STORY BEHIND THE ART OF MARGARET BEST
19th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists & The Horticultural Society of New York
Almond
Prunus dulcis
Unless I have a specific commission, most subjects I paint find me in serendipitous ways. I like that reality as it always tells a story.
In this case, I was wandering on a beautifully restored masseria in Puglia, Italy in April 2015 when I saw this solitary almond left unharvested on what appeared to be a very old tree. The estate owner gave me permission to pick the almond but was curious why I had chosen a nut to paint when there were so many exotic-looking wild orchids among his olive trees.
I explained that I wanted to work out how to capture the fuzzy outer jacket of the nut effectively in watercolor. He appeared mystified. So I told him that no matter how accomplished the artist might be, botanical art was a constant learning experience—it’s part of the lure.
By now, caught up in the intrigue, he explained how he loved the old tree and kept it for his visitors to enjoy. The nuts it produced, he said, were not commercially viable but nevertheless tasty. He fetched a handful of nuts, removed some of the jackets and cracked those open. He was right. They were tasty and sweeter than the larger nuts found in markets or stores.
I asked him to leave me the open shells - I was thinking of a Linnaean-type of composition if this painting was to have a future. And that’s what unfolded. From the sketch book I moved to color matching and then tested various texture techniques. I loved the process as much as the results that were developing under the brush.
Part of my attraction to this almond might have been the fact that I’d enjoyed painting solitary tree nuts before, such as the black walnut, a Canadian native. There’s a charm in the simplicity of a single nut. It presents an opportunity to focus on a subject’s fascinating and unique characteristics in an uncomplicated way. Some botanical subjects should not be trifled with—this was one of them. This is why I drew and painted the nut to size and true to its raw beauty, free of contrived angles and staged lighting.
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Read more about this artist’s work: 18th Annual International