STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JANET PARKER
22nd Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at Marin Art & Garden Center
Resplendent Big Leaf Maple Leaf
Acer macrophyllum
This extremely large leaf was one of countless leaves I find myself collecting every fall, often hanging onto them until well after they’ve lost their color and are too brittle to keep.
When I first picked it up, I wasn’t sure what it was, only later realizing it belonged to a Bigleaf Maple–Acer macrophyllum, an important Oregon native tree. It’s the largest species of maple in North America, with a very narrow range—mainly just a sliver along the Pacific coast, though inland far enough that there are plenty here in Portland. And it grows from about 50 to over 100 feet tall and has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 5.9 to 11.8” across. My specimen measured a little over 11” across.
Though I most often work in graphite and colored pencil, I decided to start painting this in watercolor. I’ve had mixed results combining watercolor and colored pencil, but with perseverance have sometimes found success. I’m always more comfortable putting in fine details with colored pencil and realized I would probably end up combining the two media before I could consider the piece finished. I like the way watercolor so efficiently lays down saturated color, especially on a large piece, and as a base for building up detail in colored pencil. But the watercolor changes the texture and finish of the paper surface, so going from painted to unpainted surface with a pencil presents a challenge. I find these areas of transition need a lot of coaxing; with a blending tool, with more colored pencil layers, and sometimes additional layers of watercolor.
Most importantly to me, I just loved working on this subject. I loved articulating the areas where a fungus called Phyllosticta minima left its beautiful bullseye-shaped spots. I loved showing how the tips of the leaf curl forward in some places, leaving some covered areas aglow in coppery shadows. I loved trying to give this mostly flat subject some subtle shadows to suggest its actually-not-totally-flat shape.
As I worked on this piece I thought a lot about it. Why did I enjoy looking at this leaf so much? In it you can see evidence of its whole life span in the range of its colors and wear-and-tear. It’s still fairly firm and intact but showing a lot of bumps and scars too. Its flame is still lit, but we know this moment won’t last. In another few weeks or months those beautiful colors will have turned to a uniform beige-gray. Maybe it represents a moment in time that I can relate to. Or maybe the simple fact of its beauty is enough.
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