Story behind the art of Sophie Chartier

Botanical Art Worldwide 2025-A More Abundant Future:

Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field

American Society of Botanical Artists at the Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO

Coffee

Coffea arabica

Because of my husband Justin’s concerns about climate change and his everlasting love for coffee, he started growing Coffea arabica from seeds as an experiment to see if it could be grown in a controlled environment. Soon enough, his little seeds outgrew our living room and as he never does anything halfway, he researched soil and conditions the plants would thrive in. I remember him reducing volcanic rocks into powder to mix in with the soil and checking his plants daily. We were both very stressed on the day in 2023 when we transplanted them into a passive greenhouse on the coast of Northern California, where we live.

At the very beginning of his project, he asked me if I would paint one of his plants for his office. I love a good challenge, so I started my research and observations, learning that Coffea arabica is one of a few species of coffee plants and it represents about 60 percent of global coffee production today. Native to Ethiopia, Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species to have been cultivated. It was already known in Mecca in the fifteenth century, and at that time Sufi monasteries in Yemen were roasting and brewing it to help concentration for prayers. Through time and trading routes, Coffea arabica has been naturalized in many places, mostly in countries along the equator in Africa, Latin America, Asia and more recently in Australia. The ecosystems in which coffee plants thrive are getting smaller, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the wild relative of Coffea arabica as endangered. However, it is also considered invasive in many places due to its ability to persist after its cultivation.

I realized early on in my observations that the plant would be challenging to paint with watercolor since the leaves were very dark green, smooth, and extremely shiny. I needed a full tonal value study before I even touched color to understand where to paint the darkest green and where to keep the bright highlights. My project was done in two parts: a greyscale graphite sketch and a final watercolor painting. Rendering it twice took more time than any other subject I have done in the past, but it was worth it; fully understanding how the light translated into volume made my subject look alive on the paper. I did the final painting using my own color mixes from my minimal primary palette of permanent rose, Winsor lemon yellow and Winsor blue (red shade).

Justin’s greenhouse has about 12 shrubs that have grown to over seven feet high. He should get his first very small crop by the end of 2025.

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Read more about this artist's work: 26th Annual