2021 Artist in Residence, Laura Poulette’s beautiful watercolor selections of Bernheim spring blooms are now on display in the Sassafras Room.
Poulette spent time at Bernheim each season in 2021 as the world recovered from the covid epidemic, documenting her own personal discoveries of spring ephemerals and budding trees in the arboretum. She wandered throughout the Arboretum collection and natural areas trails drawing and photographing before finishing her pieces in watercolor.
She shares some reflections on her explorations:
In the forest, I hiked Rock Run loop, a trail that skirts a pretty little creek, and was delighted to see a dense carpet of Yellow Trout Lillies. Though they are more common than the White, we don’t have them in our wood,s so they feel extra special!
I camped out amidst the Crabapples for a couple of hours, drawing, photographing, and soaking up the exuberant blooms.”
Laura also enjoyed researching the archives and exploring the extensive Bernheim herbarium to inform her practice. Her elegant final work resembles a large insect or specimen display case, as each botanic watercolor element included is cut and mounted slightly off the surface of the background paper.
“It is impossible to overstate the incredible gift these weeks of focused solitude have been, especially in the midst of this difficult year (2021). Though I’ve been a full-time artist for years now, I’ve never been able to prioritize my work so intently for weeks at a time. What a luxury to have this time in such an incredibly inspiring place.
