Jody williams
Missouri’s Autumn Treasures

August 19 - October 28, 2023
Opening Reception September 1, 5-8 PM

Artist Statement
Fall is a wonderful time in Missouri with cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and much to explore. Farmer’s markets overflow with a remarkable variety of locally harvested fruits and vegetables. The leaves are changing color and mushrooms abound in the woods. Each of these become subject matter for a botanical artist like me. A vivid violet eggplant, an odd-shaped heirloom tomato, wild hickory nuts, or the perfectly curled leaf sit patiently on my table as I paint their portraits.

Botanical art is a representational art seeking to depict plants in a botanically accurate way, illustrating the structure and features of the plant that make it unique while creating a work of art that engages a viewer and elicits an emotional response.

In my studio, visitors often see a painting of a plant that they remember as a child. American persimmons are such a subject. They are a fruit that grows wild in Missouri and often visitors had a persimmon tree in their yard growing up. Unlike their Asian cousin, the fruit is so tender that it doesn’t keep or ship well, and so is not available at the supermarket. It also has a very acrid taste like chewing on chalk - that is until it is ripe! Then it has a flavor like no other fruit and makes a delicious ingredient for cookies or jam. The saying goes that “they become ripe after they fall from the tree and before they hit the ground!” From an artist’s perspective they are a fascinating subject. They go through a change in color as they ripen from bluish green to yellow, then orange with hints of red, and violet, almost iridescent. My paintings of persimmons are always a conversation piece.

Another subject that I enjoy painting is the Paw Paw. It is the state fruit of Missouri, but like the American Persimmon, you are unlikely to find them in a grocery store for the same reasons. They are very tender when ripe and bruise easily. The bluish green oblong fruit has a creamy consistency, and being the northern most growing tropical fruit, tastes like a cross between a banana and a pineapple. They can be enjoyed eaten as picked or made into bread or ice cream. Visitors to my studio have fond memories of collecting wild Paw Paws and recall the song lyrics “Pickin’ up Paw Paws, Put ‘em in your pocket” or the mention of Paw Paws by Baloo the Bear singing The Bare Necessities in Disney’s Jungle Book movie.

When walking in the woods or walking the dog in my suburban neighborhood, I am always on the lookout for interesting leaves to paint. In fact, even when I’m driving I might pull over at an especially colorful maple or an oak to collect leaves and acorns. The park along the riverfront outside my studio at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, has a wide assortment of trees and is another favorite foraging spot - a Kentucky Coffee tree there, another Missouri native, drops the most unusual kidney-shaped pods.

And of course, at this time of year the fanciful colors and shapes of pumpkins and gourds provide an endless source of inspiration. And they don’t wilt while you are painting them!

After selecting a subject that intrigues me, my art starts with carefully observing the subject, making sketches, doing tonal studies, and then arriving at a composition. A more formal drawing is created which is then transferred to 100% cotton acid-free paper on which the painting is completed. Constantly referring to the subject, I mix colors to match it precisely, then build up many layers of paint to add tone and create form. It is important to let the paper dry completely between layers so it can be a slow process, like watching paint dry – literally! Then, with tiny sable-haired brushes I add details like veins or hairs or patterns as the last step. I will set the painting where I can see it for several weeks. It is amazing how obvious areas become that need a bit more attention. And then on to the next treasure!

About the Artist
Jody Williams is fascinated by the beauty, variety, and intricacy of the botanical world. The color, shapes, and patterns of plants and mushrooms captivate her attention, fuel her imagination, and are the catalyst that drives her creative pursuits as an artist. Her favorite subjects are those that grow around her in nature.

She can regularly be found foraging the woods of her St. Francois County farm seeking botanical gems to draw and paint. Her interest in nature started at an early age as a 4-H member where each year she chose a different area of natural history to study, learning to identify trees, wildflowers, birds, seashells, rocks and minerals, and mushrooms.

She had always had a passion for art and now combines her love of nature with her pursuit of watercolor painting to bring attention to the wonders of plants, often overlooked but ever intriguing.

Jody is the Executive Director and prior President of the American Society of Botanical Artists, an organization of nearly 2000 members in over 40 countries. ASBA is dedicated to perpetuating the tradition and contemporary practice of botanical art. (www.asba-art.org). She is a frequent contributing writer for and the coordinator of the ‘Botanica Collected’ column of ASBA’s quarterly journal The Botanical Artist. She is a studio artist and the founder of Botanical by Nature TM located at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri.

Missouri’s Autumn Treasures will be on exhibit through October 28th in the East Gallery, the home gallery of the Foundry Art Centre’s studio artists.