STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ESTHER KLAHNE

Wildly Exquisite: Florida’s Native Plants

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Arisaema triphyllum

Every year in late spring I wander into my backyard to find the stately Jack-in-the-pulpit pushing up through a carpet of dead leaves and decay. It shares the real estate with trout lilies and other new growth.

In doing a bit of research on Arisaema triphyllum, I learned that Native Americans gathered the plant’s corms for food. The underground stem has a peppery taste that causes a burning reaction if eaten raw, but this can be eliminated by cooking.

When I decided to paint the plant, I chose to work on a piece of deer skin that seemed appropriate to the plant’s location and connection to native peoples. I find deerskin a challenging surface to work on, in that it has a suede-like texture which causes the watercolor paint to bleed a bit rather than sit on the surface. This made blending more challenging, and for this piece, the painting process took longer.

I hope that my painting honors the beauty and unique characteristics of Jack-in-the-pulpit and that the viewer can feel the excitement I feel when I discover it in my backyard every year.

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Read more about this artist’s work: 20th Annual