STORY BEHIND THE ART OF Sengmany Phommachakr
25th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists and Wave Hill
Passion Fruits
Passiflora edulis, Passiflora ligularis
In March 2022, at the beginning of pandemic year three, I attended an online workshop given by Margaret Best on the importance of lighting in botanical art. The workshop focused on the accurate rendering of highlights and reflected light to best create an illusion of a three-dimensional subject on a two-dimensional sheet of paper.
For this work, I chose the fruit of two Passiflora specimens, because I thought it would be interesting to paint two members of the same genus: their rounded shapes are similar but they have subtle differences in size as well as in color and texture of their skins. I chose a small, purple Passiflora edulis, passion fruit, with scars on its skin, and a bigger, pale orange Passiflora ligularis, sweet granadilla, with dotted skin and a protruding stem with a hint of green.
To create an attractive composition, I played with the specimens until I achieved an interesting glow in the area between the two fruits. I intentionally created a visual tangent (usually a composition no-no) to attract the viewer’s eye to this interstice.
I found the subject challenging as it was my first time illustrating a dark value subject next to a lighter one, with both reflecting off each other. I made a detailed drawing of the specimens, noting the locations of highlights and reflected lights carefully. Making good use of transparent colors, letting them dry in between layers, along with attentive observations of the specimens were instrumental in creating highlights and the reflected light. I applied masking fluid to protect the highlights and to make the dotted pattern on the Passiflora ligularis.
Looking back, I think this was my most challenging work to date. I am keen to paint these specimens again in the future, focusing next time on the rich inside of the fruit.
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Read more about this artist's work: 24th Annual