STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CARRIE DI COSTANZO

Botanical Art Worldwide: America's Flora

Longleaf Pine

Pinus palustris

The Longleaf Pine is a beautiful native tree that has long needles, which can grow up to 15 inches in length. It is for this reason that it was chosen for this exhibition, as it would be different than most of the other pine trees, which were painted before. I could visualize those needles filling out the page in a dramatic manner. My objective was for this painting to look like a mass of needles if one stepped back, but to see each one distinctly if looking up close. It was not an easy task, but the painting progressed and the form took shape slowly and methodically.

The preliminary work for this painting, as with every piece, is just as important as the painting itself. I start with a very rough drawing on tracing paper. Then, more tracings are done and the drawing is slowly refined until it finally has all the information and detail that will be included in the final painting. Using watercolor was beneficial as it allowed me to attain fine detail with many layers of paint.

The Longleaf Pine is a welcome addition to my body of work because it is different and adds some variety to my existing work. Those long needles made for both a challenging and fun project.

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