artHound

the Solanaceae family

December 8, 2015 in artwork, hanging around town | No comments

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

Solanaceae at night

November 4, 2015 in artwork | No comments

There is a latecomer to the Solanaceae family prints – the group of five has expanded to six. The ‘table’ prints can now form a triptych, with the addition of Deceitful Charm. This piece includes a sphinx moth fluttering around a mysterious pairing of Jimson Weed, Datura stramonium, and Chinese Lantern, Physalis alkekengi.

Tags: as potent as a charm, Chinese Lantern plant, Datura, linocut, printmaking, relief print, Solanaceae

another Solanaceae pair

September 14, 2015 in artwork | No comments

The Solanaceae prints seemed complete when the fifth one was printed, but apparently there will be a new addition to the family. Envisioning a triptych, I decided to add another pairing that plays off of the tabletop motif of two of the earlier prints. When complete this sixth image will feature Datura stramonium and Physalis alkekengi, Chinese Lantern plant.

Tags: Chinese Lantern plant, Datura, linocut, linoleum print, moth, printmaking, Solanaceae

Angel’s Trumpet

August 28, 2015 in artwork | 1 comment

From the drawing table . . . combining sketches for another print in the As Potent as a Charm series. This time it’s Brugmansia, specifically Brugmansia suaveleons, often called Angel’s Trumpet. This is yet another lovely, yet lethal, flower from the Solanaceae family. John Robertson, in his summary on The Poison Garden Website, says it best: “In northern climates this attractive plant is often grown indoors because people assume its common name refers to the look of the flowers rather than the indication that this is the sound to be heard after ingestion of a fatal amount.”

Tags: angel's trumpet, Brugmansia, drawing, line drawing, Solanaceae

dig it?

July 28, 2015 in artwork | No comments

The mandrakes, Mandragora, make another appearance in the As Potent as a Charm series – this time in the fifth pairing from the Solanaceae family. Apparently they’ve been unearthed by a hapless dog that couldn’t resist digging in the dirt. Their underground relative, the potato, is a much kinder, gentler variety of nightshade.

image: Scuttle, block print

Click on the links to read more about As Potent as a Charm or check out the mandrakes in Red as a Beet.

Tags: dog, linocut, mandrake, nightshade, potato, printmaking, relief print, Solanaceae

the chicken or the egg?

July 23, 2015 in artwork | No comments

Oh, those Best Laid Plans . . . which seems an apt title for another pairing from the plant family Solanaceae. That’s Henbane, Hyoscyamus niger, causing the chicken to be a little, uh, chicken. This is the fourth print of unlikely familial pairs from the nightshade family. Although the related vegetable isn’t visible in the above detail, the logical partner for henbane is (what else?) eggplant!

image: Best Laid Plans, block print

Tags: block print, chicken, egg, eggplant, henbane, linocut, printmaking, relief print, Solanaceae

loves me, loves me not . . .

June 24, 2015 in artwork | No comments

Of the five planned botanical prints of Solanaceae pairs, four combine a poisonous plant with a vegetable. The remaining one is a floral, featuring Deadly Nightshade and Petunia. The edition of Loves Me Not is finished – and it’s a good guess that the romance is too! There’s no doubt that Atropa belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) is heartless, but the pretty Petunia? In the Language of Flowers it actually symbolizes anger and resentment.

Tags: belladonna, block print, deadly nightshade, linocut, petunia, poison, printmaking, Solanaceae, wasp

bittersweet and black sheep

June 16, 2015 in artwork | No comments

It figures. Last week I printed the small edition of the woody nightshade/tomato print and a day later decided I was somewhat unhappy with it. It was that darn black sheep, living up to his troublemaking reputation. Actually, it really was the black sheep, but the problem was my fault. His curly fur was too busy and too distracting. It was very tempting to just recut the block, but first I decided to try my hand at pochoir and change the existing print.

Using a stencil (the French/English translation of pochoir) I was able to lightly roll ink over the small area of white curlicues and successfully redeem the disappointing image.

Pleased with the results, I titled the print, Bittersweet, not just for the woody nightshade wallpaper, but for the happy ending.

Tags: black sheep, linocut, pochoir, poison, printmaking, relief print, Solanaceae, stencil, tomato, woody nightshade

Smokin’ Hot!

June 12, 2015 in artwork | No comments

Things are heating up both inside and out! Smokin’ Hot is the most recent addition to the Solanaceae prints, combining the fierce Capsicum (chili pepper) with its deadly cousin Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco).

For more information on the series visit As Potent as a Charm on my website.

Tags: block print, chili pepper, linocut, printmaking, relief print, skeleton, Solanaceae, tobacco

pulling a print

June 9, 2015 in artwork | No comments

It’s exciting to finally begin printing the pieces in the Solanaceae group, the newest in the As Potent as a Charm series. Solanaceae contains both botanical bad guys and garden favorites, so each will feature an unlikely pairing, such as the Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, with Woody Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara, in this yet to be titled print.

Tags: block print, linocut, poison, printmaking, Solanaceae, tomato, woody nightshade

Solanaceae