STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CHERIE ANN GOSSETT
15th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at
The Horticultural Society of New York
Morning Cloud Chitalpa
Chitalpa taskentensis ‘Morning Cloud’
Why did you choose this subject to portray?
While I paint subtropical plants as well, I really do like to do plants local to where I live when I can. I live in an upper portion of the Sonoran Desert at about 3200 elevation. Other than cacti, many desert plants don't produce large flowers. The challenge is to portray plants in paintings which will catch the eye and that people will enjoy and appreciate. This can be difficult when the plants have relatively small flowers and leaves, and a lot of beauty is in the fine details. I find myself picking subjects like native hibiscus, Desert Willow, and the Chitalpa which all have relatively striking flowers.
The chitalpa is a 20 to 30 foot flowering tree, blooming May to September. It is an intergeneric hybrid, bred from Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) and Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides), both native to the southwestern United States. Because it is sterile, it produces no seed pods. This ornamental tree can withstand both heat and cold, and is suitable for xeric [extremely dry] landscapes. Chitalpa is deciduous, a prolific bloomer, fast growing, and handles monsoon winds.
What is your personal view of the artwork, for instance in terms of media, colors, composition?
I painted this plant from samples from a now 4 1/2 year old tree planted in my yard. Both the flowers and buds at various stages of opening were very sensuous and almost extravagant. But the display was only for us, since this hybrid cannot be pollinated and cannot produce fruit.
I always work my composition from the gesture of the plant. The clumps of the Chitalpa are held almost vertical to 45 degrees, sort of saying to you "here I am." The composition relies on one of the woody spurs as a counterbalance (see left side of painting); spurs are typical also of Desert Willow, one of the contributing "parents." I have painted the Desert Willow as well, also from my yard and common to the Sonoran Desert.
My husband and I both love our Chitalpa tree, which is situated on a large mound and underplanted with low water usage low shrubs, perennials, low yucca and ornamental grasses. The tree's branches have almost a vine-like character, which makes pruning a challenge but really lovely in our frequent winds.
Did you face any unique challenges as you worked on this piece?
There was the typical botanical artist's challenge of the flowers that wilted soon after stems were cut from the tree. The other challenge was the overall white flowers (with a pink cast in places) -- I hadn't painted white flowers in watercolor much before. When I moved here from the San Diego area 5 1/2 years ago, I had to almost start over in my plant palette as the designer for our yard.
How does this work relate to your body of work?
I am a freelance botanical artist specializing in the native plants of western North America. Because I am also a garden designer, I particularly enjoy subjects which can be planted successfully in ornamental landscapes as well as found in the wild.
What would you hope people would notice or appreciate when viewing this work?
Since my personal evolution is from floral design to gardening to landscape design & horticulture to botanical painting, I hope my work reflects how much I love and admire plants. When you really look at them and work to grow them, they are miracles.
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