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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
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| photo by Jane LaFazio |
I usually avoid drawing from photos, I much prefer to draw from real life, but since I couldn't bring these home to California, I must do something inspired by the photos! Got any ideas?
It's pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. The mature plant and berries are mildly toxic, but the young shoots in spring can be cooked and enjoyed, sort of like asparagus. It grows from a large and deep rootstock, and the birds spread the seeds, so it can be a persistent weed in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI made an art quilt about it years ago:
http://suereno.com/pokesalad.html
As a kid, I spent many a happy hour making "ink " from the berries and drawing with it, but sadly, it is a fugitive dye.
Thanks Sue! love your quilt!
DeleteSeriously, that pink stem is outrageous!
ReplyDeletehttp://park.org/Pavilions/FoodAndMarkets/Herbs/qr_425.htm
ReplyDeleteIt's a pokeberry, a common weed in the southern US but (long ago) the leaves were eaten. Most of the plant is poisonous! Also used to dye with if you do it correctly. But fun to draw!
Yes, pokeweed.... as in the 'Poke Salad Annie' song from long ago :)
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Poke Salad Annie! googling it now!
DeleteNo one would believe those colors, if you didn't have the photo to prove it! Yes, I do remember the song "Polk Salad Annie." Does that date me?
ReplyDeleteAloha, Kate
What a beautiful plant. Do something that combines your sketching and fiber art.
ReplyDeletelove the colors in these berries! they look like little pumpkins!
ReplyDeleteIn Appalachia, where I live, pokeweed is viewed by many as a bad weed that we want to destroy before the berries grow large and dark purple. That's because the birds eat them and then drop bright purple stuff on our cars, and it stains.
ReplyDeleteA very common "weed" here in the Deep South, Poke has lots of uses. Makes a beautiful dye and was often used to make ink when quill pens were in use. It has several medicinal uses and has shown promise recently in the treatment of leukemia and autoimmune diseases. Love your photos. This is a pretty amazing plant.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane--I think these berries would make a beautiful new stencil. Your pictures are lovely. Now, I want to go out and get a field guide to berries to trek around and identify what's growing in my backyard.
ReplyDeleteOh, how do you do soooo much? I'm in awe. Have been embracing the Sketchbk Challenge. Thank you again & again for all the sharing you do.
ReplyDeleteyep, pokeweed. a pernicious weed. Pretty, though, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should do a poke salad annie challenge! I have some pink dyed silk fabrics dyed with cochineal, that would mimic these stems and quite beautifully!
ReplyDeleteYes the dye is very fugitive, unless you do a straight vinegar bath with sugar, but even then it's still fugitive.
Beautiful shots of the ripe berries and stems.
Loved this post! I prefer drawing from life, too, but sometimes it just can't happen. I just got home from a trip where I sketched a lot but had to settle for photos to sketch from later, too... you can't stop long enough to sketch when you're biking with friends and it can't happen during a downpour either. So I choose to view it as a challenge. To me, drawing from a photo is much harder, but it's way better than not drawing at all.
ReplyDeletePost your results after your drawing session. I have about a thousand photos that I am dying to sketch from myself. If only there were enough time for all the sketching and painting we want to do!
Jane- Stellar photos! Love those pokeweeds!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I prefer to draw from life. But when it's impossible, I embrace photos as a good second choice and a challenge. When I was in Norway last week, I found myself snapping so many pictures because I couldn't draw while biking with friends or hiking in a downpour.
I think your pokeweed would make a great border. The linear shape is just begging to be turned into something border-ish.
Love your sense of style and your enthusiasm and eye.