STORY BEHIND THE ART OF MELANIE CAMPBELL-CARTER

18th Annual International

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

Shaving Brush Tree

Pseudobombax ellipticum

I have been fortunate enough to travel twice to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Hawaii to attend botanical illustration workshops. When a fellow artist on the island of Kauai brought several cuttings of this Shaving Brush Tree from her garden to our group, portraying the thick brushy blossom was an irresistible challenge for me.

The arresting beauty of the winter-blooming Pseudobombax ellipticum has been known to attract artists as far back as the Mayan Empire. Researchers have determined that it is one of several important plant species depicted on Mayan vessels including burial urns and incense holders. These flowers are used even today in Central America to decorate homes and churches. 

Thick, bright green, succulent stems emerge from the base of the shaving brush tree, ending in clusters of deep violet knobs. Cream-colored flower buds develop from the knobs. When the protective cover on the bud splits and curls back, hundreds of long, silky, brilliant pink stamens burst forth and shimmer in the tropical breeze. I remember the flowers lasting only a day or two. When the stamens drop, the long center pistil often remains attached, as I depicted. Only after the exuberant blooming ends, does the tree develop its spring and summer leaves.

I used both watercolor and colored pencil for this because the rich, vivid colors of the different parts of the tree and flower needed to be very saturated. I have found that a watercolor underpainting saves me many, many hours of colored pencil work. Several shades of colored pencil with very sharp points were essential to depict the intricacy of the stamens.

I am a retired physician who has only begun to study botanical art in the last couple of years. In researching my subjects, I try to determine if the plants have any medical or therapeutic applications. In El Salvador, the tea brewed from the Shaving Brush Tree flowers is used for gastrointestinal ailments and the tea of the fresh bark is used to treat diabetes. The seeds contain carbohydrates and can be consumed if toasted.

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