STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CAROL TILL

15th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at

The Horticultural Society of New York

Allium

Allium cv.

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

I had fun with this piece and did not make it with any intention of submitting it to an exhibit. It was only after I printed it that I thought it was a nice composition and maybe good enough to show. The print I exhibited in the show was a very simple print. I've printed that image in different ink colors combined with handmade imported papers. The final print is much different from the piece exhibited. That is the beauty of printmaking. There are endless ways a plate can be printed and combined with other plates and materials to create unique artwork

Why did you choose this subject to portray?

I collected these dried allium from a natural lake in my neighborhood. I was drawn to the swirling leaves and the textures of the seed head.

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

No, I just enjoyed the drawing. Sometimes it is a struggle to get a drawing down. The successful ones just flow.

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

I am working to making my drawings/prints more dynamic. I try to draw multiple subjects and work to and off the edges of the paper. The drawing is not hyper detailed but tells you enough about the plant.

How does this work relate to your body of work?

I've moved away from traditional botanical illustration with my prints. I made prints of animals for a year when I started back into printmaking because I wasn't sure how I wanted to do botanicals in etchings. Now I'm more interested in making dynamic compositions than I am in extremely detailed illustrations. I rarely do colored pencil drawings anymore. I had a 30 year break from printmaking. Now that I've gotten back into it, I don't want to work with other media. Printmaking is technically demanding, but so many interesting Effects can be achieved.

Tell me about your background.

I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mankato State University in Minnesota. I worked in offices and sales for many years after college. I was a sales manager for a commercial greenhouse for nine years and really enjoyed working in the world of plants. I left that to get a Master's of Digital Media from the University of Denver in 2001. That break got me back into drawing and making art. I received my certificate in Botanical Illustration from Denver Botanical Gardens in 2005. Since then I have been drawing and printmaking and selling my art. Making a living selling art is hard, so I supplement my art sales by working part-time.

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