Apothecary Artist
STUDIO of VANESSA LEWIS
Free Ship $80+
WELCOME
I feel like I have been an artist all my life. I was born in Zimbabwe, Africa to two beautifully creative humans, who gifted me with a yearning for knowledge, beauty and truth. When I was nine years old, my family travelled through Europe, on a kind of 'lets see everything' pilgrimage, I fell in love, so deeply, with art and the rest as they say.. is history.
Now based in Newcastle in Australia, I make art, I draw and paint, study, research and explore the recipes and techniques once used by artists throughout the centuries. Sometimes feeling more like a chef than a modern day painter, I work with deliciously luscious ingredients..eggs, vodka, walnuts, pomegranates..and more. Every day in the studio is an exhilarating learning experience, as I explore the chemistry, the botanics of painting and turn it into new art.
The drawings for the prints are all done with botanical inks that I have made in the studio, based on recipes from around the world using natural ingredients. I use the traditional dip-pen to do the drawings as I have found there is much more control and surprises to be had with the technique. Once the drawings become prints, I add the imitation gold-leaf, these are metals made to be just like the leaf made by gold-beaters of five hundred years ago, so the colour, brightness, glow and feel is the same without using precious resources.
With the world changing so fast and the loss of nature on a global scale - it just inspires me to cherish all the beauty and diversity that we have and to work harder to become more sustainable and share everything I can. I know you love nature too and I'm so grateful for your love and support.
What a wonderful world!
[When painting the faces of young persons... use the yolk of the egg of a city hen, because they have lighter yolks than those of country hens]
Cennino Cennini
15th Century Treatise on Painting
 Twenty-one Australian wildflowers 2022 |  The Nature of Paint 2021PhD Exhibition Watt Space Gallery. One hundred illustrated ingredients found in historic recipes for paint |  work in progress3 weeks at the school of art in Florence May 2018 |
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 Inked In Exhibtion Watt SpaceInk Drawings in Botanical Inks |  Student Art Prize Sept.2017Glass storage jar, industrial cement, gold dust, scoop |  'Whats Golden' Acrux Gallery |
 sleeping foxHunter Valley charcoal, gold dust pigment, bronze dust pigment, cochineal on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000 |  two free lionsHunter Valley charcoal, organic tempera, Australian ochres, saffron on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000 |  cow and calfHunter Valley charcoal, organic tempera, Australian ochres, Gamboge on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000 |
 silver rhino golden hornSilver leaf, aluminium leaf, 22k gold leaf, Dutch gold leaf on Fabriano Academia paper 1500 x 1400 (10% to the Australian Rhino Project) |  gold leaf footprintscollaboration project with porcelain artist Vicki Hamilton. all sales to Wildlife Rescue |  Soft Target. Watt Space May 2017HV Charcoal, Australian ochres, gold leaf on paper. 1200 x 1500 |
 Exhibition Watt Space April 2017A call and response project, looking at four Australian artists who worked in tempera. |  detail Free Horse 2017charcoal and gold leaf on paper. 1200 x 1500 |  Installation. Watt Space 2017Essential ingredients in the tempera recipe |
 Proteas 1-5. Watt Space April 2017stencil tempera protea wreaths |  Hare Today. Gosford Art Prize 2016Charcoal, gold leaf on paper. 700 x 1000mm |  Tasmanian Tiger. 2017 Gallery 139Charcoal and Dutch gold leaf. 700 x 1000 *to purchase please contact |
 gold leaf and hand painted wreath1500 x 1500. |  Humming Bird at Gallery 139charcoal, shell gold and gold leaf Gallery 139 **contact to purchase |  Queen for a Day. Curve Gallery 2016Charcoal, silver and aluminum pressed leaf on paper 700x1000mm |
 Wax.Watt Space Gallery 2016Tempera, saffron, bees wax on paper |  Home. Finalist NEAP 2016Charcoal, tempera and gold leaf on panel |  Milk. Watt Space July 2016Charcoal, gold leaf on paper 1500x1500 |
 'The world in her hands'Charcoal, tempera, gold and silver leaf on paper 1500 x 1500. |  Shades of White Watt Space 201612 Jars, white powders. |  sunflower studycharcoal, tempera on Fabriano paper 700 x 1000 |
 Red Tulip Studycharcoal and tempera on Fabriano paper 700 x 1000 |  Sun Seed. Curve Gallery 2016tempera on paper 700x1000 |  'Perfume' Curve Gallery 2016Tempera on paper 700x1000 |
 'Journey' Curve Gallery 2016Tempera on paper 700 x 1000 |  Spring. Gallery 139 2016Charcoal and gold leaf on paper |  How Much. Curve Gallery 2016Lapis Lazuli stones, Lapis natural pigment, Ultramarine blue, glass jars |
 hand-made Australian bush vine charcoal v lewis 2016.jpg |  Fine Drawing Gallery 139 NewcaslteDip Pen botanical Sumi Pine ink on paper |  Max's Coal 2016 NFSWinner Watt Space University Newcastle Student Art Prize 2016 |
 'When two are one', NAS Gallery 2016Vercotype print, gold leaf |  I've got you' Gallery 139charcoal, gold leaf on paper 700x1000mm |  'silent witness' NAS Newcastlecharcoal, gold leaf on paper 700x1000mm |
 'Fly to Me', Curve Gallerytempera on paper 1100 x 750mm |  'Ribbon' Hardy's on Hunter 2015Gold leaf, tempera 1200 x 1200 |  Tuberose Mandala 2015Sumi Ink on paper |
 Childs Portrait. Private CommissionCharcoal on paper 1500 x 1500 |  Claire, Hardy's on Hunter 2014Commercial commission tempera on Fabriano paper 1500 x 1500mm |