STORY BEHIND THE ART OF PATRICIA LUPPINO

17th Annual International

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

Adam’s Needle

Yucca filamentosa

I'm always on the lookout for interesting plants in the "winter" of their life. I generally focus on dried specimens primarily because their beauty is often overlooked. I found this specimen of Yucca filamentosa on a December walk through a cemetery near my home. It was striking in its size; the stalk before I cut it down was over five feet high. I'd never worked on anything of this scale before, and I thought that would be a new challenge for me.

Despite its height, which I tried to emphasize through the linear composition, I hope people will appreciate its fragility. I added the falling seeds as an afterthought, but then realized that it was an important characteristic of this plant. Just the slightest touch would produce a rattling sound and would send hundreds of black seeds cascading to my studio floor. I found the specimen around the time of the winter solstice and my work is stark in its representation of winter, but I hope the falling seeds will remind the viewer of the spring to come.

I used silverpoint and watercolor on gesso-coated board, an experiment I vow never to repeat. The board surface was grainier than I would have liked and resulted in the silverpoint looking stippled rather than smooth. Painting on it was even more difficult and really challenged my dry-brush skills.

I'd like to publically acknowledge Robin Jess who helped me identify this plant. I'm embarrassed to admit that I hadn't identified it when I selected it, while I was working on the piece or after I completed it. Thank you Robin!

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist's work: 15th Annual International