The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-12
THE PAINTING OF FLOWERS
Mrs. Ellis R0Wan's Brilliant Col
lection 0n Display Here.
\ Discussion Of the In1Turdne>S md
Meaning of the worlds blossoms.
Nature studies in Australia.
America. ard the west Indies.

Flowers have been the whole life study
Of Mrs. Ellis Rowan. Loving them from
carly childhood when she grew old enough
to hold a pencil she drew them and color
ed them and developed into an artist who
later could paint the real inwardress and
meaning of the worlds blossoms with
keenness of insight that bore the mark
OF genius. She was no. content To transfer
TO paper the slories of the buds in her
own land, but travelled from country 10
country making sketches and paintings
of the best she saw. ana adding picture
after picture to a collection unique in the
number of specimens il contained and alb
s0lutely unriyaIed in the breadth of the
field it contained
This exhibition OF flower paintings vas
shown in Washington last week and open
ed The eyes of all flower fancieIs TO ta-
sDlendors Of the blossoms of other c!lmes-
Mrs. Rowan Is an Australian ana her
first pictures were made in her native
country Later the love OF natures dainty
creations and the love of travel carried
her to England, then to the West Indies.
then 10 the United States The l25 picture
which she shows in her collection repre-
sent the best work she has done in all
these countries.
MIS- Rowan knows flowers. Sh- can
repeat All the learned Latin that goes
with them She has the more intimate
acquaintance which allows her the ia
uliliarity Of the common names. by
which she takes pleasure in calling them.
She IS q bcJaIiSt, but III no narrow sense,
Tor il is the full flower and not the pistH,
stamen, leaf. and stem that appeals 20
her With her broad travelling, ana her
unriya!ed opportunities she mas come 10
a knowledge OF doWordom that IS prob
ably unsurpassed.
Flowers have meant everything to me
ever since I uould remember anything
said Mrs. Rowan. as she sat among nor
pictures at the Cosmos Club. i went
into the country and painted them he
cause they were there To paint. and
could not help myself" As she talked Of
her work Mrs Rowan from the depths Of
her knowledge explained how the flowers
in various countries differ
The flowers of my own country. Aus
traiia, know the best, OF cours... she
said Il suppose because / know them
best J love them best Somehow the
common ones are the most attractive
The fora of Australia IS distinct ~ itself,
quite different from that you would iinI
IN even the other islands OF the South
Seas in America, or in Europe In Aus
traIia there are more kinds OF heath than
anything else. That seems to he the
commonest kind Of blossom there There
is the pinl-white heath called the Epae-
rus. with its tiny BeiI-IiIze blossom that
covers the ground almost as does your
bluet IN The spring What Is called
SJuart'S Desert pea almost rams riot in
the inland desert places II IS q scarlet
flower. streaked with black. pea shaped.
which creeps along the ground. and COW
ers il With d rank matted growth Of trail
CT and blossom. An Everlasting, which
IS white, brilliant pink. or purple, grows
almost as common as the daisy in Amer
lea 1t clusters itself IN great masses OF
color that often cover an entire hillside
The effect is more TO be imagined than
described
The climate Of Australia Is favorable
TO the growth Of all kinds of vegetation
The continent runs from the tropical into
the temperate zone, mas hills and broad
stretches OF arid land Each section pro-
duces something distinctive and character
lstlc III the way OF flower. the peculiar
shapes and vivid cOLOrS OF which II is hard
enough 10 paint and absolutely impossible
10 describe The wardtah. a brilliant
crimson, cOne-Suaped blossom which is
tucked closely IL punches. is common 10
al sections. 2S Is also the eucalyptus
Tree, OF which there are b. EarieLieS Sev-
eraI of which produce q crimson blossom
similar in appearance 10 the magnolia
Inc largest flower Of Australia Is tho
scarlet Queensland lily, which grows on =
. shrub that often reaches twelve feet In
height The lily Is frequently more than
SIX inches across. The fame tree in frIIf
bloom, with its shaggy long-petaled chrys-
conference.-the blossoms Of scarlet. IS Il
slght which no one who has seen IL can
forget.
Many Of the old English favorits arc
I found \ aIas-.rFF+-irs-G
roses. bIuebells. and others grow. blIt a.---
not wild. An EngIishman would miss the
snowy hawthorn and the dainty wild rose
Tor jtrt are not 10 BE- found Taken alto
Gether the flowers Of Australia are rur7rh
more brilliant in color than those Of either
england or America They blossom more
pr"iuSely, and seem 10 lean more toward
the blues than the flowers Of any other
country They are more feather 100
ana nave more frequently The thread ffl--.
hlaihetl5s. ending in bright c0l0red knob
~ the VI est Indies The plant life is
purely tropical, with ali the harsh vivid
-5sSS % color and rankaess or growth
Ii.at You Ncltu expect IL the damn hot
S-ALi-sttr- ne ground NewerS are missing
and everything is a tree a shr1JB or -
climbing creeper- The glory of rhe Xy-,gr
Indies lies in the blossOming trees. which
;,fIIist ,dhS youF breath away by the
ntl--taLcy pi the color they present But
the sDleHdOr OF the blossom is nor I.,Ds--
"a 81 II u mere To-Day ana gone tDm0r-
row There Is no permanencv for one,
a
winners IN a day, and is ~ a fey d4E--
more forgotten I'm The admiration OF III
sun more wonderful flower that succeeds
IL In the Vest indies the stage is
never empty. for vegetation is aIysys
bItsJilE forth into = new kind OF bloom 50
MIS- Rowan after having gone through
20 Atlantic States ana Jhe South de-
ClaT"S That She finds more satisfaction
a. painting the flowers Of the United
states than those Of ANY other land
hey are more quiet in color" she
declared a nd that is the reason uh.- IL
IS sHcH pleasure 10 paint them Paint
ing the flowers Of & Australia and of tho
Vest Indies one has 10 use the crude
re2s. fellows ana greens Everything is
taEln=- hold and UusuhdU1d To De- true
10 -lle, ihe towers must De treated iu
that manner I'm painting the flowers OF
this country. there is some opport7lf.it.-
Tor artistic meditation. and q call for the
BT-iS and the fainter shades Your flow
tfS make mach Hr-tJi"r pictures lin their
man characteristics thsy resemble the
i-aSIiSA h"E'-rS- because. I sUEDlSa. rlsy
were originally brought over from tho
Old Country In the Ma gflower ] miss
LgNtNe Fr the primrose. which makes orr
English spring 50 beautifully .+lIosv and
fragrant, and the blucJiI that ri0re in
the messy forests during thu early
months of the year + am next going
into the Vest to paint the flowers OF
the Arizona deserts and of Colorado and
the Rocky mountains
COL G. B. COWLAN DEAD.
He succunbed to ApopIexy in n Sew
York Hotel.