STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JOHN PASTORIZA-PINOL

17th Annual International

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

Full Moon Maple Leaves and Seeds

Acer japonica

This is a small study of the Fullmoon Maple (Acer japonicum) with material collected from the Geelong Botanic Gardens, Victoria, and Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD. This species of maple is native to Japan and southern Korea. It is a small deciduous tree which has an arresting autumn display, when the leaves turn bright orange to dark red. I have always planned to paint this tree, however, every year until last I missed the opportunity to collect the autumn leaves; nature waits for no man!

This is a small pleasing graceful work which is designed to engage with the audience on an intimate level. In terms of the subject matter, the viewer’s experience of the work is highly subjective and personal with the small scale stimulating one’s curiosity.

Goethe spoke of all things perishable, as merely an image. An awareness of the impermanence of all things engenders an appreciation of their beauty and their ephemeral nature. Harbingers of autumn invoke feelings of reflection, melancholy on the transience of life. They suggestively urge the viewer to look beyond the aesthetic and move into a deeper understanding about the reality of life

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This piece has stimulated the development of a new series of works to be exhibited at a show titled (Vignettes: Prefatory, Empirical, Mimesis, Brevity) in 2015 at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The Art Gallery of Ballarat was established in 1884 and is the oldest and largest gallery in regional Australia.

My component, titled Brevity, is based on the French proverb à la Chandeleur, l’hiver se passe ou prend vigueur (winter either wanes or gains strength). These 15 works, all on vellum, will examine aspects of pride and regret using autumnal references juxtaposed with tattoos.

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