2011 - 12" x 9" - Mixed Media (Acrylic Colored Ink, Watercolor), Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
All across the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta are southern Magnolia trees. The trees grow large, hairy seed pods which open to reveal bright, red seeds inside. I used pearlescent inks, mixed with white ink for opacity, to create the sparkling hairs and parts of the leaves.
I have to thank my son Jon for bringing these spectacular seed pods to my attention and sending me a nice selection of photos of the pods, the leaves, and the overall tree. Also, Lisa Ray Grovenstein, Director of Public Relations at Georgia Tech, was kind enough to identify the tree for me.
This painting was shown at the 2010 Holiday Exhibit of the Nature Artists’ Guild of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, November 12-14 in the Thornhill Education Center; and is published in The Nature Artists’ Quarterly, Vol. XXIII, No. VI, Winter 2010, Members’ Gallery, p. 11.