Story behind the art of Asuka Hishiki
26th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center
Red and Green Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Heirloom tomatoes are my lifelong passion. I used to live in New York City, and I would walk around a farmers market for hours, picking up each tomato and thinking which one I could take home to work with. It was such a joy and also a burden to choose just one from plenty. Of course, I often found “THE ONE”, a super tomato that stood out from other good tomatoes.
The difficulty I am facing now is how to get heirloom tomatoes because they are not widely available in Japan. Actually, I have found only two farmers growing them, and both are very far from my place. So now, heirloom tomatoes at a farmers market is almost a luxury.
Another option is to grow them by myself. Unfortunately, I am a terrible gardener. Luckily, I have found some hardy tomato plants, and they grow well and produce several fruits under my clumsy care.
However, another aspect has arisen: if you grow tomatoes by yourself, you create a new situation. A tomato becomes like your…how should I put this? I feel more of an attachment towards each tomato in a very personal way. I will be watching them grow from a tiny fruit, getting bigger each day, always worrying about them because they are threatened by predator worms (my backyard receives many worm guests, as well as hunter wasps and praying mantis) and sudden heavy rain (causing splits on a fruit due to the sudden fluctuations of water because of the heavy rain). A typhoon is also a big problem. It breaks tomatoes down the middle or destroys the whole garden with strong wind and heavy rain. It may turn a tomato into a wonderfully twisted looking tomato at the end, but most of the time, it causes the fruit to rot before reaching a mature stage. Well, why I am pointing to the obvious and mundane Garden 101 care? My point is that after those worries and cares, I feel very much attached to each fruit in the garden. Even a small, not so extraordinary looking tomato becomes THE ONE for me.
If you see my view on this subject, we can now share how rare and amazing these red and green tomatoes are! The red one was the star of my garden. It grew big and bold. The dark red color was deeper than any other tomato, and the scars shone like golden sparks. Of course, I am aware that I may be seeing it through a rose colored lens. However, this is my point and my reason to keep portraying plants. I wish that you can see this red and green tomato with the awe I felt, so that I can share my rose lens world with you.
Next Story
Back to List
Read more about this artist’s work: 25th Annual