STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ROSEMARY DONNELLY

17th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York

Rosehips

Rosa ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’

The variety of rose hips that I selected for this painting, Rosa rugosa 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup', is a real show stopper in autumn as the leaves colour up beautifully before dropping and the hips are always a standout for their size, abundance and luminous quality.

I sourced my specimens from the beautiful Geelong Botanic Gardens which are recognized as one of Australia's premier regional gardens. The Gardens has a wonderful heritage rose garden laid out in tiered beds, each representing a different period in the development of the rose from its species origins through to modern day hybrid teas and David Austins. Rosa 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' was discovered by Knud Julianus Hastrup in Denmark in 1914 and named after his wife. The flowers are single, 5-petalled light pink with a clove fragrance and prominent yellow stamens. The word rugosa refers to the leaves and means deeply wrinkled and disease-resistant. Typical of rugosas, the stems are covered in a mass of thorns, which would no doubt deter creatures which would otherwise feast on the hips. These large tomato-shaped hips are valued as a rich source of vitamin C, containing sixty times more than apples or oranges weight for weight, but they need to be processed before they soften or they rapidly lose potency/goodness. They are also perfect for making rosehip jam.

I always take time to literally smell the roses at the Gardens during their flowering season, with my all time favorite especially for perfume being Sharifa asma (which I simply had to buy for my home garden). However a visit to the Gardens in autumn is equally rewarding for the wonderful variety of rosehips, particularly from the older rose varieties. There is even a variety, R. Pimpinellifolia, which has almost black hips.

I guess you would have to say this particular composition simply evolved as my delight in the subject developed. The hips came first as a study, then I decided I wanted to include the attractive autumn leaf, and then finally the dissection rounded out the completed work. I have painted hips before, but this is the first time I have cut one open and was so taken with the packaging of seeds inside I wanted to include a dissection on my work this time. I have tried to capture the luminous quality of the hips by using multiple layers of thin tea washes followed by very fine dry brushwork to intensify the colour. I chose not to include the flower as I felt the colour didn't particularly complement the intense orange-red colour of the fruit.

Rose hips fit squarely into my most favored subject group for painting, which is fruits and vegetables. I am especially attracted to round, plump specimens for their form and color and enjoy including branches and leaves as I love the contrast in texture this provides. I also paint a variety of other subjects but find myself returning to fruit when painting just for my own pleasure.

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Read more about this artist's work: 16th Annual International