Collins Botanical Bible

Sonya Patel Ellis is a London-based writer, editor and artist primarily working with pressed botanicals. She founded The Herbarium Project in 2013 to bring elements of her writing and artwork under one roof, exploring the parallels and interconnectivity between nature, art, books and culture through the multifaceted prism of ‘A Botanical World’.

Inspired by research into the art of pressed flowers, Sonya made her own traditional herbarium press (along the lines of those used by Victorian plant hunters) and began systematically pressing flowers from her own garden and further afield. Various exhibitions, events, workshops, writings and commissions followed and continue to evolve, including collaborations with the Garden Museum (Seeing Floral: The Art of the Florilegia), City of London Corporation (Hortus Uptonensis), The British Library, Chelsea Fringe (The Story Within), the award-winning Marksman Public House and Restaurant (Herb Garden at The Marksman with garden designer Miria Harris) and French Riviera (Grand Magasin). Her work was also recently featured in Gardens Illustrated magazine and Time Out.