Story behind the art of Carrie Di Costanzo

26th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center

Two Tulips

Tulipa cv.

Returning to tulips as a subject is becoming habitual for me, as they are quite appealing in texture, reflected quality of light, and elegance of shape. I planted these tulips in my garden in October and they were blooming by late spring here in New Jersey. They are double tulips and consist of many petals.

It was important to me to compose the flowers on the page in a manner that was different than usual. I found that laying the tulips on my table with natural light coming from the left created interesting negative spaces, cast shadows, and movement. I photographed and sketched them on the same day.

Egg tempera is my medium of choice, as it is wonderful for creating texture and luminosity. It is forgiving in that it allows the artist to paint light over dark, correct small mistakes or add details. Opaque paint is used to begin and followed by glazing with transparent colors to create a glowing quality. The unique challenge of painting with egg tempera is that many layers need to be applied before the luminosity is achieved. Using a combination of sponges and cut masks (a mask is simply a homemade stencil) to apply the initial opaque layers helps in cutting down the time. Brushes are then used to apply thin layers of glazes, and this is where all that effort pays off, as the luminosity will then appear.  

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Read more about this artist’s work: America's Flora