A major summer exhibition opens at Kew Gardens, Richmond, Surrey, England (directions), next month, offering visitors a rare chance to see the botanical work and other creative talents of renowned artist and musician, Rory McEwen.

Ranging from the 1950s to early 1980s, the exhibition titled “The Colours of Reality”, will feature works loaned from his family and private collectors. It’s open from May 11, 2013, through September 22, 2013.

A supporting exhibition, Rory McEwen’s Legacy, opening April 13, 2013, in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens, will show how he inspired many of the artists in the Sherwood collection. Dr. Sherwood is a contemporary botanical art collector who is world renowned for her extensive collections and regular exhibitions. Her comprehensive collection of over 200 artists documents the emergence of a new wave of botanical painting and the renaissance of their art form, according to Kew Gardens.

If you can time your trip across the pond, consider signing up for one of two guided tours of the exhibitions conducted by Dr. Sherwood. They’ll be held May 21, 2013, and July 17, 2013. More information is online.

(Image of Tulip Helen Josephine (Rose Breeder) by Rory McEwen)