STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JOHN PASTORIZA-PIÑOL

21st Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Cyclamen

Cyclamen coum subsp. caucascium

Twenty years ago when I first seriously committed my life to documenting plants, I painted a cyclamen. This rather naïve work was created well before I discovered masking fluid and transparent pigments. It currently hangs on the wall at my parents’ home and I thought it would be an interesting exercise to measure how far my painting skills have developed/ improved over time with revisiting the subject.

Cyclamen coum subsp. caucascium is a small tuberous herbaceous perennial, with pink shell-shaped flowers with darker coloration at the base. This particular species is known for its floriferous nature, which is best experienced in winter and early spring. The rounded heart-shaped leaves have unique marbling that really intrigues me and was something I wanted to perfect with this work. My specimen was obtained here in Melbourne. Situated in the heart of Mount Macedon Township, is one of Australia's most unique nurseries. Stephen Ryan owns and runs Dicksonia Rare Plants, a specialist plant nursery. Stephen is quite the celebrity as he has appeared on a variety of television programmes, including the host on ABC television’s "Gardening Australia." Stephen helped select the plants worthy of a painting, as he has a good eye and his partner Craig Lidgerwood is a very accomplished botanical artist and lives here in Melbourne.

I continue to be fascinated with the full plant portrait and the amount of observation needed to fully do justice to the subject. Subsequently I have noticed that I revert back to smaller works after a major exhibition. The volume and freedom I enjoyed with my last solo exhibition has again been restrained and therefore I am producing smaller and more intimate works. 

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Read more about this artist’s work: 19th Annual International