Botanical Silhouettes Enhance A Large Wall Space

In the Texas Hill Country where the outside comes inside through dramatic views of gently rolling hills, rocky canyons, and tree lined arroyos, it is appropriate for us to consider interior design which recognizes and incorporates aspects of these elements. Drying and pressing native plants is one way; an alternative to this is to the botanical silhouette.

I’ve written about painting silhouettes of our native trees in a post of October 22, 2022. Today’s post is an update of recent discoveries on our land and my work to document these and to frame the silhouettes.

Our garden is a naturally terraced piece of limestone embedded land sloping down to an arroyo on two sides. There are places in the garden where you can go and not see any of the surrounding houses. It’s like being on a nature walk in the wilderness and yet minutes away from home. It is a common occurrence to make personal discoveries on these walks and this gum bumelia is a recent sighting. An app on my phone called SEEK aids me in definitively identifying  a tree or plant and then reading further about it to learn more. The name gum bumelia is lovely as is the plant, though you must approach carefully to avoid the needle like thorns on each branch.

On the same day while cutting some branches of evergreen sumac for a flower arrangement another beauty came to my notice. This is a shrubby boneset. You, like me may find the names of the plants as entrancing as the plants themselves! The shrubby boneset is also called the Havana snakeroot or the white mistflower, and is native to Texas.

To create a tree silhouette, first, cut a small representative branch from the tree and take it inside immediately, putting it in water. When you are ready to begin, choose your paper type and size. Next, you may want to use secateurs (small garden shears) to trim your plant cutting so it fits nicely on the piece of paper. To me it is appealing to include leaves which have been chewed on, buds, thorns, blossoms, and/or berries to demonstrate the rich life of the specimen.

Then, using a mechanical pencil and holding the cutting in place with your other hand, trace around the edges of the leaves and stems. This is a native Texas redbud cutting.

Look closely and you can see the lightly penciled outline of a branch from the gum bumelia.

With black India ink and a small sable paint brush you can outline a leaf and gently fill it in. The scent of the fresh green leaves and the feel of the brush against the paper makes this a particularly relaxing and pleasant experience! You may want to add the sound of some of your favorite music.

Here are the completed painted silhouettes of the gum bumelia and shrubby boneset with their specimen labels including the scientific and common names, location/habitat, collector, collection date, and identifier.

Now, to the framing! My original thought was for us to make our own frames, but my woodworking partner has a large back log of projects, so alternatives were in order.

Using these glass and pressboard clip frames enables me to concentrate the visual emphasis on the images themselves and to hang a grand group of the silhouettes together.

Using a sharp-edged steel ruler, measure and tear the paper. My paper is Rives BFK in Gray and it comes with a deckled or torn edge, so tearing the paper in this way enables me to get a similar look on all sides.

Next, mount the painting on the backing paper. Acid free mounting tape is used to hold it in place.

Place the image and backing paper on the pressboard and cover with the sheet of glass.

The clips are easy to put in place. Clean the glass and they are ready to hang!

We hung twelve of the silhouettes in this room under the stairs and have room for several more. This is where we keep holiday ornaments, table leaves, table pads, hiking sticks, and the like. The highest point of ceiling in this storeroom under the stairs is 16 feet tall so there is room to accommodate such a grouping.

Making an effort to beautify your utilitarian spaces is gratiffying. Now, this storeroom  brings me happiness every time I enter it.  I find myself opening the door and standing before the tree silhouettes, saying their names to myself and recalling where they are growing on our land…Agarita, Texas Persimmon, Texas Mountain Laurel, Texas Redbud and so on!

The remaining six paintings we framed for either side of a painted bookcase containing ironstone platters and Victorian jelly molds in the back stairs hallway leading to the storeroom. I can see it from the laundry room and think we’ve made good use of what was a mahogany bookcase which would not fit into the library! Another story for another day!

Interior designer Susan Ferrier often works with architect Bobby McAlpine. They collaborated on this thought-provoking book Art of the House. Relative to incorporating natural elements in interior design she writes, “Recognize and reflect on nature in its most honest and elemental state. There is no need to magnify its beauty.”

Included in the images in the book are these bird nests under glass globes and cardboard framed botanicals from a naturalist’s journal.

Interior designer Richard Halberg is renown for his use of natural elements.

These leaf prints in plaster in the entryway of a home set the tone and let us know something about those who live here. The juxtaposition of what appears to be cypress tree knees or roots along with the foxed mirror and a ceramic bowl is arresting.

A large photograph of a young tree by Amir Zaki sets the tone for this serene room.

Photographer Miguel Flores Vianna brings us fascinating and personal homes from around the world with this book!

Fabric designer and editor Carolina Irving’s home includes a triptych of dried leaves over the mantel with a piece of coral hung from a ribbon beside it.

Interior designer Daniel Romualdez created an ethereal haven in fashion designer Tory Burch’s Southampton bedroom using a Colefax and Fowler chintz on the headboard and chair and imposing Renzo Mongiardino botanicals on the walls.

Whether you have a piece of land in the country or a walled garden in the city, a green garden of trees and bushes, or a floral cutting garden, consider making images of the nature where you live and bringing a bit of the outside to enhance your personal interior design!