STORY BEHIND THE ART OF TAMMY MCENTEE
23rd Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill
Hale’s Best 45
Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis
Those who know me know I like ornamental gourds, okay, love ornamental gourds. So, when a farmer at our local Saturday farmers’ market was selling 2” gourd seedlings last summer, I jumped on them. She didn’t know what variety of gourd they were as the tags had gotten mixed up in the greenhouse and there was a possibility there may be a cantaloupe or two in the group. What she did know was that if there was a cantaloupe, it was a Hale’s Best 45. It turns out they were all cantaloupes, which I found out when the tiny smooth spheres appeared and quickly started to develop a glorious web all over their bodies. That webbing had me hooked; I studied it on a daily basis waiting for minute changes to occur. Not to worry, my neighbors have grown used to seeing me lying in my garden beds, pencil in hand.
I started my piece by rendering the mature fruit; the highways of webbing were a real challenge. Many a colored pencil point was broken in the task. It also required many layers of color to attain that slightly raised net look. I wanted the overall painting to have the feeling of dancing or lightheartedness that I associate with warm summer weather. I felt I could achieve this through the tumbling vine, the back and forth of the leaves and the twirling tendrils.
I learned a great deal while working on this piece. Here in the United States we grow muskmelons not cantaloupes. We just call them that. Cantaloupes are grown primarily in Mediterranean countries and actually are not netted. Approximately 2 billion muskmelons are grown every year in the U.S. on 90,000 acres of farmland. I could go on and on about cantaloupes/muskmelons but will use some self-control.
If nothing else, I guess I have also learned something about myself while rendering this painting. My love isn’t only for ornamental gourds but for all members of the Cucurbitaceae family. The possibilities are endless!
Next Story
Back to List
Read more about this artist’s work: 22nd Annual