Story behind the art of M. Joy Lemon

29th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Illustrators

A Matched Pair

Tulipa cv.

In the heart of a northern winter, I received a bouquet of tulips after an art exhibition. Stepping into the frigid evening, I cradled the vase through swirling snow and biting wind, shielding the fragile blooms as I hurried across the parking lot to my car. Their safe arrival home felt like a small victory, one that gave me the chance to draw them before their delicate beauty faded.

I have long been drawn to the expressive potential of varied edges in my charcoal and chalk floral drawings. While I have often used dark, velvety blacks to heighten drama, with these tulips I chose a quieter path. I established a middle-toned background with a soft gradient, inviting lost-and-found edges that allow the flowers to breathe and merge gently with their surroundings.

Working on toned paper, I let the value of the toned ground remain visible through much of the drawing. This approach complemented the slender, gently rounded petals, allowing me to extend thin veils of charcoal outward and dissolve them seamlessly into the tone of the paper. The same soft transitions guided my use of chalk, which I also reserved for the subtle reflective highlights that suggest the petals’ gentle sheen.

Throughout the drawing, I sought to balance these textural nuances with broader, atmospheric value shifts, so the forms could turn convincingly in space while preserving the individual character of each bloom.

What began as a hurried journey through winter cold became a quiet meditation on fragility and resilience, on the beauty of form and the porous boundary between object and environment. These tulips had much to teach, and I was grateful to listen.

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