Alumna Artwork Marks Female Geolsoc Centenary

Artwork by Oxford Earth Science graduate, Dr Elizabeth Pickett (St. Edmund Hall, 1987), has won an international competition by the Geological Society of London. To mark the 100th anniversary of women becoming full Fellows of the Society, the organisation based at Burlington House in London commissioned a competition to find an image that celebrates females in geoscience, whether past or present.

Elizabeth won the top prize for her stunningly detailed, original gouache painting portraying two female field geologists, 100 years apart, in the same (imaginary) field location.

Cover of the May edition of Geoscientist.

“Although knowledge, understanding and technology have developed enormously since 1919, the rocks are still fundamentally the same, as are many aspects of geological fieldwork.” She writes. “Today’s geologist is building on foundations, both geological and societal, laid down by her pioneering 1919 predecessor. Despite the differences in their situations, they can still reach across the time gap to discuss the geology of an area and share observations and ideas – I like to think they’d have lots to discuss!”

Elizabeth’s submission fought off strong competition from many beautiful illustrations, but her winning piece adorns the front cover of the Geoscientist Magazine’s May edition (Vol. 29, No.4, www.geolsoc.org.uk/geoscientist). You can read more about the competition winners and see the entries in more detail here.