STORY BEHIND THE ART OF CONNIE SCANLON

24th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art & Garden Center

Two Blackberries

Rubus allegheniensis

There is a magical botanical hunting ground in Minneapolis called the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. I hike there for inspiration and it rarely disappoints. I was intrigued by these lovely blackberries because of their color, which begged for more than a passing glance. Anything in nature that hints of indigo creates an insatiable curiosity, and almost always becomes the main character on stage in my next painting. 

This particular vine has every element that I always find captivating. The young vines are a sweet green that must wait for maturation to become the deep purple red canes of interesting older branches. The berries initially appear as suggestions of the palest greens, eventually growing into shades of maroon and perylene violet, ending with a final hurrah of deep indigo blue. Every drupelet seems to have a depth of radiance and a melange of colors climbing up onto the surface. I chuckled when I learned that despite all of the intriguing, complex elements of the Allegheny blackberry bramble, it was still referred to as “the common blackberry”. Many of its relatives are also in the Rose family (Rosaceae) which now explains why the blackberry thorns are every bit as intimidating (and painful) as those of rose bushes. 

The word bramble is such a metaphor for life, really. This happy ‘ramblin rose’ winds its way uneventfully, when seemingly out of nowhere, a thorn on the prickly branch interrupts and delivers a painful jolt back to reality. And yet, even with the threats of thorny fear and danger, the sweetest of berries are just hanging on for the ride, suggesting those moments we remember as “the times of my life”.

In this painting, I decided that the focus be on ‘la dolce vita’, and to give these little blackberries their time to shine. 

As in life, everything deserves their moment. 

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Read more about this artist's work: Abundant Future