STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CONSTANCE SCANLON

21st Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Coneflower Past Prime

Echinacea purpurea

I remember returning home from the last American Society of Botanical Art conference energized and ready to begin painting. I was experiencing that finger tingling sensation again, always indicative that I am ready to start anew. My quasi-creative ideas were like bursts of electricity leading down a quick circuit to nowhere special. Alas, sometimes it is humbling and intimidating to be in the company of so many talented artists and my creativity becomes numbed.

I take many breaks to walk our dog when I desperately need inspiration. It was autumn in Minnesota and the summer bounty was quickly disappearing. However, the “crisping” season had begun without the hint of nostalgia. Drying leaves and flowers have an inner beauty that proudly defies decline. Like aging people who become a little uncensored, perhaps charmingly uninhibited and definitely more humorous, I often find the same inner spirit or glow in plants past their prime.

This coneflower might have seen more glorious days, but when I saw it, I had one of those rare artistic and audible ah-ha moments. I rescued it from a garden and tiptoed back home while praying that the brittle petals might survive for the immortal journey I had planned for it on vellum.

The beautiful Echinacea color of rose remained, however now it was a muted hue of prior glory. The light on this single flower made me think that it was possibly looking forward to something more wonderful to come, a perennial rebirth perhaps.

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Read more about this artist’s work: America's Flora