STORY BEHIND THE ART OF LYNNE RAILSBACK

17th Annual International

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

Giant White Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia nicolai

On a trip to the west coast of Florida I noticed several tall trees with blossoms that were similar to the smaller, yellow bird of paradise plant, Strelitzia reginae. I saw a dried up blossom on the ground and didn’t know what it was, so I brought it to a local garden center. Indeed it was from the same family - this one was Strelitzia nicolai. My find looked fragile, but was actually very tough. I later learned that Strelitzia nicolai has a very invasive root system and it is not recommended that it be planted close to buildings; interestingly enough that’s exactly where I saw the trees, at a museum and at the clubhouse of a golf course.

This dried up specimen had all the characteristics of what I enjoy painting – I am sure few would find it as interesting to paint as I did! My painting includes three soft triangular woody looking bracts which enclose many withering ribbons (sepals). It’s in various shades of browns, oranges, yellows. There is quite a bit of detail which requires a closer look.

I enjoy using a lift out technique which was more difficult than usual with this piece. It was probably the permanent rose pigment which was the culprit. I use a tiny synthetic brush on Bristol paper, which is smooth, almost like vellum, and I can move pigment along it. Then I lift out to create a fine line, without having to draw it. This gives a different look, more transparent and more of a three dimensional quality.

An amazing discovery made only a few years ago is that S. Nicolai contains bilirubin, which was previously thought to be an “animal-only” pigment. Bilirubin is a breakdown product of heme and is best known as the yellowish hue associated with bruises and jaundice sufferers. 

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