Story behind the art of Carol Woodin
26th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center
Mirror of Venus Orchid, Lafkos, Greece
Ophrys speculum
Wild orchid species, and in particular bee mimicking orchids, have always held a fascination for me. Wild orchid species have formed a constant thread through my work since I began painting plants over 30 years ago. So, I was thrilled when I was invited to teach painting wild orchids in Greece in 2020. However, 2020 turned out to be a year of staying home! We postponed the course until spring of 2022, and when the time arrived, off we went.
The hotel in Lafkos where we stayed was situated above and looks westward into the Pagasetic Gulf and is surrounded by meadows and ancient paths. We could just walk out to the meadows and find about ten different species of wild orchids, along with anemones, irises, and many other wildflowers. I and those artists who came along enjoyed many happy hours sitting in that meadow overlooking the sea islands. Within a few miles we found many more orchid species growing in meadows and on hillsides, some under ancient olive trees. I managed to make studies of three different bee orchids, but this aptly named Mirror of Venus orchid, with its iridescent blue flare in the lip, was top priority for painting once I came home.
Found in rocky meadows and old olive groves, Ophrys speculum was often mixed in with other wild orchids. Its pollinator is a wasp, who is fooled into thinking this flower is a female wasp. Male wasps are lured in with a combination of the iridescent blue resembling the reflective wasp wings, and the floral scent which is similar to the female wasp’s pheromones. The brown fuzzy edges are reminiscent of the fuzzy wasp bodies. Each of these aspects presented challenges in painting. No matter how long one paints plants, each plant is a new challenge! I used reds, oranges, burnt sienna and cobalt blue to capture the brown fuzzy edges, and for the ‘mirror,’ a combination of cobalt teal blue, ultramarine violet, and some iridescent sapphire. I wanted to show just a little of how it grows, so included a small amount of moss and some dried grass, a rock, and a couple of old curled up olive leaves.
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Read more about this artist’s work: 25th Annual