MATILIJA POPPY

reprinted from
LA TIMES
CALIFORNIA CLASSROOM

Petals like crepe paper, flowers like a fried egg

February 19, 2003

Have you ever thought of food when looking at a plant? The flowers of the matilija poppy look just like fried eggs -- sunny side up! A clump of plants can have up to 100 flowers.

The flowers have broad, flat, pure-white petals with domed yellow centers. Their petals look like used crepe paper because they are crumpled in the bud and never lose their folds. The scientific name for this native California plant is Romneya coulteri.

Rio Bonney, 12, shows us what a single flower looks like using a technique called "mixed media." That means she used different art materials to create her illustration.

Rio first researched the plants. She tells us they "can grow from 5 to 8 feet tall, and the flowers can get up to 9 inches wide."

She then viewed the plants in a garden environment, studying the color of the flowers and how they appeared on the plants. She noted the pattern of the petals to each other, and the size of the petals compared to the center of the flower.

"I made a pencil sketch of the flower while still in the garden," said Rio. "Then at home, I darkened it with a gray marker and painted the stem and flower with acrylic paint."

This is the second in a series of stories on "Drawing From Nature."
Check this column on the third Wednesday of every month for a new nature subject and art technique. (The next story will be on March 19.) Use it to help you learn to draw from nature, then send us your results. We will publish some of your efforts. Follow Rio's example and include one or two sentences describing what you learned about the plant or animal and describe how you drew it. See "How to write to us" for more information.
*
This Learning Link was written by Carol Felixson, director of Education/ Community Outreach, UCLA Stunt Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, nrs.ucop.edu/reserves/stunt.html, and the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, Both offer lots of subjects for drawing from nature.