STORY BEHIND THE ART OF LEE DZMURA

20th Annual International

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

Boxelder

Acer negundo

After years of painting pristine floral specimens, I became interested in Wabi Sabi, the ancient Japanese esthetic that is founded on the beliefs that nothing is permanent, that nothing is perfect and that there is beauty in all things in all stages of life. This Box Elder twig, which was on a large limb felled in a storm, was the embodiment of these principles. The life cycle of the desiccated samaras and leaves had been abruptly interrupted. While the ridged samaras had retained their shaped and delicate venation, the once smooth leaves were tightly furled and their surfaces transformed into a series of angular planes defined by prominent veins. The twig had become a study in contrasts of texture, tone and form which drew me in.

For the past year, whether walking through a garden, a field or a forest, I have been drawn to those subjects which display the patina of change. I have chosen to work in graphite because of the simplicity and starkness of the gray scale. Without the distraction of color the elements are united as singular whole. By recreating that which is normally passed by, it is my hope to introduce others to the complexity, beauty and value of change in all of nature.

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