BY LESLIE REGO
My husband and I were out walking when we stopped to chat with a couple of friends we happened to meet on the road. They excitedly told us about some fields a distance up Warm Springs Road that were full of vaseflowers (Clematis hirsutissima). Vaseflower is one of the quiet beauties that reigns supreme in the springtime. It is found in lush meadows where the ground is still wet from melted snow. The plant nestles down so thoroughly into the green of the meadow that one could walk right by and never notice the gentle purples of the flower.
Hirsutissima means “hairy” in Latin and, if the light is just right, the little hairs along the stems and sepals of the flower will glow in the sun. And so, we decided to venture up Warm Springs early the next morning to catch this golden hour of light.
The meadows along Warm Springs Road are beautiful right now, full of vibrant greens from the recent rains. Looking carefully amongst the natural grasses, I found the green stems of the vaseflower full of opposite narrow leaves with deep cleft segments. The four sepals of the flower, some yet to bloom, were buried deep into these leaves. The ends of the sepals curved back upon themselves, which gives the flower the vase-like appearance, or sugar-bowl appearance, another common name for the plant. I lowered myself prostrate upon the wet ground to see the blooms better and with this new perspective the buds rose up out of the earth and suddenly became more visible.
I have always been intrigued with the art technique repoussoir, a French verb, which roughly translates as “to push back.” This technique puts an object in the extreme foreground, receding or “pushing back” all other information in the picture plane, creating a greater illusion of depth. Lying on the ground, peering at the meadow, I thought to myself, “This is the way to truly see these flowers!” What once melded into the greens of the meadows became focal points. The lovely, soft purples lifted up into the early morning light and the woolly hairs on the stems and sepals glowed.
It became apparent to me that Nature can be enjoyed on many levels, both physical and ethereal: walking, sitting, or even laying oneself down on the ground. Each position offers a different view and a different context. The first brings emphasis to the position of the viewer, the second creates an equal ground between viewer and plant, and the last physically elevates the flower onto a platform that allows the light to catch and gleam off of the surfaces that would otherwise be buried deep within the grasses of the meadow.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit www.leslierego.com.