Elsa Pooley (born ''Elsa Susanna Bond''; 1947 in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
), is a
South African botanist, landscaper, tour guide, and artist.
Biography
She lived in and explored the game reserves
Ndumu and
Mkuzi for about 20 years, where she became inspired by the flora of the region. She collected plants, painted them, wrote about them, and gardened with them. Her work has been exhibited throughout South Africa which has led to commissions, both local and abroad. Her paintings have appeared in the series
Flowering Plants of Africa
''Flowering Plants of Africa'' is a series of illustrated botanical magazines akin to '' Curtis's Botanical Magazine'', initiated as ''Flowering Plants of South Africa'' by I. B. Pole-Evans in 1920. It is now published by the South African Nat ...
and her limited edition portfolio 'Palms of Africa' (1988) has been sold worldwide. She was commissioned to do paintings for the
Blue Train in 1999.
Pooley has lived at Clansthal on the
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
South Coast since 1984, and spends her time painting, writing and conducting painting tours of KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. She is a founder member of BAASA, the Botanical Artists' Association of Southern Africa.
Elsa Pooley was married to
Tony Pooley
Tony Charles (Mashesha) Pooley (1938–2004) was a South African Natural history, naturalist, award-winning Conservation movement, conservationist and one of the world's foremost authorities on the Nile crocodile.
Pooley spent his first years at ...
(1938-2004), a game ranger and renowned authority on crocodiles. She had three sons from the marriage - Simon, Justin and Thomas.
Books
* with Vincent Carruthers
* ''Mashesha - The Making of a Game Ranger''. 1992 with
Tony Pooley
Tony Charles (Mashesha) Pooley (1938–2004) was a South African Natural history, naturalist, award-winning Conservation movement, conservationist and one of the world's foremost authorities on the Nile crocodile.
Pooley spent his first years at ...
*
* with Vincent Carruthers
* with Vincent Carruthers
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* with Geoff Nichols
Papers
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* Pooley, E.S. (1980) "A report on a study of Smilax kraussiana in the St Lucia Resort Game Park". Internal report, Natal Parks Board.
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Awards
*1996 Conservationist of the Year from the Wildlife & Environment Society (Natal Branch)
*1999 Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Contribution to Botany from the South African Association of Botanists
*2000 Bronze Medal at the Inaugural Kirstenbosch Exhibition of Botanical Art
*2004 Marloth Medal from the Botanical Society of Southern Africa
*2008 Honorary Doctor of Science by the
University of KwaZulu-Natal
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN; , ) is a public research university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University ...
References
External links
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Biography on Flora & Fauna Publications Trust websiteAn interview with Elsa Pooley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pooley, Elsa
South African botanical illustrators
1947 births
Living people
South African non-fiction writers
South African women writers