Hickman, Ellen J.   (1968 -   )

She was born in England in 1968 and migrated to Western Australia in 1971.

After completing a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Botany at the University of Western Australia in 1991 she continued to do art, illustrating some grasses for the Flora of the Kimberley Region, and members of the plant family Restionaceae for Australian Rushes.

In 1993 she travelled overseas, working as an illustrator at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

After completing a Diploma of Visual Arts in Illustration in Melbourne she was selected to exhibit at the 'Biennial Art of Botanical Illustration' at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

Botanical Illustration is a difficult career to make a living, so her main line of work is as a Botanist. She started as Rare Flora Officer for the Albany Region with the Western Australia Conservation Department, and then began her own business as an independent botanical consultant, doing flora surveys across the South Coast, of Western Australia.

Between work commitments she continued to illustrate including: childrens' books Hooray for Chester and Tuart Dwellers; pieces for exhibitions with the Botanical Artists Group (BAGs) Brush with Gondwana; various botanical illustrations for Two with Nature.

​ In 2001 she commenced a major project to illustrate members of the Haemodoraceae plant family. This family includes the Western Australian floral emblem, Anigozanthos manglesii, the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw, but its members occur across the world. Research funding and a Winston Churchill Fellowship allowed visits to Cuba, North and South America and South Africa to illustrate the overseas species.

Juggling earning a living from botanical consulting and finding time for her botanical illustration became increasingly difficult.

In 2013 she started full-time postgraduate studies and was awarded a PhD in 2019. Her thesis was titled : Discovery through Illustration - Botanical Art, Traits and their Phylogeny in the Haemodoraceae.

Source: Extracted from:
https://fremantlepress.com.au/contributor/ellen-hickman/?srsltid=AfmBOopZ6RPEqMktYZiQJ9FlI4o3rcZ5Y0bFQF69jaQDsp0sbgYWFUIT
https://shirleysherwood.com/~840
https://www.ellenhickman.com.au/#dataItem-jaw8m4jy
Portrait Photo: In Guyana, https://www.ellenhickman.com.au/#dataItem-jaw8m4jy.

Collecting localities for 'Hickman, E.J.' from AVH (2026)

Data from 560 specimens