STORY BEHIND THE ART OF kim spink

25th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Wave Hill

Nasturtiums

Tropaeolum majus

Nasturtiums are standard issue in my balcony garden containers. The heirloom cultivar is ‘Tip Top Alaska’ Mix, a compact mounding form with variegated (cream on green) foliage. I plant them as both long-flowering specimen plants and in combination with others, like bunny tail grass (Lagurus ovatus). Nasturtiums are well known to gardeners and chefs alike. The plant is easy to grow because it tolerates a range of soil conditions and is eagerly harvested for its tasty, nutritious flowers and leaves. Nasturtiums are so common in fact I initially overlooked them. But the circular foliage waving in the wind demanded my attention. The flowers, slower to appear, poked out between the leaves and revealed petals with showy colors, soft-ridged surfaces, and a landing pad structure purpose-built to entice pollinators. What bee could resist? As I looked closer and isolated each plant growing in my pots I realized that the stem arrangement helped reinforce a dance-like quality to the plant, especially in the gentle wind that is common on the balcony. I hope I’ve captured some of that energy in the drawing.

The ongoing challenge for me in my work is building contrast. For the nasturtium flower that meant testing and selecting appropriate shadow color like red-violet, to create an intense orange and avoid a muddy result. The approach to the leaves was slightly less daunting but just as exciting as the colors are softer and the very decorative foliage variegations are complex.

Through the process of observation I have found the commonplace can be special. This urges me on to further explore plants I might be taking for granted in my garden.

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