STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ASUKA HISHIKI
19th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists & The Horticultural Society of New York
Dancing Duo Entry Number 34 - A Portrait of an Heirloom Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Sitting in a café, I love watching people passing by outside. In New York City, you can see all kinds of people.
Right behind a window of the cafe, there is a middle aged man wearing a tight, vivid red and yellow jacket and a pair of curious looking glasses. Next to the man, three skinny guys in skinny pants and green and yellow Mohicans are talking animatedly. A businessman in a slightly tight suit is eating his ice cream cone half hiding from people.
To imagine who they are is my favorite activity. Well, more like I can't resist the temptation. The man in the jacket that stands out painfully may be working for a high end magazine, a very glossy one. The three skinny guys look like a punk rock band and may be on their way to a club to negotiate a show. The businessman on the corner has a guilty look; he could be on a diet and he swore to his wife that if he broke his diet, he would buy a bag for her. Poor him, hopefully his wife won't ask him for a luxury bag.
Every tiny detail of their appearances is a hint about these imaginary characters. It is so much fun! You may be thinking - what on earth is she talking about?
Now I am coming back to my tomatoes. I am perfectly aware that tomatoes are not like those people on the street. Yet I can’t help juxtaposing various characters with my tomatoes. I see things around me with the exact same curiosity as I do the people outside the cafe. I hear stories through the details of their appearance.
Each heirloom tomato is unique and provides hints about their imaginary name. When I see a red and yellow tomato, it reminds me of the prominent jacket which the man on the NYC street wore. Three pale green tomatoes with a purple and green pattern are like three talkative punk rock guys. I may see a fat tomato with a pink face in the future which will remind me of the ice cream eating businessman. I love those short stories which my tomatoes are telling me. Sometimes, my subject has a name right away as soon as I lay eyes on it, but mostly it takes time until it reveals its name.
The dancing duo told me its name long after I completed the artwork. The two tomatoes are hand in hand. It doesn't look like they are pulling each other nor pushing. It is a light touch, but has a strong bond.... like dancing! The half dried leaves are like an elegant scarf floating with their elegant moves. One tomato is big, and the other is small. The gentle scars are like the wrinkles of a gracefully aging couple. Maybe they are a retired couple who love dancing very much...then the name came to my mind.
I believe that our daily lives and creating art are not separate activities, but rather are well connected. What and how you see the outside world in daily life informs what you do when you face your own creation.
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Read more about this artist’s work: 18th Annual International