STORY BEHIND THE ART OF JESSICA DAIGLE

24th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center

Black Barlow

Aquilegia vulgaris 'Black Barlow'

During the summers, my gardens are a showcase of bright whites, reds, pinks, yellows and green. I love to see the big showy blooms, proudly standing in the full sun. Last year, I decided to start a little shade garden with my son while quarantined during the pandemic. Having learned about my shade garden, my sister-in-law gave me this beautiful ‘Black Barlow’ columbine. Compared to my roses, lilacs, peonies and hydrangeas, this little black flower seemed to hide from view in the shadows of my garden. One morning, I happened to notice the morning sun strike the petals of the little columbine. I noticed the most brilliant shades of burgundies, deep reds and plums burst from the seemingly colorless black flower. 'Black Barlow’ is anything but black! I wondered how many people ever noticed this symphony of colors and I knew then that I wanted to share my discovery in a painting.

The more I stared at this plant, the more I kept finding a variety of interesting and beautiful features. I noticed how the long thin stems changed color from a yellow/red near the flower to a brilliant green at its base, where the stem disappears into a leafy foliage. The stems are also laced with trichomes (stem hair), almost invisible at first glance. Each mature bloom exhibits long willowy petals that curve upward, reminiscent of eye lashes. The stamens are a brilliant yellow which stand strikingly proud amidst the dark plum flower petals.

I felt that watercolor would best capture this flower’s delicate nature and surprising color palette. Getting each flower exactly right was challenging to do. I was constantly shifting between warm tones and cool tones, depending on where the sun hit each petal. The top reflective petal surface presented beautiful hues of blues and whites. In contrast, when the sunlight was directly behind a petal, the underside of the petal was illuminated with warm rich tones of burgundies. All parts of this painting were created with an initial thin wash, to block in the color, followed by multiple layers of dry brush technique to build up the richness in colors that this specimen deserved.

While working on this plant I was reminded that every plant competes in its own way with the big showy flowers that normally capture our attention. "Black Barlow" holds its own in my garden and my work on this plant only serves to remind me that the beauty of a plant is in the thousands of details that are, sadly, missed if we don’t pay attention.

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Read more about this artist's work: 23rd Annual