Client: Quarto Publishing
The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism Illustrations
I was commissioned by Quarto Publishing, the publisher of The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism by Karen M Rose, to paint 40 illustrations for the book. The description of the book: The Art and Practice of Spiritual Herbalism shows readers how to utilize the magic of plants and ancestral spiritual practices in remedies and ritual. This book is a practical tool for working through the symptoms of body dis-ease and the underlying emotional/spiritual issues.
Organized by major body systems such circulatory, digestive, reproductive, The Art and Practice of Spiritual Herbalism gives a brief overview of the physical mechanisms of the system, the spiritual correspondences associated with that system, and the plants, remedies, and rituals that can be used to bring oneself back to healing and balance. Filled with stories, ancestral recipes, and accessible practices that anyone can use, The Art and Practice of Spiritual Herbalism shows readers how to use the power of plants for spiritual and physical healing.
There were 3 types of illustration: realistic (not necessarily scientifically accurate but identifiable) illustrations of the herbs; herbs intertwined with the body system that they benefit; and stylized portraits of orishas/gods/goddesses/spiritual guides.
The botanicals and the organ illustration were definitely a challenge for me because I do not draw them normally but I was proud of how well they came out. After this project I definitely got into putting more botanicals in my personal work because I grew to love them so much.
People are definitely more in my wheelhouse when it comes to commissions so I had a lot of fun with the orishas. I love fantasy and it was fun and also a nice challenge to take the legend of each orisha and depict them visually in my own style.
The editor, who I worked with closely throughout the project, was drawn to my watercolor paintings and my art style and I’m proud that I was allowed to stay true to me.
The overall concept with the herbs was to render them and just an accent of color. The organs were to be paired with their respective herbs in full color. My concept with the orishas was to depict these strong, powerful deities on a backdrop of the sky that fit their character. For example, Ogun is the god of iron and war so I put him with a background of bright orange, fiery clouds.
Funny enough, the heart illustration became my favorite amongst the entire group. To not be used to drawing both herbs and organs and for this to be result, I was extremely satisfied. I feel the heart in particular was rendered well and easily recognizable.