South African artist Margaret Best, grew up surrounded by an abundance of indigenous and cultivated plant life, so it came as no surprise that botanical subjects found their way into her work.‘Bermuda Botanica’, her exhibit at the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSoA), shows her passion for the fundamentals of the genre giving the viewer sufficient information to clearly identify the plant.“Mere scientific accuracy is not enough in the world of contemporary art,” she told students in a botanical art workshop held at BSoA recently. “A portrait artist only succeeds if the character of the sitter is infused into the rendering.“Likewise in plant portraiture, I aim to achieve something beyond merely a scientific classification.“As I sketch, draw and paint the plant, I become totally absorbed by its unique personality and it is my goal to transfer the essence of that to the paper with strong visual appeal.”Ms Best has painted for most of her life. Since the late 1990s her works have focused purely on botanical subjects. Her unique style has been finely honed and encompasses a combination of wet foundation washes followed by dry brushwork of intense detail.As a classic botanical illustrator, scientific accuracy is fundamental to Ms Best’s work. Her love of teaching stems from her professional background as an art teacher.She is said to have a nurturing style that is encouraging to beginners, and helpful to more intermediate and advanced artists.Ms Best recently made the news in Canada when one of her designs became the feature of a Canadian mint wild rose coin.The coin will serve as a new $20 souvenir from the Royal Canadian mint, soon to go into circulation. Her winning design for the wild rose coin features three clear Swarovski crystals.Each artist was given one week in which to complete the design of the coin and the winner has the licence to design how the coin looks, where the crystals go and other little details that relate to its general appearance.Ms Best’s entry, an original watercolour, is also Alberta’s official flower.She has also exhibited and taught in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Botanical Arts Guild of Southern California.Her work can be found in private collections and in the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation of the Carnegie Mellon University.Useful website: www.bestbotanical.com.