"Night-Blooming Cereus." Colored woodblock print from Shirley Russell's "Hawaii Collection," 1938. Titled, dated and signed by the author in pencil at bottom of painting. Comes in a period beige bamboo frame w/matting, 21.75" x 18" with frame, image alone is 13" x 10".
Russell painted a series of flower images in 1929. Watanabe of Japan (engraver for Charles Bartlett) executed the wood blocks for her. Less than 20 impressions were made for each image.
This landscape painting depicts a Hawaiian taro plantation home behind the shallow waters where the plants are growing; it has a very unique reflection in the water.
Similar image used for Holiday cover for Paradise of the Pacific.
Russell’s favorite painting subjects included landscapes, seascapes, and still life. Her lively brushwork, colorful palette, and her keen appreciation of the sunlight found in Hawai'i are distinctly impressionistic. A companion woodblock print is Hibiscus.
White Ginger reflects the breadth of Russell’s art studies and her superb talent in printmaking. To achieve the detail and subtle shades of white to ivory hues requires great skill and patience. A companion woodblock print to Anthuriums and Hibiscus.
