STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JULIA TRICKEY

16th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Horticultural Society of New York

Nature in Waiting – Amaryllis Seedhead

Hippeastrum cv.

I am particularly drawn to specimens that are less than perfect and subjects that would otherwise be overlooked, especially autumn leaves, seed heads and fading flowers. I teach a weekly botanical illustration class and my students now bring me fading plants and dried specimens or anything that they think might appeal to me! 

The Hippeastrum seed head came to me in this way. I had not seen a Hippeastrum at this stage before. It was green when I was first given it and it was fascinating to watch it dry out and eventually open, revealing the seeds. I love the papery, translucent feel of the dying flower petals in contrast to the dark, shiny seed casings. I didn’t have time to paint it immediately and by the time I did, it had dried out. As the painting progressed, the specimen continued to desiccate and the seeds, which are very light, started falling out at the slightest nudge or breeze. I had to glue them back in place for the duration of the painting process! But I also took inspiration from this issue and included two falling seeds. In this way I could show their shape and detail, as well as making the painting more dynamic. A detached stamen and scattered pieces of dried petal also add movement and hint at the fragility of the specimen.

I favour wet-in-wet painting techniques at the early stages of any picture. In this way I very quickly get a sense of colour and shape to my painting. When I am happy with the form of the subject, I use dry brush techniques for creating texture, detail and finishing touches. I tend to work with a limited palette – all the colours seen in this picture were mixed from a small selection of basic colours. I like to paint three to four times the actual size of specimens, for impact and to show detail. Somehow even familiar botanical subjects take on different personalities when enlarged. I first started experimenting with scaling up a few years ago, partly because I enjoy painting larger washes, but also because I don’t have the eyesight and concentration to paint small, fiddly subjects anymore! A small painting demands that the detail is exquisite as you are drawing the viewer up close to your work. A larger painting needs to work initially from a distance so the finer detail plays a secondary role. If you can include both in your work, all the better!

This painting of a Hippeastrum seed head is part of a series entitled ‘Nature in Waiting’ which was awarded a Royal Horticultural Society gold medal in London in April 2013. The others in the series are Rosa rugosa hips, conkers (horse chestnut seeds), a magnolia branch, tree peony seed heads and a daffodil bulb. All the subjects in themselves look past their best, but hold the potential for new life. Given the right conditions, a new generation of plants will be produced from the seed heads, with the bulb and buds bursting back into life once winter is over. 

Next Story

Back to List