Story behind the art of Yvette Poole

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

Ripe Persimmon

Diospyros virginiana

When I saw the subject of this exhibition, I immediately thought of the persimmon, as it is a perfect example of a wild foraged crop. Persimmons are abundant in the southeast where I live and are easy to spot when they are ripe in the fall with their beautiful, bright reddish-orange fruits and bronzy-green foliage. I always anticipate this season of walks in the forest along the rivers and lakes nearby, where the typical chunky, mosaic bark lets me know I am close to a sweet little collection of fruit and seeds. I have been planting them for the past few years and have several saplings, and watching them mature has been gratifying. 

American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is a deciduous, dioecious fruit tree belonging to the ebony family. It is native to the eastern and central United States and can grow as large as 30-80 feet tall. It has been a food source for people and wildlife for thousands of years, but is now highly interesting to foragers, probably because it’s so much fun and easy to gather in the forest. The fruits are considered juicy berries and the sweet orange pulp is used in breads, puddings, and jams, and can be fermented into wine. Green persimmons, too astringent to eat, have been used to make ink and the dried leaves make a tea high in vitamin C. The bark also has medicinal purposes. The seeds can be roasted to make a coffee substitute or pressed into oil. They can also be dried and stored just like dates and figs. As you can see, this tree offers quite a range of sustenance. 

I decided to do this piece in graphite to express the feeling of the season when the weather is beginning to chill, and the leaves start to fall. Showing one single persimmon on a branch feels like a quiet ending to a hot summer and the beginning of autumn, my favorite time of year.

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