Barbara Ann (Bee) van Blomestein was born in Zimbabwe and trained as a school teacher and later attained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree through the University of South Africa.
Bee has enjoyed being creative all her life. She taught in elementary schools in Zimbabwe and joined the local dramatic society in her home town as part of their design and décor team.
Later she changed careers and as Technical Officer, Display, ran the display departments of two national, museums in Zimbabwe for a number of years. Bee showed work in group exhibitions and at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, also in group and solo exhibitions South Africa.
After immigrating to Canada in 2011 she joined the Botanical painting group under the tutorage of world renowned botanical artist, Margaret Best and became passionate about painting plants. The group follows the traditional method of Botanical painting which depicts scientifically correct and detailed visual information about a plant or plants, to scale and true to the color of the plant. Actual specimens are used for reference. The artist becomes intimately involved with the intricacies of the plant and its unique structure, at the same creating a pleasing work of art.
She works in watercolor and color pencil, preferred for their crispness and clarity.
Bee Van Blomestien is a Member in the following organizations:
- Botanical Artists Guild of Southern Alberta (BAGSA)
Exhibitions in Canada
- A.S.B.A. “Art of the Plant” Juried Exhibition Ottawa, 2018
- B.A.G.S.A. “Wild in the West”, Lougheed House, Calgary 2018
- B.A.G.S.A. “Botanicals by the Bow”, Calgary Fort 2016
- Waterton Wild Flower Festival, Waterton, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012
- B.A.C. Juried Exhibition and Small Works, Toronto 2012