About the Marantaceae Species Print
The Painting Process
Each individual leaf on this print was originally hand painted in watercolor. Marantaceae were some of the first tropical plants that caught my attention as a botanical artist. Their intricately patterned leaves appear to be painted by nature, creating a fun challenge to reproduce these patterns on the page.
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Calathea orbifolia
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Stromanthe 'Triostar'
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Calathea makoyana
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Calathea musaica
Growing My Own Reference
I only use original reference for my paintings - either a live plant or photos I've taken of plants I've seen at botanical gardens, nurseries, or private collections. Many of the leaves on this print were painted from live reference of plants that I'm growing myself. Calathea, Maranta, and their relatives are some of my favorite plants and I have a large collection of them in my garden - both in pots and growing in the ground.
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Calathea 'Flame Star'
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Calathea 'Marion'
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Calathea zebrina
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Ctenanthe lubbersiana
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Here's a large-text digital version of this print that I've shared on social media. Please tag me @apsley_watercolor if you'd like to share it as well!
