Jessica Tcherepnine (British-American 1938-2018) – Bedford Art Gallery Blog at ArtfixDaily.com

Botanical artist, Jessica Tcherepnine was born in Sussex, England and as a child drew and painted flowers she found in her family’s garden. After attending a girls’ boarding school in England, she traveled to Florence, Italy, where she studied drawing and watercolor. Tcherepnine first worked at Christie’s Auction House in London, then at Christie’s in New York. She married investment manager Peter Tcherepnine in 1973. The couple divided their time between Manhattan and their farm near Millbrook, New York, where she tended a garden. It wasn’t until 1982, after leaving Christie’s, that she began to seriously paint plants. Largely self-taught, his garden has provided a cornucopia of subject matter for his wonderfully detailed watercolors – accurately captured on paper with his very perceptive eye. Tcherepnine herself said: “I always look up and down, for the bark and the fallen leaves, as well as for the flowers. This is the shape and color you are looking for. You paint what is, but you have the right to choose the elements. James White, former curator of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, said that “his work is intense, decorative and scientifically precise.” She is a founding member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Tcherepnine has had solo exhibitions in New York, London, Paris and Palm Beach, Florida and has won gold medals at the Royal Horticultural Society in London, England. His work appears at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, in Pittsburgh; the British Museum of Natural History; Royal Horticultural Society; Lindley Library; Shirley Sherwood Collection (London) and the Benois Family Museum (Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia). In 2003, one of his watercolors was presented to Princess Anne, to commemorate her visit for the launch of the British Memorial Garden in New York.

Call now to talk about your interest in this Painting by Jessica Tcherepnine: 724-459-0612.

Jerry Hawk, Bedford Fine Art Gallery