STORY BEHIND THE ART OF WENDY HOLLENDER

17th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York

Peanut Plant

Arachis hypogaea

This peanuts painting was commissioned by an advertising agency working on a large campaign for the National Peanut Board. The board is the research, marketing and promotion organization for US peanut farmers. The new theme of the NPB is “the perfectly powerful peanut”, and peanuts are considered a “power plant” and “perfect power sources”. This campaign was profiled in the New York Times on March 31, 2014, entitled “Peanuts Come Out of Their Shells by Proclaiming Their ‘Powerful’ Properties”. The advertising is by print, online and transit advertising.

Both Rose Pellicano and I were commissioned to create art about the peanut plant, which was used as a backdrop for the campaign with various kinds of people in the target audience in front of each botanical illustration. One of my artworks is paired with a woman triathlete and the title is “Peanuts - For the Swim. For the Bike. For the Run. Not to Mention the After Party”. The article and a photo of me in the New York subway in front of this poster can be viewed in the Media Coverage section of the website. https://www.asba-art.org/article/new-york-times-highlights-new-peanut-campaign

The NPB sent me plants a few times that had been dug up. I did two full paintings with slightly different views of the peanut plant growing. The challenge for me and also the most fun was to show the entire plant and how it grows, including the tiny flowers, as I don’t think most people know how the plant looks as it grows.

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist's work:  16th Annual International