words + pictures from the studio of Joan Colbert
You are currently browsing articles tagged botanicals.
There have been many surprises in the ongoing research on poisonous plants for the As Potent as a Charm series. Not the least is the number of common landscape/foundation plantings that add a hint of danger to the structure of the garden, such as this threesome of familiar shrubs:
A Deceptive Welcome
Rhododendron, Rhododendron
Pleasant Valley
Yew, Taxus baccata
Be Still
Oleander, Nerium oleander
Tags: as potent as a charm, botanicals, linocut, oleander, poison, printmaking, relief print, rhododendron, yew
Black sheep and skeletons in the closet . . .
even the plant world has its share of family secrets, eccentrics and deviants.
Consider the family Solanaceae, commonly referred to as either the nightshade or potato family: members of this unwieldy clan run the gamut from the meek to the murderous. In each of the six Solanaceae prints the virtuous shares space with the disreputable.
Look for mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) and the potato (Solanum tuberosa), deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and Petunia, henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and eggplant (Solanum melongena), bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), along with tobacco (Nicotiana) and chili pepper (Capsicum). With about 2,690 additional species, the history of the Solanaceae family’s interaction with humans is one of dramatic trial and error, malevolence and goodwill.
left to right:
Loves Me Not
Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna
Petunia
Deceitful Charm
Jimson Weed, Datura stramonium
Chinese Lantern, Physalis alkekengi
Bittersweet
Woody Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara
Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum
Scuttle
Mandrake, Mandragora officinarum
Potato, Solanum tuberosa
Best Laid Plans
Henbane, Hyoscyamus niger
Eggplant, Solanum melongena
Smokin’ Hot
Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum
Chili pepper, Capsicum
Tags: as potent as a charm, botanicals, linocut, printmaking, relief print, Solanaceae
As Potent as a Charm
BOTANICAL
bad seeds
black sheep
& skeletons
in the closet
While there is little that is whimsical about poisoning, there is definitely plenty of drama and mystery in horticultural mishaps and misdeeds. Lovely plants may be leading double lives; happy blooms and tasty vegetables have cousins that are downright deadly. Herbalists differ on the merits and dangers of various herbs. The fascinating stories from botanical history, folklore and science invite and inspire imagery.
The ongoing series, As Potent as a Charm, explores the malevolent side of familiar plants in a collection of black and white linoleum block prints. Although the concept is botanical, allusions to dark tales and malfeasance hint at a narrative within each visual representation.
The series title, As Potent as a Charm, is a phrase taken from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, Rappaccini’s Daughter. The title character, Beatrice, tends her father’s botanical collection of lovely, yet lethal plants. While ‘as potent as a charm’ refers to the specimens, it could just as well describe Beatrice who, as the story progresses, becomes just as lovely and lethal as the flowers she nurtures.
Tags: as potent as a charm, botanicals, linocut, Nathaniel Hawthorne, poison, printmaking, relief print
