STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JESSICA DAIGLE
23rd Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill
April Remembered
Camellia japonica
In Connecticut winters can be very cold, snowy, and bleak. To brighten these gray days, I love venturing to my local nurseries to be surrounded by some fresh green life. This January, at my local nursery for a botanical pick-me-up, I came upon a beautiful plant that had just opened for its winter bloom. It was a beautiful pink Camellia japonica, commonly called “the rose of winter.” I was captivated by this large vibrant bloom that immediately transported me to the warmer days of spring and summer. To keep this feeling alive, I knew I had to paint this specimen as soon as I returned home.
Camellia japonica leaves are rich green and glossy. With little variation in the dark green tone, this leaf is thick and hardy. Particularly interesting is the contrast in personality between the leaves and flowers--the soft and velvety touch of the flower petals feels less everlasting, but it is a perfect contrast to the deep green surrounding it. Each petal had a beautiful transition in color from bright pink at the edges to a light cream in the center, but the texture is subtle and difficult to capture in a painting. To meet this challenge, I chose to paint in oil. This medium allows me to capture vibrant, deep color along with the unique texture found in this flower.
More specifically, the technique I used is known as “indirect” oil painting. The process is time consuming, but the results are well worth the effort. Unlike “direct” painting, in “indirect” painting the image is built up in layers. Oil paint is thinned with a solvent-free solution of safflower oil and alkyd resin before it is applied. Each glaze layer dries fully before another is applied in order to build up rich color and overall dimension. This technique allows light to bounce through all of the layers to create a luminosity and depth of color that is difficult to achieve with other methods.
Trying to capture both the vibrant pink color and soft texture of the flower juxtaposed against the dark green, glossy leaves was challenging and enjoyable. Painting a specimen in this detailed manner allows me to see the flower in a way that the casual observer cannot appreciate. As an artist, it is my great pleasure to try and capture the fleeting natural beauty of these wonderful plants in an effort to share, in some small way, how they lift my spirits even when days are short and gray.
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