STORY BEHIND THE ART OF MARY ANNE O'MALLEY

15th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at

The Horticultural Society of New York

Birch and Buckthorn

Betula sp., Rhamnus cathartica

This was a painting that had been on my mind for a while. 

The beautiful native birch branch with its lovely coloration and stature is used quite often in holiday decor, adding so much to the usual evergreen arrangements. The non-native and invasive buckthorn is never used for celebrations though it has a beauty all its own. They both come to spring with the same anticipation of summer and arrive in the fall with the same dread of the winter ahead. I thought they looked wonderful together in this composition that perhaps could be a metaphor for a larger view of our communities. 

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