Dr Shirley Sherwood Presents: '‘Koemaroe-njannjan’ (Mourera fluviatilis) by Manabu Saito.

“To paint it, he had to go and sit in the middle of the river with water rushing down… not many other people have actually illustrated it and when you see it you understand why!”
Dr Shirley Sherwood Presents: ‘Koemaroe-njannjan’ (Mourera fluviatilis) by Manabu Saito.
This piece is of the Mourera fluviatilis, a specimen part of the river weed family, Podostemaceae and found mainly in the wet tropical biomes of South America. The plant is used as a medicine by local people, after having been dried and ground up into a powder.
Maiko has rather triumphantly painted the plant as it grows midstream. He’s perfectly captured the serpent-like shape of the stems and marvellous pink flowers in a very strong composition. Staring at the painting, we feel transported to the very river Manabu sat in to paint it.
See this piece at the Wonderful World of Water Plants at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in Kew Gardens. It’s not to miss!
Artwork: ⁠
◾️Manabu Saito, ‘Koemaroe-njannjan’ (Mourera fluviatilis), 612 x 460, Watercolour on paper.
📍See more of Manabu’s work on the SSC site: shirleysherwood.com/~610
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