STORY BEHIND THE ART OF MIEKO ISHIKAWA

Weird, Wild, & Wonderful

Second New York Botanical Garden Triennial Exhibition

2014 - 2016

Rafflesia

Rafflesia keithii 

The three themes for my botanical artwork are: “Flowering Cherries of Japan”, “Tropical Rainforest Plants of Borneo” and “Conifers.” "Tropical Rainforest Plants of Borneo" has especially become my life’s work.

In 1994, I visited the tropical rainforests of Borneo for the first time. I was fascinated. I have visited Borneo 11 times since then to do research and each time I have been deeply impressed with the magnificent rainforests which are full of wonder, energy and life. I return home speechless with admiration and excitement beyond description. I like drawing strange plants such as Nepenthes, Ant plants and especially Rafflesia. 

Tropical rainforests, sometimes called the "Cradle of Diverse Life", are the planet's last jewels of biodiversity, home to an abundant variety of plants and animals, with millions of species that are yet to be discovered. It is said that tropical rainforests are home to more than half of the organisms around the world. They are also a treasure trove of resources that are essential for us to live on earth and another name they have been called is the “Green Lungs of the Earth”, responsible for a portion of the world’s oxygen turnover. For humanity, the rainforest should be cherished to maintain and protect the global environment. Precious rainforests have been shrinking due to the destruction of their habitat, but they continue to escape from deforestation, and a variety of valuable plants have been growing wild.

The mysterious Rafflesia, a parasite of vines of the Tetrastigma group (the host plant of the Rafflesia), is a particular plant in which I have been interested for a very long time since reading about it in a book as a child. It is a mystery how a plant like Rafflesia was born on earth. Every time I visit Borneo, I go to the natural habitat for Rafflesia. As Rafflesia blooms for only three to four days, it is difficult to see the flowers. In 2000, I finally saw a blooming Rafflesia pricei, and could hardly contain my excitement as I sketched it. Subsequently, in 2007 I encountered a full-grown Rafflesia keithii, diameter 80cm (31.5 in). I have already drawn these two Rafflesias. This is my third version of the flower and I enthusiastically painted it in the hope to have it exhibited in the Weird, Wild and Wonderful show, and to give many people the opportunity to know the splendor of tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia and the plants that grow there. I hope that the human race can forever coexist with the rainforest to nurture such important plants.

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