STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CHERIE ANN GOSSETT

16th Annual International

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

Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Bauhinia blakeana

I am a freelance botanical artist specializing in the native plants of western North America. But on occasion I can’t help but paint subtropical plants. Because I am also a garden designer, I particularly enjoy subjects which can be planted successfully in ornamental landscapes.

The Hong Kong Orchid Tree or Bauhinia blakeana is in the Family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) (Pea). This dome-shaped tree originates from Canton, China, but can be found growing in warm-winter areas of the United States such as coastal southern California & Hawaii. A moderate-sized semi-deciduous tree, it is useful in ornamental landscapes. The large flowers grow in long racemes, with no fruit produced. Possibly a hybrid, this species is propagated vegetatively. 

I first met this plant in my plant identification classes in San Diego, as part of horticultural coursework. We had to draw or photograph the plant for a notebook, along with preparing an information sheet about it, a total of 40 plants in 6 weeks. The campus had only one Hong Kong Orchid Tree which I recall was the central focal point of a patio area. It was a really spectacular tree, despite years of horticultural students cutting samples from it. The plant identification classes were how I started into botanical art, since I did line drawings with some colored pencil embellishment for all my notebooks. From this I discovered I enjoyed drawing plants, and went onto to take the certificate program at the Botanical Art Institute of San Diego.

Several years ago my husband and I saw the Hong Kong Orchid Tree again on a visit to the Big Island in Hawaii. I made some sketches of the flowers and leaves, took a lot of photos of samples from the Kona area, and photographed the wonderful trees in Lili'uokalani Gardens in Hilo. 

When I painted the painting, it was challenging not having live samples, especially for the leaves and buds. The flowers are really "in your face", and I wanted to capture their exotic quality. The detailing on the flower is actually very delicate, yet the overall effect is bold. I find it ironic that these flowers aren't actually involved in reproduction.

I attempted to give this composition some movement. The tree has almost vine-like long stems of the unique bauhinia leaves, which can be tricky to capture. The flower needed to be at the correct angle to see the reproductive parts and be the focal point of the painting.  

I tried to grow a bauhinia tree -- Chihuahua Orchid Tree / Bauhinia macranthera -- in my yard north of Tucson. But apparently it was not hardy enough for my Zone 8a conditions, though it was supposed to be. I do have a bauhinia vine in a part shade patio area that does well with winter protection. And I do have documentation to paint the St. Thomas Orchid Tree / Bauhinia monandra from my most recent visit to the Big Island. So my love affair with bauhinias continues!

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