STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CARRIE DICOSTANZO

18th Annual International

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

Red Pine

Pinus resinosa

One of the most enticing subjects for me is a pine tree. I wanted to contribute at least one for this exhibition. I searched for an interesting tree, one that looked different from other pines already painted, and came across the Red Pine. This tree drew me in for several reasons; the branches had an overwhelming abundance of needles that were striking, the needles fanned out in a beautiful manner, and I could already imagine the painted branches on the paper. The closed cones were still on the branch, and it would be great to show this and the open cone. 

My thought was to create something different than other paintings I have done and challenge myself with even more complexity. I settled on this composition of two branches standing together with their needles intersecting, after trying many different ideas on tracing paper first. I knew the intricacy of this composition would be difficult, as it would be necessary to leave an impression of a great number of needles, and how they overlap and intersect from each branch. The painting should also clearly depict the way lights and darks interact which should be accomplished without overworking it, yet still show all the form and detail of the branches. 

I mapped out the needles on tracing paper first, and then transferred only the section I was currently painting, as not to confuse myself with too many lines on the watercolor paper. I started with a light wash of gouache on the needles in the forefront. Then more needles were transferred to the page, including those that sit behind the forefront needles. The paint became thicker as I used less water with each successive layer. Darker blues and green were added. In this way, I slowly started adding more needles, eventually adding even more than in my original drawing. 

I continually return to this subject because composing the pines on the page and trying to master the technique of painting the needles is demanding, but never tiresome. My paintings are becoming larger because I like to show a great number of the needles moving across the composition. This piece is one of the largest and more elaborate of my pine paintings, and I think it complements the others.

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Read more about this artist's work: 17th Annual International