Tags
Aplectrum hyemale, Canson XL (140lb) WC paper, color, drawing, E. O. Wilson, expressionism, expressionist, expressive, Georgia, M. Graham Watercolors, native Orchids, Native Plants, Orchids, Painting, Plant Portrait, process, walk, walk in the N. Georgia woods, watercolor
Orchids 01 …Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale) …watercolor and graphite
I started this painting with a very rough sketch just suggesting some shapes and a bit of value. I also wanted to play around with a technique I have not used recently. I have used a palette knife to push around some juicy color that has been laid on in puddles. You do not have a great deal of control but it is great for laying down swaths of color and you get to focus on the spontaneity inherent in using watercolor. I want to explore this while working up these plant portraits.
I have always thought of Orchids as exotic (they are) jungle and hothouse denisons (they are n0t). In researching native plants I’ve found over 70 varieties of Orchids that are native to the Southeastern United States. That is after looking for just one evening. I begin to wonder how many I have walked past without knowing in my small expeditions in the North Georgia Woods. Many of these are considered rare, significantly rare, critically imperiled, and vulnerable; some have been placed on watchlists, and/0r classified as endangered. Many of our native Orchids are excellent choices for the landscape and I believe they can have a very important place in our thinking. I don’t advocate harvesting native plants from the wild except when you’re are involved in a plant rescue from an endangered location with a group such as the Georgia Native Plant Society. It is getting easier to find native plants in commercial nurseries. It may take a bit of looking but there are nurseries that feature native plants in your area.
We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity. (E. O. Wilson)
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