"Fruits of Our Labors"

An exhibition of dry-brush watercolors along with their respective plant tag art, done by WCFH's Techniques of Botanical Art and Illustration class.

On display in the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens' Visitor Center
May 1 - June 13, 2008

Artists' Reception
Thursday, May 8, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

The watercolor medium reveals the delicate textures of the Moonglow Pear, Granny Smith Apple and 100 other fruiting plants on Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia’s new plant labels. The images were created by botanical artists from across the eastern half of the United States, including aspiring botanical artists studying with Wellesley College’s Friends of Horticulture. All told, there were 20 artists—thirteen from WCFH—who participated in this project to create over 100 drawings. Their names are on the back of each tag.

ESN’s Robin Rinaca says the idea for the project evolved after “our daughter took a Wellesley College botanical illustration class in January 2007, and I learned from her about the drawing and painting classes offered.” Robin approached WCFH’s Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration Education Director Sarah Roche about a fruit tree tag project. Sarah offered to undertake this as an assignment for her upper level botanical drawing class.

Robin explains, “When we started working on the new tag design, I decided we should use botanical illustrations to identify each fruit we grow. Photographs are the norm for picture tags in the nursery industry. Unfortunately, they are not always accurate. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, botanical illustrators documented newly discovered plants, as well as illustrating plant books and nursery catalogs. Since photography became widespread, botanical illustrations have been used primarily for decoration and artistic expression. These watercolors evoke an artistic and historical feeling, in addition to being very accurate.”

The nursery shipped live plants, branches and leaves for direct scientific observation by the artists who also did background research on the specific species they were painting. As part of the curriculum for Sarah Roche’s Techniques of Botanical Art and Illustration, students created twenty-eight fruit tree illustrations for Hollybrook Orchards tags. Eastern Shore Nursery has limited use of the painted images, with the artists retaining the originals.

Thanks to Robin Rinaca and Eastern Shore Nursery for providing a tremendous learning experience to WCFH’s Techniques students who advanced their artistic skills with a real life example of contemporary botanical art’s business side.