STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ELIZABETH PERRY

19th Annual International

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

Hybrid Tulip

Tulipa

I have become increasingly interested in the imperfection of nature. Beautiful flowers are wonderful, but when they begin to change into a form not usually recognized, that’s what interests me. When I see something I want to paint, there’s a feeling of wanting to possess it at the moment I see it. 

My tulip was just past its prime and lovelier than it was at its prime. I found its color and form very appealing. The flower is long gone, but I captured what I saw at that moment - a fleeting flower, changing hourly, daily. 

Picture a red tulip viewed from its side as the petals open beyond the typical cup. Now you can see the brilliant yellow center shining as it just begins to reveal itself. Some of the petals have striations of yellow mixed in with the red and spots of green. The edges of those petals look like a curling wave before it hits the shoreline. And there’s something flirtatious about how the center of the flower is just showing itself, but is still mostly hidden by another petal.

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