About the Art

My work has its foundation in botanical art, a centuries old tradition originally used by naturalists to explain and document flora. Botanical work is quite separate from flower painting and landscapes, in which the artist is given a great deal of freedom in interpreting, changing, or enhancing the subject, according to the artist’s mood or inclination. In botanical art, the artist must stay true to the flower or plant, accurately communicating the structure and growth patterns, the number of petals, the way leaves emerge from the stem, how the plant’s stamens and pistils appear. The image should be anatomically correct, but done with an artistic sensibility.

When I began studying art, I was drawn almost exclusively to the natural world — I wanted to paint the flowers in my garden, or the vegetables I eyed in the market. My art teacher at the time wisely steered me to botanical art classes at Otis College of Art and Design. I quickly discovered that I had found my home in the art world, and I haven’t strayed. The choice makes sense for me: I have a strong scientific and analytical bent (at onetime I was a researcher in biochemistry and then a biology teacher). And, fortunately, I seem to have the patience and concentration required for the deliberate process of drawing and painting that’s needed in this discipline.