STORY BEHIND THE ART OF lara call gastinger

25th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Wave Hill

Winter Meadow

Daucus carota, Rhus copallinum, Andropogon virginicus, Agrostis sp., Phragmites sp.

This collection of plants is from a meadow in Virginia close to where my parents lived for a while. We made many memories there. As they packed up to move, I wanted to collect and immortalize the plants from the land. Even though the field was disturbed and cut for hay, I found these plants to be very attractive. I loved the different textures and colors of the specimens I collected and was especially attracted to the crisp folding leaves of the grasses and the muted red berries of the sumac.

At that time, I had purchased a large piece of vellum and really did not know what to paint on it. These plants with their folding leaves, earth toned colors, and hidden beauty seemed to be perfect for the very cloudy parchment. Its textured soft brown background helps to provide the impression of layered plants in the meadow. I think the effect would have been not as dynamic or intriguing had I used a solid white background such as paper.

This painting took me several years to complete and I kept the dried specimens in a vase in my studio. I pulled the piece out during winter and worked on parts of it over the years. Because vellum can be forgiving and the paint can be removed, I made several revisions regarding the placement of some of the grasses! 

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Read more about this artist's work: Abundant Future