STORY BEHIND THE ART OF KERRI WELLER

16th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Horticultural Society of New York

Garlic and Scape

Allium sativum

I belong to a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) in the Ottawa valley. During the growing season we receive a weekly allotment of organic vegetables. It’s rather fun because we have no idea what will be in the box. One week in early June we got a pile of garlic scapes – brilliant green with sinuous lines. They were the inspiration for my painting. 

The viewer sees a vivid green scape circling behind a lone iconic garlic on a dark, square background. I liked the simplicity of the composition – based on the geometry of three fundamental shapes, the square, the circle and the cone. The subject is represented without elaboration or distraction.

Often when I am working on a larger painting which can take several weeks, I like to have a smaller piece like this on the go. Besides making me feel more productive, it tends to keep the painting fresh on the larger work.

I tried to capture the thin, papery texture of the garlic contrasted to the full roundness of the scape. Because I knew the garlic would remain the same for several weeks, the painting process was the complete opposite to painting flowers, in which one must work quickly and efficiently to capture the bloom before it fades. I suppose the lack of pressure was a challenge!

Garlic can have many nuances of colour, from muted purples, blues and burgundy to the colours we expect - warm whites, browns and greys. This painting continues my ongoing exploration of colour. My painting of Parrot Tulips in last year’s Annual International was very much about mastering the colours of yellow, reds and oranges, retaining the brilliance of these colours and the silky texture of the petals. This year’s work is about painting a garlic that at first glance looks white, but really isn’t. How does one capture all its nuances of colour, yet still maintain form and cohesiveness within the painting? 

Next Story

Back to List

Read more about this artist's work: 15th Annual