirational work is already used as a resource for students from the Medical School (Medical Humanities) and those taking the Garden, Community, and Wellbeing module from the MA Food Studies.
As hedgerows disappear these paintings provide a documentation of the Devon hedgerow, and of considerable historical, archival, and aesthetic value, a unique record, a personal view, and an artist’s view. Each watercolour has its supporting text which identifies the plants and insects. A book of the twelve illustrations and texts, also entitled The Hedgerow Year was published in 2003.
About the artist
Sandra Chalton, artist, poet and illustrator has lived in Devon for over twenty-five years. During this time she has practised as a medicinal herbalist and written extensively on Devon’s landscape and flora. She was a student at the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, and taught art in London for over twenty years before her training in horticulture sparked her passion for botanical painting.
Other published works by Sandra Chalton include:
Birds of the Mid Devon Hedgerows. (2004)
Here’s to Thee Old Apple Tree, (2005) (an ethnographic study of Devonshire orchards)
Butterflies of the Mid Devon Hedgerows (2014)
University of Exeter
Room 153, Queen's Building
The Queen's Drive
Exeter EX4 4QH
