STORY BEHIND THE ART OF KATHIE MIRANDA
Weird, Wild, & Wonderful
Second New York Botanical Garden Triennial Exhibition
2014 - 2016
Tropicana Canna
Canna tropicana
The winter of 2012-2013 in Connecticut was almost unbearable…we seem to have angered Mother Nature who kept blanketing us – deeply – with snow and more snow. During this time, I completed the piece: the riot of colors reminds me of warmer days. In selecting plants to paint for the show, I looked no further than those in my own area.
We grow Canna tropicana in containers to use as accents throughout our garden. I love the tight cylinders that first emerge: each large colorfully striped leaf that later unfurls is a wonderful surprise. The flower stalks are equally amazing as they begin as muted magenta-colored spikes that explode into exquisite hot orange-yellow blossoms.
My painting technique evolved from exploring the many illusions artists use to create depth of space. Dura-Lar Matte film is translucent: images painted on the front of the sheet look misty when viewed from the reverse side. I take extreme advantage of this effect by painting colored pencil on two sheets of film stacked together. All four sides of the film are used – the front and back of each sheet. The resulting painting is quite atmospheric but also a bit mysterious.
Once the composition is finalized, the next decision is where each element resides in space: background, mid-ground or foreground. The entire image is “fractured” into shapes, and each shape is placed on the side appropriate for its position in space. For instance, background elements go on side 4; mid-ground elements on sides 3 and 2; and foreground on side 1. It is a painstaking process because the two sheets must be perfectly registered to read accurately when stacked and viewed from the front; and because, when working on the reverse side of the film, I must remember to flip the image horizontally. This back and forth flipping is a great mental exercise and one that continues to intrigue and challenge me.
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