Story behind the art of Kim Spink

27th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Illustrators

Coleus El Brighto

Coleus scutellarioides

Growing coleus in my balcony garden is all about color. Colorblaze is a new group of coleus developed to hold its color in both full sun and soft shade throughout the summer.

The enlarged scale drawing of Coleus El Brighto helped reveal details and a harmonious color palette on the front and back of a single leaf. The vein structure on the back is raised and very tactile in contrast to the front of the leaf. The dark purple-pink on the front is like an old, soft velvet cushion, with beautiful dark, rich shadows and brilliant, shimmering highlights. The patches of green look like they have leaked through from the back because when you turn the leaf over - pow! - the green sings out and the dark purple-pink fades. It was great fun to depict the surface textures and challenging to build up the depth of color, especially the dark purple-pink.

I always select plants for my garden that have visual and textural impact. And that’s why I had – quite literally – a closer look at Coleus El Brighto.

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Read more about this artist's work: Curious Allies