STORY BEHIND THE ART OF KAREN KLUGLEIN

15th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at

The Horticultural Society of New York

Ornamental Kale

Brassica oleracea 

What is your personal view of the artwork, for instance in terms of media, colors, composition? 

I think the painting of Ornamental Kale is strongest in the decorative aspect of the piece. It is bold and has beautiful colors. 

 Why did you choose this subject to portray? 

I chose the subject because I was attracted to the purple and green, my favorite colors. It is also a pretty plant. And I wanted to paint something a bit larger and include the roots. 

 Did you face any unique challenges as you worked on this piece? 

Painting this definitely had challenges. The ruffled edges of the leaves were not fun to paint. Very tedious. 

The painting took so long that I put it aside for months. I had worked on the leaves to 3/4 completion. The weather was getting cold and the plant was shriveling. When I brought it into the warm studio I noticed it had little white bugs all over so back outside it went! I had to wait until the next Fall season and get another plant to paint the stem and roots. By then I had renewed energy to complete the ruffled leaves. 

 What would you hope people would notice or appreciate when viewing this work?

I suppose just its decorative aspect.

 How does this work relate to your body of work?

I think it adds to my body of work in that it is bold and the painted area covers more space. It adds lots of color!

 Anything else?

I thought for a long time about whether or not I should add the moths. I knew that once I started to put them in there was no turning back since I would not be able to completely pick up the paint on vellum. I moved around little pieces of paper with moths drawn on them and decided to put them in. I'm glad I did since I do think they add a little life to the piece! 

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