THE curator of a garden near a Borders town says the attraction is “very lucky” to be able to show visitors a new collection of artwork.

Paintings by Edinburgh landscape artist Sarah Knox are on display at The Studio at Dawyck Botanic Garden, near Peebles.

Lost Worlds, a collection of 40 “inspiring” works created during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be on show until November 30. It can be viewed from 10am daily and admission to the exhibition is free.

Graham Stewart, curator at Dawyck Botanic Garden, said: “After a long delay we are exceedingly happy to welcome Sarah and her amazing artwork to the garden.

“It is very important for us to showcase artists and for our visitors to engage with the media, to inspire them to explore the landscapes around them.

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“Sarah was inspired during lockdown to refocus her work, painting locally and ‘plein-air’ in her immediate surroundings to magnificently capture lovely reflections of nature and space.

“Her reflection on the changing world in watercolours, oil paintings and prints really heightens your appreciation for the sheer beauty of our natural environment.

“We feel very lucky to have her work shown here for our visitors to see.”

Although the pandemic forced the original dates in 2020 to be postponed, since the first lockdown Sarah has refocused her work to reflect her reduced lifestyle.

She has sketched and painted daily en plein-air in her immediate surroundings such as the gardens in her neighbourhood, weekly visits to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Malleny Gardens at Balerno.

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At her studio at Beaverhall in Edinburgh, Knox explored new motifs for Lost Worlds and through the process of making multiple drawings, paintings and prints she has “found a pictorial language to reflect our feelings of a changed world since the pandemic impacted our daily lives”.

Although typically renowned for her paintings of wild places in Scotland, during the lockdowns Knox found solace painting in these “intimate” gardens.

She said: “As the world gradually re-opens, I am delighted to be back immersed in the beauty of Dawyck and to be stepping back out to paint the expansive coasts of Scotland.

“When painting is going well it feels like I am flying. It’s often the work produced when I’m outside with a sketchbook balanced on my lap and the materials at my feet that I relax in nature and produce magical and fluid images of the landscape. I found that being able to visit the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh every week throughout lockdown was a privilege as an artist and a lifeline for mental wellbeing.”

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Sarah added that she was excited to finally exhibit this work at Dawyck and to share how the theme of Lost Worlds emerged as a consequence of her own reduced boundaries during lockdown.

Dawyck Botanic Garden is a five-star garden renowned for its seasonal flower displays.

The garden is open daily throughout October between 10am and 5pm. In November, it will shut at 4pm.