In a special ongoing series, the Medical Illustration & Animation Sourcebook is proud to highlight recent projects from Joan Thomson.
The first featured project is “Native Orchids of New Hampshire.”
Project: Native Terrestrial Orchids of New Hampshire
From the artist: “Here is the story of how I came to paint so many watercolors of orchids native to New Hampshire. At the time I started, which was in early in the 1990s, it was not clear to me that anyone had ever done this.
I got interested in orchids while attending a Guild of Natural Sciences workshop in sharp focus watercolor painting at the Humboldt Research Station in Maine. There was a bit of orchid mania starting, as they are very seductive in their variety, habits and colors. I was inspired by this, by a few botanist friends and by an article in Rhodora, by Frances E. Brackley called “The Orchids of New Hampshire.”
On arriving home in New Hampshire, I set about learning more about orchids. According to scientists at kew.org (Kew Gardens) and the Rainforest Alliance, they occur on every continent and north of the Arctic Circle. There are estimated to be 25,000-30,000 species.
I began a series of paintings of the orchids of New Hampshire, often straying from a dry textbook illustration style to include a bit of surrounding vegetation. I made a rule to paint only the ones I had seen with my own eyes, and have been fortunate to be able to see up close all of the ones I have painted with one or two exceptions, thanks to my work as a volunteer with the Native Plant Trust, formerly the New England Wildflower Society.
This is a lengthy project which has been ongoing for many years, since there are about 45 species of native orchids just in New Hampshire, and it is not finished yet. It is one that has given me a great deal of joy.”
Joan Thomson is an artist and educator based in Canaan, New Hampshire. Originally from New York State, she holds a BFA from Syracuse University and an MA in Education from the University of Kentucky. Her career spans illustration and teaching, including 19 years as a medical illustrator at Dartmouth Medical School. Deeply inspired by nature, Joan has volunteered with the New England Wildflower Society, now called the Native Plant Trust, and for years was active in the Cardigan Mountain Art Association. She continues to teach drawing, arts and crafts, and English to Speakers of Other Languages, often weaving in her passion for the natural world.
