STORY BEHIND THE ART OF PAT GIANCONTIERI

23rd Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Blackberry Lily

Iris domestica

In choosing a specimen for my “scaled-up” project in Dick Rauh’s class at The New York Botanical Garden (for an impending Certificate in Botanical Illustration), I was drawn to the diminutive size of the original specimen which measured a mere three inches; the seeds each only one-eighth of an inch. I had to reconsider a 300 percent enlargement after my freehand color test was inadvertently painted at 500 percent. Begin again I did. Enlarging it to 500 percent invited a more striking view.

‘Blackberry Lily’ as a dried specimen lets us experience it in its least colorful stage. (Shades of red, orange, yellow, and families of green grace the plant during peak bloom.) Here ‘Blackberry Lily’ is a compelling color choice The challenge was to represent the depth of indigo color in the seeds, which border on black—without losing the deep vibrancy of the hue. The limited palette at this stage also spoke to me, because in my work as a textile/surface designer, color needs to be “pretty,” or “wearable,” or “livable,” and it is refreshing to be freed from those confines.

In its dried or dormant state, the architectural lines are rigid, while the live plant has a graceful sweep. I saw this as part of its dramatic beauty; lines that directed the eye to rich dark fruit. The stems, capsules, and spathes are softened by their parchment color and transparent paper-like quality. The dark sepia in the cavern of the burst seed capsules is a suitable counterbalance to the indigo.

At this point of its life, ‘Blackberry Lily’ is fragile and delicate, with the fruit dislodging in a gentle breeze or even by the slightest glance.

‘Blackberry Lily’ is simultaneously bold and soft in color; strong and fragile in nature. I sought to capture this precarious yet bold contradiction.

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