Susie Batsford is a Devon-based artist working under the name The Illustrarium. Her work is inspired by nature, history and decorative traditions, drawing particularly on the hedgerows, seasonal blooms and garden spaces surrounding her home.
Rooted in drawing, each piece begins as a hand-rendered pencil study before being developed in watercolour and acrylic gouache. Her work explores botanical forms through repetition, colour, pattern and ornament, often framed by decorative borders.
Susie is currently developing a cohesive body of original paintings, with an increasing focus on botanical forms, decorative borders, colour and pattern. Her work draws on close observation of the natural world alongside influences from folk art, medieval illumination, and Indian miniature paintings.
Susie is represented by Lantic Gallery in Tiverton, while a selection of her original paintings, prints, and illustrated pieces are also available through her website. She has exhibited and sold work through selected events across Devon and Somerset, and her work has been selected for the Devon Open Studios Emerging Artist Exhibition at Thelma Hulbert Gallery, opening in September 2026.
