‘Still life’ helps sell fruit trees

5.01.2008

Watercolors reveal the delicate textures of the Moonglow Pear, Granny Smith Apple and other images of fruiting plants on Eastern Shore Nursery of Virginia’s 100 new plant labels created by 20 botanical artists from across the eastern half of the United States. Twenty-eight of the labels were illustrated by 13 aspiring botanical artists studying with Wellesley College’s Friends of Horticulture (WCFH), a support organization for the Massachusetts college’s botanic gardens.
Robin Rinaca, who with husband Nick Covatta, owns and operates Eastern Shore Nursery, explained how the idea for the project evolved. "Our daughter took a Wellesley College botanical illustration class in January 2007, and I had learned from her about the drawing and painting classes offered.” Rinaca approached WCFH’s Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration Education Director Sarah Roche about a fruit tree tag project. Roche offered to undertake this as an assignment for her upper level botanical drawing class.
Rinaca continued, “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 used to identify trees and shrubs in the nursery industry. Unfortunately, they are not always accurate because photos are substituted quite often if the actual cultivar is not available. In the 18th and 19th 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, or drawings evoke an artistic and historical feeling, in addition to being very accurate.”
The nursery shipped live plants, branches and leaves used for direct scientific observation by the artists who also did background research on specific species they were painting. As part of the curriculum for Roche’s Techniques of Botanical Art and Illustration, students created fruit tree illustrations for Hollybrook Orchards tags. Eastern Shore Nursery has been provided limited use of the painted images, with the artists retaining the originals.
"Fruits of Our Labors," an exhibition of original dry-brush watercolors along with their respective plant tag art will be on display at Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in Wellesley, Mass., from May 1 through June 13.
“Botanical art is just beautiful and so accurate that the plants look like you could touch them,” said Rinaca. “The artists' work is beautiful and ideal for presenting Hollybrook Orchards.”