Yanny Petters

"My work is inspired by the minutiae of nature. I explore the detail, colour and form within the realm of nature and the environment. My wish is to share with the viewer my fascination with the beautiful and bizarre in a world which we all too easily take for granted."
Born Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow 1961 

Yanny Petters has been painting exquisitely detailed studies of wild plants for the past 20 years, all of which from life.

Fascinated by colour, form and detail, her love and interest in botanical art stemmed from her work as a signwriter where plant themes were common in decorative design and the work included Trompe l'oeil techniques. As well as working in oils and watercolours Yanny also specialises in 'painting on glass (or "Verre Églomisé'), a technique she has been developing since her signwriting years when she came across it through doing decorative pub mirrors and panels. The technique was explored by the Blue Rider group of artists in the 1920s who turned what had been a folk art into fine art. Indeed, artists of the calibre of Kandinsky, Marc, Klee and Münter produced glass paintings. Nowadays, there are very few artists using the technique as a fine art.

In March 2025, the Irish Arts Review magazine (Spring edition) featured a 6-page review of the artist's verre églomisé practice by the renowned art historian Dr Éimear O'Connor. See our press-release or preview the 'Art of glass' article and order a copy of the magazine.
The technique of Verre Églomisé (also known as Backpainting on glass, Reverse painting on glass, Hinterglasmalerei or Glomyized glass) involves painting on the back of glass using opaque colours and sometimes goldleaf. This means that the details and highlights of the painting must be applied first. Decorative mirrors are produced in a similar fashion, either by removing the silvering in the areas to be painted or in masking off the design before the glass is silvered.

In the past, the paint used by artists was a mixture of ground pigment, linseed oil and varnish. The colour range was very limited being mainly white, black, ochre, brick red, olive green, brown and gold. The colour was applied pure and flat, without mixing colours. Black or brown was used to outline the design and the rest of the colours were used to fill in the shapes.

Today, special paints in strong, lightfast colours have been developed for the signwriting trade. Yanny uses these paints when working on glass. Yanny also engraves the glass giving the artwork a soft line and sparkle.

A number of her ‘Glass Paintings’ are in the Wicklow Mountains National Park headquarters and in the Connemara National Park Visitors Centre. Yanny is a member of The Watercolour Society of Ireland, The Irish Society of Botanical Artists, Visual Artists Ireland, Dublin Painting and Sketching Club, Signal Arts Centre Society and Dublin Naturalists Field Club.

Yanny Petters is one of very few contemporary Irish artists to have work in the collections of both The National Gallery of Ireland and The National Museum of Ireland, two prestigious museums in Dublin.

Click here to watch a film featuring the history & technique of Verre Eglomisé and a demonstration by the artist.
Art Education         
   
1982 Apprentice Sign Writer/Designer with Sign Design Ltd. Dublin

1985  Moved to London. Worked as a freelance sign maker, gilder and antique restorer. Worked freelance in interior design, designing Irish style public houses interiors and designing murals and decorative windows and mirrors

1994  Returned to Ireland

Solo exhibitions
2024

6 Oct - 10 Nov: 'Fieldwork with Mainie and Albrecht', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
2021

'Field of Vision', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
2019

'Hedgerow, stories from a linear world', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
2018

'Hedgerow', exhibition of nature prints at Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin solo
2013

'Floral Alchemy', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
2012
  
The Good Food Gallery, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare
2011          
  
Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, Co. Louth
2009
  
Kilternan Gallery
2008

'Fieldwork', Riverside Gallery, Bridgewater Centre, Arklow (Co. Wicklow), organised and curated by Olivier Cornet.
2006

Airfield House, Dundrum , Co. Dublin
2005

The Tramyard Gallery, Dalkey, County Dublin
2002

'Plants with Healing Properties', Cúdos Art Centre, Mount Usher, Co.Wicklow
'Nuts and Berries' Gusto Cafe, in association with Wexford Opera Festival 
Selected Group Exhibitions

Yanny exhibits annually with the Dublin Painting and Sketching Club and the Watercolour Society of Ireland.

2024


'In Real Life', National Gallery of Ireland with the work 'The Plants We Played With'.

'Pink is my colour', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'Sanctuary', Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre.

Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin.


2023


'The Wonderful World of Water Plants', Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens London.

'Climate and Health', Royal College of physicians of Ireland, Dublin. 

'My favourite artwork at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Olivier Cornet gallery, Dublin. 

'Arbour Essences in Anthropocene Dublin', Olivier Cornet gallery, Dublin. 

Sculpture in Context 2023, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.

'Compendium', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.


2022

Crainn na hÉireann/Ireland’s Native Trees, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.

Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin.

'Outrageous, Obscene and Offensive', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'2012 - 2022 A decade of exhibitions at the Olivier Cornet gallery', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin


2021


'Memento, Looking back, Looking forward', Olivier Cornet Gallery Winter group show


2020


'On Paper', Winter group show at the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Birr Castle Demesne through the Artist's Eye', Birr Castle, Co. Offaly'.

'Drawn from Nature: Irish Botanical Art', National Gallery of Ireland.

'Sculpture in Context 2020', online exhibition with The National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. (work presented: 'Hand Fan for Habitats', acquired by the National Museum of Ireland).

'Plantae', Society of Botanical Artists, Mall Galleries, London (online exhibition).
'Resurfacing', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'National Heritage Week' at Olivier Cornet Gallery with Calla Lily Blue.

‘Drawing on Don Quixote’, Olivier Cornet Gallery Dublin. 


2019


‘Drawing on Don Quixote’, National Opera House, with Olivier Cornet Gallery by invitation of Wexford Opera Festival.

 ‘Drawing on Don Quixote’, Vue Art Fair (RHA) with Olivier Cornet Gallery.

 Sculpture in Context 2019 at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual exhibition.

Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.

‘Olives, Oysters and Oranges’, Bloomsday Group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

2018


'Somewhere between perception and reality', group show at VUE Art Fair, RHA, Dublin with Olivier Cornet Gallery.

Art in the Garden, Burtown House, Athy, Co. Kildare.

Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual exhibition.

Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.

6th Annual Botanical and Floral Art in Bloom exhibition.

ISBA Éireannach exhibition, Dublin's Botanical Gardens.

'2°C ', a group show on climate change curated by Olivier Cornet with the support of the EPA (first presented at VUE Art Fair RHA in November 2017), Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

2017

'2°C' group show at Vue, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA Dublin, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Dublin
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.
2016

‘Elevation’, group show presented at Vue Art Fair Dublin with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
'Republic', group show curated by Eoin Mac Lochlainn and Olivier Cornet, Olivier Cornet Gallery.
New Little Habitats exhibition, Katherine Nixon Garden, Co. Down in aid of National Trust.
Botanical & Floral Art in Bloom, Duboin
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.
2015

'Hopscotch', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery (work acquired by National Gallery of Ireland)
VUE 2015, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.
'A Terrible Beauty', travelling group show curated by the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Octagonal Room, City Assembly House, Dublin, by kind invitation of the Irish Georgian Society.


2014

 

'Reflections', Christmas/winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.

VUE 2014, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Flaneries in Forests and Fields', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

‘Botanical Art in the 21st Century’, Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew Gardens, London.

.

2013


'AC3 The Timekeeper', Christmas group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Filmbase, Dublin

Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual Exhibition.

Art of the State Exhibition 2013, 'Encounters', touring group exhibition organised by the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) in Northern Ireland and the OPW in the Republic of Ireland (two works acquired at the ‘Floral Alchemy’ show).

2012

'AC2', Annual Winter/Christmas Group Show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.
VUE 2012 National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA, Dublin with the Olivier Cornet Gallery
'4x4', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.
'Convergence', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin
Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual Exhibition.
Galway Gardens Festival, Claregalway Castle
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club's 134th Annual Exhibition.
2011

'The Alchemist's Chamber', Filmbase, Temple Bar, Dublin, curated by Olivier Cornet.
Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual Exhibition.
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club's 133rd Annual Exhibition.
2010

Dublin Painting and Sketching Club's 132nd Annual Exhibition, Dún Laoghaire.
Watercolour Society of Ireland Annual Exhibition.
Graffan Gallery, Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Comber, Co. Down.
Sculpture in Context, Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.
2009

Sculpture in Context, Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Shirley Sherwood Gallery, Kew, London. The Art of Plant Evolution.
Dublin Painting and Sketching Club Annual Exhibition.
2007

RHA open submission
2006

Cherrylane, Greystones, Co. Wicklow
RHA open submission
2005

L’Art Pour Tous, Contemporary Art Fair, Cannes, France.
Greystones Arts Festival, County Wicklow
Tramyard Gallery, Dalkey, Ireland, Women Artists.
Ashmolean, Oxford, England, ‘A New Flowering” 1000 years of botanical art. 
2004

Art Ireland (with Olivier Cornet), 
Royal Dublin Society, Dublin.
Cherrylane, Greystones, Co. Wicklow
Tramyard, Dalkey, Co. Dublin.
Form in Mind Exhibition in Loughrea, Co. Galway.
Group Show, Glencree Reconciliation Centre, Co. Wicklow.
2003

Christmas Exhibition, Metatron Art Gallery, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow.
2002

Red Dot Artists group, in association with the Chelsea Flower Show.

Awards & Commissions

2017 Golden Fleece Merit Award.

2015 Whytes Auctioneers Award, Watercolour Society of Ireland.

2015 Gold medal, Bronze medal and Best in Show in Botanical & Floral Art exhibition at Bloom Garden Festival.

2014 Silver Medal, Botanical Art at Bloom Garden Festival.

2011 HSE Community Nursing Unit at Clonskeagh. Percent for Art. Three paintings.

2005  Abbey Theatre, Importance of Being Earnest, flower design lamps with Fiona Coffey
Connemara National Park, commission painting on glass of section of Bog
2003  OPW, paintings for Wicklow Mountains National Park Centre at Kilafin,Co. Wicklow.
1999   Mural for Brandon House Hotel, Swimming Pool, Co. Wexford
1994  Designed scale models of a famine village and workhouse for 'Model World', an outdoor Historical Ireland project in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow
1987  Islington Borough Council design award
1979  European Schools Award Prize for Art
Collections

Dr. Shirley Sherwood Collection, UK - Byrne Group, Greystones, Co. Wicklow - National Gallery of Ireland - National Museum of Ireland - OPW (Botanical Gardens Dublin) - Wicklow Mountains National Park - Many private collections