STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CATHERINE WATTERS

21st Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Sacred Lotus seed pods

Nelumbo nucifera

While visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden many years ago I was struck by the size and shapes of sacred lotus seedpods. They looked like dancing showerheads! I am honored that my first painting of Nelumbo nucifera is part of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Florilegium collection. 

I was particularly intrigued by the sculptural quality of the seedpods, so I composed the three pods in this painting as if the two on the right are conversing and the one on the left is looking away. The challenge was to make the seedpods look three-dimensional and give them movement.

This painting is a watercolor on calfskin vellum, a surface I love to paint on because of the luminous quality you can achieve. I used a great number of colors to paint the dark seedpods to achieve a rich woody texture.

I hope that my painting inspires the viewer to look more closely at seedpods that are often overlooked and to appreciate their beauty.

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Read more about this artist’s work: 16th Annual International