STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ROSALIND ALLCHIN

19th Annual International

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

Blue Flag Iris Seedpods

Iris versicolor

Luck was with me when I stooped to inspect this stiff, dark, unassuming seedpod. Inside the drab exterior were neatly stacked, exuberantly red and shiny interlocking teeth. You could almost hear them snapping. Irresistible.

In my painting I concentrated on highlighting the contrasting textures and colours displayed; the matt interwoven fabric of the casing, gradually being worn away to expose the opalescent glow of the interior, and the brilliant chestnut red of the seeds.

Sadly my blinkered focus on detail only accomplished so much; the composition was ungainly and the image leaned uncomfortably to the right, about to fall off the page. It was an ‘almost but not quite’ and relegated to storage.

I would occasionally pull out the painting, still drawn to the basic subject matter, and contemplate what I could do to improve the overall composition. The sheet of paper was not large enough to allow much creative cropping and I decided to try adding twisted iris leaves to counterbalance the awkward angles of the original. Manipulating tracing paper overlays and adding first the two foreground leaves and then two more in the background I finally had a satisfying image both with more balance and with more dynamic rhythm.

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Read more about this artist’s work: 18th Annual International