Sambucus Canadensis and Elderberry
Our print, Sambucus Canadensis, in colors Black and Green, shown with our wallpaper, Elderberry in color Fog.
While remarkable plants inspire Mazy Path, my actual knowledge of botany has always been piecemeal, a motley collection of plant names and stories gleaned from books I’ve read and encounters with other plant enthusiasts (first and foremost my parents). So, this summer I took my first botany class: Basic Plant Identification at the New York Botanical Garden. I loved it! The classification systems made my inner organizer giddy, and the unique lexicon spoke to my love of words. Most of all, the class helped me appreciate the value of botanical illustrations and inspired me to give one a try..
Sambucus canadensis. Common name: elderberry.
I found my subject when I stumbled across a Sambucus canadensis, commonly known as the elderberry, growing at the edge of the Brattleboro Food Co-op parking lot in Vermont. Having learned about the curative properties of the elder (Adoxaceae) family during the pandemic (and having designed a wallpaper, Elderberry, inspired by the same), I recognized the distinctive plant, with its inky purple berries, right away.
Image from the Tudor Pattern Book
Inspiration arrived in images from the Tudor Pattern Book, a medieval manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. The book features richly colored illustrations that detail plants’ defining characteristics: leaf shape, stem height, flower color. The images also capture other elements, from landscapes to fantastic beasts. Such a variety of motifs is present because pattern books functioned both as botanical reference guides and as sort of medieval forms of Pinterest. Illustrators passed them back and forth to access a rich library of images. As a result, these collections are uneven- at times peculiar- but always beautiful.
Inspiration and sketches for Sambucus canadensis.
After studying various pattern book illustrations, I began to sketch the parts of the elderberry: its lacy flowers, shiny berries, and delicately toothed leaves. I also sketched images of creatures that elderberries attract, such as warblers and summer azure butterflies. And, as elderberries thrive in open fields, I added a sketch of one of my favorite Vermont meadows.
L: Charcoal sketch, R: Block
Keeping the oversized plant forms and low-lying landscapes of the Tudor Pattern Book images in mind, I combined my sketches into a composition. Next I traced a charcoal sketch of the composition, transferred it onto a block, and carved the block.
Sambucus Canadensis, Green as watercolor is being added.
Once I had carved and printed the block, I experimented with different ink colors. Then, in order to achieve the luminous colorations of the Tudor Pattern Book images, I added watercolor to the leaves and berries. Whereas I typically print on Japanese mulberry paper, a light-weight, semi-transparent ground, I used a heavy, opaque printing paper to make sure the moisture from the watercolors didn't make the paper buckle.
Left: Sambucus Canadensis, Black, Center: Sambucus Canadensis, Green, Right: Elderberry wallpaper, Fog
The result is Sambucus Canadensis, Black and Sambucus Canadensis, Green. Elderberry season begins in August and runs through September, but Elderberry wallpaper is available indefinitely and Sambucus Canadensis, a limited edition of 100 prints, is available until the prints sell out!