STORY BEHIND THE ART OF AKIKO ENOKIDO

16th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Horticultural Society of New York

Mum

Crysanthemum morifolium ‘Kokka Seija’

I moved from California to Japan last summer. It took time to adjust to life here and to settle down after 12 years staying in the US. When I set up my studio and started to paint, it was already fall. It was my first fall in 12 years, and I was taken aback by the beautiful colors of the leaves. That motivated me to pick a subject from Japanese plants. Chrysanthemum flower exhibitions are held all over Japan during the fall season. The chrysanthemum enthusiasts put a lot of effort into making straight stems and big, beautiful, perfectly shaped flowers on each stem. 

I found this particular chrysanthemum in my neighborhood. The flower is not well shaped to show in exhibitions, but I was fascinated by its energy to grow. I made the composition as simple as possible and set the pale colored flower in front of the leaves. I tried to paint the pale petals using pure layers of colors for the shadows. Layers of light pink and light blue, light green, light yellow made a beautiful color of gray for the shadows, and also added a hint of the color of the reflecting light.

Since ancient times, Cherry blossoms in the spring and Chrysanthemums in the fall are both loved by the Japanese people. They both represent the flowers of Japan. There are sayings like "Chrysanthemum brings happiness to homes" or "Chrysanthemum has the power to influence children to behave well". Chrysanthemums are also used for new year decorations to bring fortune during the year. 

This will be a memorable piece, my first botanical painting in Japan.

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist's work: 15th Annual