I love the purple blossomed jacaranda tree (pronounced “ha ka ran da”). I’ve enjoyed it in warm parts of the U.S.: southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, Hawaii. It also thrives along the Gulf of Mexico border.
My ink drawing, Jacaranda, depicts my adoration of this tree in several ways. On the trunk, I show long shapes traveling up and down. This depiction of rough-textured bark resembles large veins that transport nutrients everywhere, emphasizing a living quality in this beautiful organism.
Compositionally, I communicate maximum energy by creating sloping directional lines. When humans see horizontal features, such as a flat landscape, they find it peaceful because when they lie down (horizontal), they’re usually at rest. Vertical lines in a picture express more energy, reminding humans of standing up. However, if our bodies were at a 45-degree angle, we would be severely off-balance or falling. That’s why artists draw oblique lines to inspire the most activity in a viewer’s eye.
The large trunk nearly bisects the picture plane, leaning from lower left to the upper right, getting smaller as it rises, yet maintaining a consistent, strong line. The third branch to the left tilts upward from near the center of the drawing and travels towards the left side. Near the center where these two compositional lines meet, the viewer’s eye is directed toward the three branches’ emergence from the trunk. Because this almost central point is so powerful in the picture, I draw a large canopy of purple flower-forms to aesthetically balance it.
The dark lavender color of the blossoms atop the tree, along with the green background and the burnt orange trunk are all secondary colors (the primary colors being red, blue and yellow). Combinations of red and blue make purple. When mixed, red and yellow create orange. Together, blue and yellow blend into green. When only secondary colors are used, they express a special mood: otherworldly or spiritual. Through the use of these colors in Jacaranda, I impart a mystical quality to show the viewer the holy essence of this tree.
The last way I idolize the Jacaranda and create vitality in this drawing is by sketching thousands of tiny ink lines that create the texture in the bark, the green, grassy background and the blossoms atop the tree. The small ink lines create an overall energy field that makes the lawn, trunk, branches and blossoms seem to vibrate with a life-source.
Fusing these four techniques into one drawing expresses my deep joy in the tree, Jacaranda.
Jacaranda was recently exhibited at the Seattle Art Fair, Seattle, Washington. See other ink drawings of trees in Kauffman’s current group exhibit with the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York. This exhibit, Gallery Artists Part XXI, is wholly online at www.walterwickisergallery.com, June 20-September 20, 2024.
