STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JEAN EMMONS
23rd Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill
Tree Peony 'Black Panther'
Paeonia 'Black Panther'
Tree peonies are the stuff of myth. Cultivated in China for hundreds of years, they have inspired poetic names such as ‘Coiled Dragon in the Mist Grasping a Purple Pearl’, ‘Dancing Black Lion’, ‘Drunken Jade Circle’, and even ‘Auspicious Dewy Cicada’.
The name of one peony, ‘Qing Long Wo Mo Chi’, translates to ‘Green Dragon Lying in an Ink Pool’. There is a charming story behind this name. Briefly, a little dragon tried to help some plants. For his kindness, a flower goddess saved him from another deity who was menacing him. She decided to hide him in a pool of ink. She saved the little dragon, but as a result, her petals turned midnight blue.
Serious peony-viewing parties are often held in Japan. I have my own peony-viewing party out in my front garden with my cat and some black tail bumble bees. The petals are waxy, reflecting the colors around them. In the opal light of an overcast morning, colors change gradually as the clouds scud by.
The tree peony ‘Black Panther’ was the first plant I ordered for my new home in 1997. It was grafted, expensive, and required a large sunny space in loamy soil. I knew it wouldn’t bloom for several years. The day it arrived, I was about to catch a ferry and a plane to go to my first ASBA conference. Since it was bare root, I had to drop everything and quickly dig a hole deep enough to cover the graft. It has repaid me ever since.
I first painted ‘Black Panther’ about 20 years ago on watercolor paper. I remember trying to match the local color and struggling for an active composition.
Now I work on Kelmscott vellum and underpaint with everything but the local color. I use many more colors and many, many more drybrush layers than I used to. Paintings take a lot more time, but I’m happier with the results.
Like many beautiful things, tree peonies have a fatal flaw. In the winter, after the leaves drop, the woody stems couldn’t be uglier in terms of plant architecture. Nature is balanced.
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Read more about this artist’s work: 22nd Annual