DRIED BOTANICAL ART ON CANVAS - Creative Edge September 2021
DESIGNS & TEXT BY HITOMI GILLIAM AIFD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN GILLIAM
“My collection of dried botanicals have been waiting to be composed into a purposeful keeper art for some time. I wanted to approach these 3 compositions as assemblages, as stand alone permanent botanical wall art… or with add-on touches of fresh flowers and greens to complete them as an option.
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“It is such a pleasure to create compositions artfully, looking at the dried botanicals as textural medium with uniquely shaped forms and surfaces which occurred naturally to be highlighted. Exciting opportunity to compose with Nature’s Sculptures!!
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DESIGN #1
‘Natural Dried Botanicals on Canvas’
“There are some very special dried botanicals that preserved exceptionally well and are show pieces each and every one in this composition. The patina is beautifully natural, organic and rustic brown, and they feel sturdy enough as they are to compose into a beautiful 3D assemblage, hot glued to the canvas. I allowed some extensions out of the small 14 x 14” canvas frame with a clear intention of framing it with a 24” x 24” chipboard backing. The sculptural, curled Anthurium veitchii leaves combined with ribbed Curculigo leaves sets off the beauty of the dried King Protea and Banksia integrifolia. The dried composition is easily a stand alone art… or for special occasion, the addition of fresh materials can add glorifying color to the earthy browns. Guzmania bloom and foliage are cold glued to seal the stems, and to attach to the art. They hold up beautifully for a week or more and will also dry into the background art. Combining dried and fresh flatter each other color-wise and texturally… the contrast of form is simply exciting visually!!!”
BOTANICALS:
Fresh – Guzmania plant; Anthurium clarinervium
Dried – Anthurium veitchii; Curculigo capitulata; King Protea; Brunia albiflora; Banksia integrifolia
SUPPLIES:
Canvas (14 x 14”); Chipboard (24 x 24”); Hot Glue; Oasis Floral Adhesive; Latex Paint (white/flat)
DESIGN #2
‘Dried Botanicals Painted on Canvas’
“An opportunity to truly appreciate the shapes and textures of profusion of dried botanicals by carefully combining and hot gluing them to the 20 x 20” canvas frame to compose an abstract botanical art. This assemblage’s visual effect is amplified by taking away its natural dried color… by painting it entirely solid white with latex house paint (flat). I applied total of 6 coats of paint to cover every corners and back sides to build a very hardened, less fragile surface for permanency. Keeping it just one color… Achromatic White… it introduces varying degrees of grey shadows to develop with lighting angles (both natural and ambient) creating exciting depth perception, sense of dimension.
This composition resulted in a very high relief assemblage which provide plenty of pockets to add watertubed cutflowers and plants as occasional add-ons to bring it to life.
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BOTANICALS:
Fresh – Anthurium andraeanum; Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera adamsonii)
Dried – Strelitzia nicolai; Monstera deliciosa; Anthurium veitchii; Kakuma Fern Curl; Heliconia bihai; Caryota mitis infructescens; Tillandsia xerographica; Anthurium amnicola; Anthurium obake; Eucalyptus; Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)
SUPPLIES:
Canvas (20 x 20”); Chipboard (24 x 24”); Hot Glue; Latex Paint (white/flat); WaterTubes
DESIGN #3
‘Dried Botanicals Painted on Horizontal Board for Planting’
“1 x 6” Poplar Board was covered with stretched cotton canvas with spray glue. This became the background and the surface for hot gluing dried botanicals into an assemblage. I allowed the botanicals to spill over the edge all the way around for an asymmetrical natural form silhouette. There are 2 coconut halves glued on first to the board surface to be the concealed containers to hold the 2 miniature Phalaenopsis plants to grow out of this hanging wall piece. All the dried materials are hot glued securely and painted all white. The 3D textured surface provides opportunities for the cut Fishbone cactus pieces in water tubes to be placed to root in the structure. This is a Living Plant Wall piece that can be changed out with other plants or cutflowers to bring life to the dried botanical wall sculpture. ”
BOTANICALS:
Fresh – Miniature Phalaenopsis Orchid plants; Fishbone Cactus (Disocactus anguliger)
Dried – Anthurium veitchii; Coconut; Fasciated Willow; Monstera deliciosa; Caryota mitis seed cluster; Tillandsia xerographica; Chinese Fan Palm; Lotus Pods; Chinese Lantern
SUPPLIES:
Poplar Board (1 x 6”); Cotton canvas; Spray adhesive; Latex Paint (white/flat); Hot Glue
