Story behind the art of Gaye Grossman

29th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Illustrators

September's Reward

Pyrus communis

I had never seen a Parker pear tree in person until my mom, my son, and I were driving through western Vermont on a rainy, early fall day, when we stumbled upon a beautiful antique-filled barn surrounded by orchards. The barn had plenty of wonderful objects, but it was the trees that caught my eye. Each one was overflowing with shiny, dark red fruit. They looked almost too perfect to be real. 

I took many photos, which earned me some sidelong glances from the owner. I explained what I was trying to capture and he proceeded to tell me a little bit about his trees. The Parker pear, a cold-hardy fruit tree developed by the University of Minnesota in 1934, produces yellow-bronze to deep red fruit that’s perfect for eating and baking. In spring, the tree is adorned with clusters of white flowers, and by late summer, it’s laden with striking red fruit. I was there too early in the season to see it, but the dark green leaves turn a rich purple shade later in the fall.

I knew I wanted to try to paint this subject on vellum, and ideally, I wanted the vellum to be mounted on a panel. I had never tried anything like this before, but fortunately for me, just when I was completing my color studies of the pears, Carol Woodin offered a class on this topic at the New York Botanical Garden. Then came the challenge of painting. I never tire of watching the colors evolve on this unique surface. So much patience is required to allow the layers to build on one another to get through the ugly duckling stages.

Running beneath all the practical aspects of this project was something much more emotional. The day my family and I visited the orchard, my father stayed behind because he wasn’t feeling well. We didn’t yet understand that this marked the beginning of a sharp decline. He had always been a vibrant, extremely active person with an unusual passion for very specific kinds of food. One of his favorites was fruit, especially pears. Of course, I told him all about the pear trees and showed him my photos. He encouraged me to paint the pears someday, and I promised him I would. 

I kept my promise, though not quickly enough. I so regret not being able to give my father the finished painting, but the moment I placed the final brushstroke, I knew that this red Parker pear had to be dedicated to him, Bruce A. Lustgarten. This one is for you, Dad!

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