STORY BEHIND THE ART OF LIZZIE SANDERS

21st Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Stunted kale

Brassica napus

When the Botanical Art Worldwide Exhibition was announced by ASBA, I went looking for an unusual and interesting Scottish native plant. Contacts at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh suggested 'Sutherland kale' – a large, edible kale with an interesting back-story.

I found some plants already growing in nearby allotments and sent off for seeds to grow myself. I had taken many photos of the mature plants in case my specimens came to nothing and used many of these for the final piece. Once my plants were a few inches high I planted some in my kitchen garden and some in pots in spring 2017, ready to paint in the autumn.

The painting I made for the Botanical Art Worldwide is a full portrait of a big plant with leaves, flowers, roots and is large – 24 x 36 inches.

Meanwhile the plants in pots of a similar age to those in the kitchen garden had hardly grown at all and were only about 6 inches high. The plants had wonderful colored leaves and a chunky, purple stem – no doubt caused by lack of space and little food.

So when faced with selecting a plant for the 21st International Exhibition, the 'Stunted kale' was an obvious choice. The little plant had such character – I grew quite fond of it and really enjoyed painting it – dry brush of course. The challenge was to capture the diverse greens as well as the bright colors of the plant while keeping the shape and form lively. I really never lay down a wash or a glaze and build up entirely in dry brush – tiny, tiny strokes with a small brush until the color depth and texture matches that of the specimen.

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Read more about this artist’s work: Out of the Woods