STORY BEHIND THE ART OF LEAH KAIZER
15th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at
The Horticultural Society of New York
Tasmanian Blue Gum
Eucalyptus globulus
What is your personal view of the artwork, for instance in terms of media, colors, composition?
Eucalyptus branches dangle downward, often many branches in clusters of downward slopes. I tried to portray the graceful swoop of the tree’s branches that one can see with careful looking, choosing to focus on one branch and the interesting fall and curve of the leaves. Interestingly, there is a night time beetle that feeds on these eucalyptus leaves and creates areas of damage, sometimes quite overtaking the edges of the leaves. Multiple layering of watercolors works to highlight both the blueish tinge of the leaves and their silvery green effect. The new growth of budding leaves at the branch’s end is an entirely different color green altogether.
Why did you choose this subject to portray?
I pass by groves of eucalyptus as I walk on a steep trail above my Berkeley home. Their fragrance is compelling and once I noticed the way these plants flower and turn to seed pods, I knew I had to find a way to capture the soft full blossom and its path toward producing seeds. My art studio is still full of tiny black eucalyptus seeds from the seed pods collected! This eucalyptus has been a fire scourge to the area: Not native plants, but originals brought from Australia, purportedly by Sir Joseph Banks, botanist on the Cook expedition in 1770. Introduced later to California as an ill-fated quest for railroad ties and to provide windbreak to the agricultural industry, many of these trees have had to be cut down as they have proliferated and provided highly flammable debris. Ironically, the great East Bay Fire twenty years ago, in the hills just above my home, was fueled by eucalyptus.
Did you face any unique challenges as you worked on this piece?
Figuring out how to capture the flower with the myriad stamens was a challenge. I tried several methods as a study before determining the color and brush to use. This challenge was also the most fun part of painting this tree branch. I also enjoyed having a subject where I could portray accurately each of the stages of the flower and pods that naturally occur on one branch!
What would you hope people would notice or appreciate when viewing this work?
How graceful and interesting this tree is. It is a wonderment how plants produce seeds -- The eucalyptus or gum tree flower unfolds from the closed protective pods (calyx or operculum) where the cap comes off to display the slowly opening flower composed of numerous fluffy stamens and then the aging flower transforms to a dark pod that opens to scatter the seeds. All phases can be witnessed on close inspection of one branch!
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