STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CAROL WOODIN 

17th Annual International

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

Camouflaged

Citrus x limon ‘Eureka Pink Variegated’

Whenever I walk through the conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden, I always stop by the citrus, drawn in by the fragrance of the flowers. This variegated lemon was something new, visually, and immediately brought to mind the idea of the lemons being camouflaged. It had lemons at all stages, and the heaviness of the lemons was substantial, weighing down the branches. The variegation continues into the fruit, which as it ripens changes from "lemony" yellow to an orangey cast. These were all things I thought would be fun to paint, as well as the surface texture of the leaves that curl over on the edges and the pebbly surface of the lemons. I wanted the composition to be an active one with lots of movement.

I found a large piece of vellum and stretched it over a panel, then began applying layer after layer of dry brush watercolor. The painting took quite a while to complete; I had to go back to the tree again a couple of years later when it was in fruit. When a friend brought me one of these variegated lemon fruits, I cut it open and was so surprised to see it was pink!

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