STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JOAN MCGANN

17th Annual International

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

Arizona Barrel Cactus

Ferocactus wislezeni

My continued love for drawing cactus specimens is the reason I chose yet another one to put on paper.

This particular cactus is an Arizona Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus wislezeni, also known as a fishhook or compass barrel cactus. It is a protected native plant found prevalently in southern Arizona and northern Mexico. This specific cactus is growing alongside the common mailbox at our office complex and I see it most every day. It is about four feet tall and two feet around with a barrel shaped body. It has long, reddish, hooked spines and like many, it leans towards the sun to the southwest. The most interesting part to me is that this plant will often still have its bright yellow fruits from the year before with newer green fruits in a circle inside those, and beautiful orange flowers further inside. All of this interest and color covers the top of the plant.

In much of my work I have drawn cactus looking down on the specimen from the top. It seems to be the most interesting vantage point for me to see the growth patterns and capture more of the bloom. In this drawing I chose to also depict the body of the plant. The undulating ribs were a beautiful green with a “drawable” number of spines marked with horizontal lines, giving them a nice texture. I also enjoyed capturing the way sunlight played on the body’s surface area.

Many of my drawings are in pen and ink. Not only do I enjoy the medium but it lends itself to illustrating all the sharp spines, as well as the soft texture of the plant surface. In many instances I like to describe the colors of the specimen and this cactus had a lot of color, so, I continued the piece with watercolor. The use of watercolor helped to enhance the volume of the plant.

My biggest challenge in drawing cacti is the short duration of flowering. Some only bloom for a day or two, others only a little longer. I try to sketch most flowers directly from the specimen and find the color palette I will use on the finished piece. I will also create details of the spines, areoles and fruits. I take numerous photos to use in studio and will check back with the specimen whenever necessary and possible.

I feel very fortunate to have moved to the Sonoran Desert. The landscape is so interesting and amazing. There are many cacti to put on paper and I hope to continue. 

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Read more about this artist's work:  Weird, Wild & Wonderful