Story behind the art of Kerri Weller
28th Annual International
American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art & Garden Center
Queen of the Night
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
This night blooming cactus, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, queen of the night, was started from a single leaf given to me by a senior work colleague when I moved from Toronto to Ottawa in1999. Intrigued by his remark that queen of the night, when mature, would bloom for one night only each year, I planted the lone leaf. It grew expansively with tall spikes from which leaves sprouted, but alas, year … after year … after year … never a single bloom. My husband nicknamed it “Spikey”.
I’ve learned that talking to recalcitrant plants works wonders. Spikey was finally put outside for a summer vacation, with a firm talking to that if it did not bloom, it was compost time! Three weeks later, on our return from a holiday, I was alarmed at first by what looked like a tiny white mouse, only to realize it was a large bud draped on the ground, growing on a stalk emerging from a large leaf. Two more buds were discovered - eureka! Twenty-five years after that lone leaf was planted, queen of the night had bloomed for the first time.
Dusk to dawn, Spikey and I shared the night. I cancelled the watch party I had planned, complete with champagne, realizing that with a house full of people at 3:00 am, I would not be able to draw and document this extraordinary event in my plant world. A truly transcendent experience: at dusk two buds slowly opened, filling the air with the most mesmerizing fragrance. Fully in bloom by 2:00 am, the flowers began to wilt as dawn broke. The briefest of affairs was over.
To recreate the experience in a painting, I made detailed drawings, along with photo documentation, and developed one sketch into a composition. I painted the leaves from life. I used my detailed drawings to 1:1 scale and my photos as references to paint the flower. One of my biggest challenges was shifting the tonal values and color to recreate the illusion of a moonlit night. In my painting I tried to capture the beauty and awe I felt witnessing this singular moment.
This June Spikey was put outside to summer again by the compost bin. Most distressingly, it was pummelled by hail stones in a violent thunderstorm. I rescued Spikey. Now that it is recovering indoors, the question looms: nurtured with perfect growing conditions, one summer night when the moon is full, will Spikey bloom again in my lifetime?
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About Epiphyllum oxypetalum:
A member of the Cactaceae family, it is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America. An epiphytic plant in its natural habitat, it often grows on other plants or trees for support rather than in the ground. Its tall stems reach up several feet, from which thick flat succulent leaves grow, absorbing and storing moisture and nutrients from the humid environment around them. Its large white flowers bloom for one night in the year, releasing a powerful sweet-smelling fragrance that attracts nocturnal pollinators, primarily bats and sphinx moths. Outdoors, it is said the scent can be discerned up to a quarter of a mile away. By blooming at night, it reduces competition for pollinators, demonstrating the wonder of nature’s strategies to survive!
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Read more about this artist's work: 25th Annual