Tutors of Botanic Art

The Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens are pleased to have a team of accomplished artists who tutor classes to new and advanced students.

John Pastoriza-Piñol

John Pastoriza-Piñol is an accomplished artist, internationally recognised for his work and his tutorage in botanic art. John studied botany at both Monash and Melbourne Universities, completing a doctorate course at the Universidade de Vigo, north-west Spain. As a young artist John studied in Melbourne under Jenny Phillips, emerging as a significant artist in his own right. He has participated in many group exhibitions and his work is represented in public and private collections nationally and internationally.

John's classes are held fortnightly on Saturday during the school term.

If you would like to discover more about John and his extraordinary work you should visit his web site at www.botanique-art.com.

Rita Parkinson

Rita Parkinson studied fine arts at St Martins College of Art in London and art history at the Courtauld Institute, London. Following a career in illustration she now concentrates exclusively on botanical art. Rita is an accomplished artist participating in exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her work is represented in collections in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

She has been influenced by diverse art forms, including Japanese Art, contemporary realist art and traditional botanical art from the golden age of the Nineteenth Century. Rita's classes are held on Tuesdays and focus on developing sophisticated painting skills and the more formal skills of design. You can visit Rita's website at www.illustrita.com.